The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1877-11-09
An astonishing Criminal.
HIS ADVENTURES As BIGANIsT, EMBEz-
zLER, JAIL-BREAKER AND HoRsE-THIEF.

HIS ADVENTURES As BIGANIsT, EMBEz-
ZLER, JAIL-BREAKER AND HoRsE-THIEF.
noNEsDALE, Pa, Oct. 30.-Four years
ago James o. Mattice, tin pedler for a
Binghampton firm, was married III Greene,
Chenaugo county, n. Y, to young lady
in that village. Some time afterwards, lav-
ing in his possession nearly s coo of the
firms money, he disappeared with their
team and wagon, aud III Ulster county all
trace of him was lost. Some weeks after
wards the horses were found III a thick
piece of woods in the upper part of Ulster
county. Tied to a tree they had starved TO
death, after eating all the foliage in their
reach, and gnaw;ng the baik off the trees
around them. Mattice had evidently dis
posed of the horses i'll that way.
In 1874 William Clark, an apparently
we'll; O-do young man, appeared in the
! farming districts of the Pennsylvania coun-
ties bordering on those of the southern tier
of New York. lie was III search OF good
/ farm, displayed considerable money, and
obtained the confidence OF one rich farmer
named Lenuox to such All extent that he
became the latter's son-in-law after AN &C
quaintance of but three weeks Shortly
thereafter .he farmers of Western Susque-
hanna aud Bradford counties lost several
, horses. No race of thieves or booty could
be found, and it was apparent that there
I"
tain actions Of farmer Lennox's sou in law
aroused suspicious. An old hand bin de-
scri5ing a horse and carriage that bad been
stolen from livery stable III Central New
/ York, some six months before, and also
giving the description of the thief, was seen
by one of the farmers hanging i'll a barroom
! at Towanda. The stolen property vas tic
horse and carriage William CiaI k had " hen
! he came to the neigh borhoou and had sold
! to Mr.. IcnnOx, and The description of the
/ thief fitted Clark exactly. The farmer
| hastened home, and CLARK alias Mattice,
was arrested. On hesway to a justice's
while passing through piece of 81 oUds ihe
! prisoner, having thrown the officer off his
guard knocked bin senseless with some
heavy weapon, aud al hough a wagon load
I of farmers were close behind him, escaped
: into the woods.
! In 1915 horse-thieves began 10 operate
! among the farmers of tltis, LuZerue and
/ Susqnehanna counties. \ man named Love,
/ who had taken up his residence III -" cr
; Broomc county, y. y, and WHO had mar
| ricd the servant Of a farmer liz That vicni-
ty, was at last suspected. La the summer
! Of 1915 a farmer in the nor hem part Of
. this county had horse stolen, and Il tIace
/ of the thief was found and followed. lie
! was arrested with The property as he WAS
/ preparing 20 cruSs the SuSquehdnna River
into New YOIk ut Susquelianua y pot.
wife III iiTuome county, but Clark, alias
Mattice, who had married a girl in Che
mango county, and robbed his employers Of
$1,000 and team. He was brought to
iIonesdalc and lodged in Jail. He was
furnished tools by members of his gang,
who were spread all over this section made
ii key and unlocked the door Of his cell and
the outer door of the Jail, aud escaped. lie
went directly back to Susquehanna county,
and three days after getting away from
!ionesdaie jail broke into a store at Great
Bend, stole several hundred dollars, and
the same night stole a horse and wagon.
He WAS arrested hefnrc he got away with
his booty, aud was locked UP i'll jail at
Mnntrose. Before Cuurt nuL he dug his
way out of jail and gaia esca ped, although Ii
lie was followed by the Sicr:H and shot at
five times, shot at least taking effect
as a trail of blood showed. NoIhing nav
ing been seen or heard of Mat;i icc after his
escape, il was believed that the shot had
been fatal To him, and that the community
was rid Of a person who Was becoming iJs
terror. y reward of 800 was offered for
hl'n. IL, cent events prove that lhe thcUI y
.! MlttICe = killing was erroneous.
VI HAT tho career of this criminal may
have been after !iis ESCAPE from Muntrose
up TO the 12jh of September last is not
known. On that day he had the au;Iaciiy
to mako his appearance in Greene, Che
mango county where he married his first
wife. He declared he had reformed. bat
lie was missing next day, rs were about
$500 worth of goods from the store OF "a
merchant named Smith, aud a. valuable
horse and wagon also belonging to him
3lattice covered up his tracks 50 Skifully
that he actually could not be Traced out of
sight of the village. Notices OF the rob
berry, with descriptions of the property and
thief, we've sent III all dirrc; ions, bat " ith-
n. F.
up all hope of finding j., when week before
last Sheriff Dillon, of Hancock. Delaware
county, received letter from the Chief os
Iolice at Portland, Me-, stating that man
giving his name as w illiam Clark had been
arrested in that city having in his posses
sion a horse and wagon which he had Of
fered t. dispose of at such Il ridiculously
low price that it suspected lie had
stolen it. The prisoner said lie had Iela-
tives i'll Hancock, \. Y, and that he came
from ShO.San, Ulster county. \ descrip-
ton of the property and prisoner was given
smith descrip ion tailed with the one from
Maine. The Shci itf at once notified Smith
aud the Portland authorities were .e!e-
graphed 10 hold the prisoner. Smith first
went to Shokan, and learned that Mat,ice
had disposed of the stolen merchandise
near there. When he reached Portland he
learned that Mattce had out his way out
of the jail aud had escaped, no trace of him
being found. The property was Iecovered
but the casts Of recovering had eaten up it's
value. Mattice has several other assumed
names.
SHOCKING TRAGBDY.-A Sparta wis. J
special of Sunday says that news had Just
been received from Wilton of a horrible
affair which occurred there on Thursday
night. Mrs. VIM. Van Voorhees,. a young
woman with three children, and abont to
bccpn,e q mother again, had, after living