The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1874-09-24
HORRIBLE DEATH-RtDE.
How owen O'NeiI Was Ground on a
Wagon Hub for a Distance. Of
Twelve Milcs..Iu rf erers Fasten
Him Between the Spring and the
Wheel.

eUce OF The ANSN j OK Herald.
On the morning of Sunday, July 5.
1874, about 5 o'clock, a CHASTITY and
horrible sight met the eyes Of Mrs.
Owen O'Neil as she came forth from her
dwelling house, which is situated on the
turnpike il Altoona, at a distance of
eight OF nine miles from this place.
Her husband had left home the previous
day to come to Plattsburg and had not
returned. Wondering WHAT had beer
the cause Of his delay she arose, and
looking out perceived that the wagon
which he had taken with him was under
the shed, as she could see the rear end
projecting out. Calling to her son,
Laurence 0 Neil, that his father had
not returned, but that the horse and
wagon were under The shed, she hast
ened out, only to find her husbands
hfeless body wedged in between the for
ward spring Of the wagon and the hub,
his head hanging down. his feet on the
ground and his left arm between the
thills and the horse.
Made frantic BY the fearful sigh: thus
thrust before her vision, she continued
to remove the body Of him who had left
her i'll the prime of life, healthy and
strong the day before, from its position,
and, with the aid of her fatherless child.
carried it into the house.
The clothes on the side which had
rested on the hub were worn to shreds,
and the flesh was all rubbed of. making
i wound some ten inches in length,
through which the stomach could be
seen. There was also wound five
inches long, near TIE armpit, which ex-
posed the lungs 20 view. Three cuts
were found On the head, and the body
was bruised III several places.
1t was at first thought that perhaps
he had fallen accidentally out of the
wagon, but it was soon demonstrated
that 1t was Impossible to fall into the
position in which he was found, and it
became generally believed that he had
been cruelty murdered.
"A jury was sun moned by Coroner
Lafountain, and the testimony at the
inquest showed that O'Neil had left
Plattsburg between and 10 o clock on
the night of the 4th, perfectly sober;
that one witness had met three men in
o wagon quarreling, and that groans
had been heard by several persons iiv-
ing along the road, commencing several
miles this side of O'Neil's home. No
one had ventured out, as all thought it
to be some one returning from Fourth
OF July spree. The coroner's jury de-
cided that the deceased met his death
at the hands Of some person or persons
unknown.
The general belief Was that he had
been attacked on the road shortly after
he left town, and that after rendering
him lnsenslble the inhuman wretches
fastened HIM beneath the spring that
he might die I slow, horrible death on
that lonely road, through the dark
hours Of the night. What terrible
agony and pain untold he suffered on
that ride to death can never be half
realized. The most savage ingenuity
and cunning could scarcely have de-
viSed more bar barous mode Of suffer.
ing.
The Indignation of the public was in
tense, but so completely had the vii.
lains covered up all traces of them
motive could be assigned for the deed
except personal malice. as the deceased
did not have much money in his posses
sion. His watch was gone, however.
No one who would have killed him for
his money would ever have made him
suffer as he did; no doubts remain but
that it was done for revenge and to
CRAFTY hellish hatred.
A deep feeling of sympathy for his
widow and seven children pcrvaded the
whole community, and such funeral
as is seldom seen in this section follow.
ed his remains to the grave. The
Board of Supervisors Of Clinton county
held special session soon after and Of
fered reward Of ST ,0e0 for the appre.
hension of the guilty parties, and the
case was suffered to merge into forget
fulness until Wednesday, August 26th,
when it was again revived in a manner
which added new interest to it.
On the morning of that day posse
of police proceeded to the residence Of
family named Leonard, on the road
on which the murder took place, and
arrested two of the sons. "Pete" and
John, on charge of having killed
O'Neil. They were brought to Platts-
burg, ano. on the examination that TO-
lowed, the following testimony was
brought out:
The cause Of their arrest was state
ment made by an old man named
Granger, who had been working for
several farmers in that section, in which
it appears that on the night after the
funeral of O'Neil ne left Plattsburg.
about 10 o'clock, on his way to the
residence of man named Finlegan.
Twice he stopped to rest on the way,
the second time in little hollow near
brook which ran by the house of the
Leonards. Here he sa. down and light
ed his pipe. Ere long he observed two
men coming out of the house and go
down toward the brook by the road
fence. whom he recognized. by the aid
OF the moonlight, to be pete and
John Leonard, the former CARRYING
spade.
Upon seeing them come towards him
Granger placed his hand over his pipe
and slid down softly under the cover of