The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1879-10-16
Brother Kills Brother,

At Bradford, Mexican county, on
Tuesday morning of last week Robert
Butler shot and instantly killed
Henry Butler, his brother. The
murdered man had been working in
the saw mill at Daguscahonda, five
miles east of Ridgway, and boarded
with William Fannin. He deter
mined to make visit to his brother
at Bradford whom he he had not seen
for number of years arriving at the
King farm near that city on Monday
afternoon. The greeting between the
two brothers was of the most friendly
character. After supper the two
brothers and VIM. King, with whom
Robert lived, started for Bradford to
spend an evening socially together.
They visited the Comique remaining
until about IL o'clock, and in other
drinking places until two o'clock in
the morning. AT one of the places a
fellow sung song at which Robert
took offense and struck the fellow in
the saloon. Henry interferred to stop
the quarrel when the two brothers en-
gagged in a scuffle which did not result
in harm to either.
The following we copy from the
Bradford Evening Star.
"King and Henry Butler got home
first and entered the house some five
minutes before Robert came in. King
had spent this time in advising the
unfortunate man not to have any more
trouble with his brother but to 90 up
stairs to bed and all would be right in
the morning. When Robert came i'm
he attacked his brother again, but find
ing that he was about TO get the worst
of the fight let go, and telling Henry
that he would give him just ten min
utes to leave the house, started out.
He went directly to Wickwire's, Il
neighbor's house, and calling him up
asked the loan of his revolver. On
being asked what he wanted with it
his answer was that he didn't want
anything in particular. He insisted
on having it, and finally at Wickwire's
suggestion promised that he would not
do any harm with it, and he got it.
Returning toward the house he met
his brother at the barn which stood
midway between where he had left
him and where he had obtained the
pistol.
Again they began fighting, and after
scuflling for few moments, in the
meantime working toward the house,
until they were within about two rods
of it, when Robert succeeded in get
ting range on his brother, and fired.
The ball entered the left breast an inch
and half below the nipple, and four
inches below the medium line passing
directly through the heart, clipping
the edge of the liver, then through
the second lumbar vertebra, after
which all trace of it was lost, and the
physicians who made the post mortem
examination failed to discover where
it had lodged
AS the victim fell he turned toward
King who was standing near and said,
Good bye, Bill, the Lord have mercy
on me-" and in another moment was
dead. The body was then borne into
the house by King and the murderer;
neighbOrS were summoned and u man
despatched to acquaint the police of
the facts, and their arrest of Robert
Butler for the deliberate murder of his
own brother followed.
When the officers arrived at the
house Butler said, 81 have killed my
brother, what am do?' The officers
at once took him into custody and
lodged him i'm the lookup in this city.
Neither of the brothers were married.
Their father, an elder brother and a
sister live i'm the vicinity of Hornells-
vile, N. Y, and have been notified OF
the tragic death of their son and
brother.
Henry Butler was man about &c
years of age, about feet inches high
and would weigh near 100 pounds
His brother who killed him is not Sc
strong Il man, aud of very much the
same personal description. He is said
by all who knew him to have been o.
c;s3 exceedingly oad and 49narrelssoimee i e dis :,
which it seems was almost constantly