The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1877-11-10
THE roLL.aATE TRAGEDY.

THE TOLL-6ATE TRAGEDY.
Details Of the shoeking Murder OF Ed
ward ard Ann 4cvey-Robbery the In.
centivo to the Crime.
From the Cincinnati Enquirer.l
CIRCLEvILLE, O., Oct. 27.-One of
the most brutal and pitiless murders
ever perpetrated in this vicinity was
committed near the county line of Pick
away and Ross Counties, between Cir
cleville and Chillicothe, about midnight
last night. The victims were an aged
couple, named Edward and Ann McVey.
The object of the murder was money,
and the amount procured was %.
The couple were aged respectively IS
and u years. For some years they have
had charge Of the toll-gate on the old
Columbus, Circleville and Chillicothe
pike, about IL miles below this place.
They had saved some money, and it was
known in the neighborhood that the old
man, who was afraid to trust the banks,
had his small earnings hidden about the
house. He had for long time had q
presentment that he would be murdered
for his money. Recently he called in
Jack Boggs, a rich farmer on the Pick
away plains, and told him that some
thing might happen along the road, and
he would show him where he Kept his
money, SO that if he were killed he would
know where to look for it. There was
living with the aged couple grand
child named Alice Dean, aged IA years.
The place where the tragedy occurred is
an humble house, with barely rooms
enough to answer the needs of the little
family. The south end of the house was
used as q kitchen, and the middle part
was divided into two bedrooms, the old
folks sleeping in the front room and the
girl in the back room. A door opened
from the kitchen into the old folks bed.
chamber on one side and another into
the grocery on the other side. The
nearest house, occupied by man nam
ed Cryder, was quarter of mile away.
The story of the murder, as cleaned
from the young girl who escaped, and
from the surrounding circumstances, is
as follows: Two men forced an en-
trance to the house through the kitchen
window. They passed through the bed
chamber of the old felix's into the gro
Gerry without disturbing the slumbers of
the occupants. Here they lighted a
candle on the counter, and began a
search for money. While thus engaged,
the old man was aroused and went to
the grocery-room to see what was the
matter. As he passed through the door
he was met by one of the robbers and
shot through the heart. He fell dead,
with his feet toward the outside door
and his head by the stove.
The shot awoke the wife, who did not
comprehend the situation, but, half
asleep and bewildered, she left her bed
and followed her husband to the gro
Gerry and to death. As she passed
through the door the murderer coolly
put his pistol to her head and fired.
He aimed too low, however. The ball
entered the face near the right cheek
bone, passed through and came out on
the left side under the temple. The
shot was not fatal, and the girl heard
her grandmother cry, "Save me, for
Gods sake! Save mel" The venera-
BILE victim was seized by the ruffians and
forced into q chair near the stove.
Placing the pistol about the right breast
the fatal shot was fired, the ball passing
through vital part and silence ensued.
The fiends then deliberately continued
their search for money.
The poor girl awakened and
alarmed by the shots and screams,
jumped up and crawled under
the bed. In q moment after her
concealment she saw a tall man, wear
ing long coat and blue jeans panta-
looms, enter the room with candle and
begin a search for the money. He
opened and ransacked the bureau
drawers, and, failing to find what he
sought, he pulled the bed-clothes from
the bed, set fire TO the bed, piled the
bed-clothes against the door, set them
on fire, and left the room, closing the
door after him. At this juncture the
girl left her place of concealment, and,
escaping from her chamber, fled on the
wings Of fear to Cryder's house and
told her story.
There were six men at Cryder's who
fastened to the scene of
the murder. On the way one of them
fired shotgun, and this alarmed the
who hurried to the woods. The
door was on fire and the bed was nearly
burned. Among the bed-clothes was a
watch and pOcketboOk containing $685.
60, which escaped the notice Of the
thieves. The alarm was given through
out the neighborhood, and men started
in pursuit in every direction. About
this morning two men were
seen passing down the road toward
Kingston, They were overtaken by a
pursuing party from the scene of the
murder, arrested and placed
in confinement. The men are
Irishmen, one tail and weighing about
$50 pounds; the other is smaller, slim
and slight. Examination of the vicinity
showed that some tramps had been
in the vicinity. The Irishmen,
when arrested were both under the in
fuence of liquor, and told conflicting
stories. They claimed to have been en-
ployed as section hands on the Scito
Valley Railroad. Tracks leading from
the house, made in an adjoining wheat
field, show that there were two men,
one wearing large, new shoes, and the
other shoes torn and worn. The large
tracks measure eleven inches and a
quarter. Going to Kingston, Sheriff
found that the larger prison.
er had on new pair of stoga boots,
elevens, which corresponded