The New York herald., 1875-12-11

BAND OF FORTY MASKED MEN MAKE AN
ATTACK UPON AN IRISH BOARDING HoUsE-A
MAN AND WOMAN sHoT-oNE OF THE BODIES
BURNED-THE PRovocAT1os NOT KNOWN.
PorrsvrLLR, Pa, Dec. 10. 1915.
This community and the whole of'the schuykn coal
region startled horrifed this morning by tho
Intelligence OF dreadful outrage committed by largo
band Of masked al Wiggans Patch, small
mining village, between Mahanoy city and Gil
berton, About the time mentioned body Of
men, numbering between thirty and forty,
came up from the direction OF Glberton and
halted in front OF the house OF widow named O'Don
NELL who keeps Irish boarding house. detach,
ment went TO the kitchen door and burst it open en-.
terns the house and proceeding up stairs, they first
encountered n woman named McAlster daughter Of
Mrs 0Donnell and shot her dead. The mother was
aroused and appeared at door, when q pistol
was Immediately evellcd al her. One OF the party
saved her life, but could prevent her.from being
knocked down by the bullet ~ revolver. The party
then entered room, where four men, named
James McAallster, Charles o'Donnell, John
Purcell and James Blair, We're sleeping,
and took them from their beds Purcell they tied to
the bed and took the other three down stairs. Here
McAllster made bold and successful attempt TO
escape carrying with him bullet In the shoulder.
o'Donne and Blair taken out into the road, and
the latter, after an examin2tion, was told TO 60
0Donne broke away aid Tried to escape but fell
wounded
EIGHTEEN BULLETS FIRED
The assassins fired eighteen bullets into him. and
then set his clothes fire. burning his body nearly to
q crisp After accomplishing their heish purposes
the whole party Of masked murderers departed the
they came, hiring OF volleys OF pistol shots The ex-
element in the nelghborhood whom news OF the
crime spread intense People came hocking to the
vicinity in hundreds public indignation became even
more deep and Intense when 1t was known that the
murdered woman the point of be-
coming mother. large force OF po-
lice al put TO work and secured
baied because OF the mystery attaching to the Affair."
No motives for the murder safely be assigned It
is said hand that O'DonnelPs family had fight
with another clan at berton some time back in which
they victorious and that this the revenge Of
the defeated clan On the other hand IL is claimed that
the murders committed by the Vigilance Commit
tee Of Mahanoy City, which was formed after the mur
der Of the mine bosses-Wren LANCER and Jones-last
fall II said also that Thursday piece OF paper
was thrown into 0'Donnelrs house which was
written ~You the murderer OF Wren and Langer"
A PROMINENT CITIZEN ARRESTED
Alta preliminary examination Mrs ODonnell swcre
that. she could recognize no one In the crowd OF
murderers and afterward that the man
who knocked her down Mr.. Frank
winrich, OF Mahanoy City, First Lieutenant Of
and most respectable citizen. De was committed to
the county prison and will at once have hearing
There Of other arrests among them that Of
q lieutenant OF the Coal and Iron Police, but these
rumors are baseless There is no doubt OF Wenrichs
innocence
house. has been the Of the Molly Magures It 10
believed by great many that the murders COM
mtted by Vigilance Committee, who have made
horrible botch OF their first job