Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1879-12-24
Oh! DREADFUL TRAGEDY.
LOVE, HATE, DEATH.
A JUNIATA COUNTY MAN SHOT DEAD
BY A RELATIVE OF THE GIRL He
CLAIMED TO LOVE.
What the Kendall County, Illinois, Rec
ord Says .About the Shoot,ng Of
LOngacre

=
West. Several days ago his people
in Juniata county were startled by tel
egraphic communication from York
vile, Kendall county, Illinois, stating
that James Longacre had been shot
dead ut the house of a man named
Bennett, and asked for direction as
to what disposition should be made
of the body of the young man. By
request the body was sent home to
Thompsontown, this county, where il
was inferred on Tuesday of last week,
in the Lutheran graveyard.
Information is too meagre to state
all of the circumstances that led to
the shooting of Longacre.
1t is said that Miss Bennett and
Longacre had formed an ardent at
tachment for each other, and that op-
position on the part of the relatives
of the young lady led to the alterca.
ton that resulted in the shooting o.
James Longacre.
Last Saturday the editor of the
Sentinel and Republican received the
following postal card, which explains
itself:
YoRKvILLE, H., Dec. IL, 1879.
Editor Sentinel and Republican PLEASE
exlmIne the Kendall county Record sent by
me, giving an accoun; OF the James Long.
acre murder, and then state through yorl
columns if the portion in reference TO Mr.
Longacre being a bad character at home, i,
SO or not. Please send me n copy, anG
oblIge JOIN W. WooD.
The following is the account of the
"James Longacre murder referred
to in the above postal card by John
W. Wood, and it is word for word as
taken from the Kendall county, Hi
nois, Record of the 18th inst.
FURTHER PARTICULARS OF THE LITTLE
ROCK HOMICIDE.
The body of James Longacre was
sent to Thompsontown, Juniata Co.
Penna-, starting on the 6.51 D. N
train Thursday evening the 11th INST,
in accordance with instructions from
his father who resides at the above.
named PA ce, who telegraphed to Cor.
oner Ben nett to send the body home
if he had money to pay the fare
otherwise bury him at Plano.
Two young men who reside in this
township, and are at work among the
farmers, and are cousins to Longacre,
came down to Plano Thursday morn
ing to see the corpse. Their name is
Cofman, but they say they knew but
little of their deceased relative when
they lived in Pennsylvania. Long
acre proved by all accounts to be
rather desperate character, ard il
one-half of the reports are true, this
is not by any means the first scrape
he has been in. He threatened the
life of Miss Bennett, and others OF
the family. He also threatened the
people at Little Rock when he had
the woman trouble at that place, and
was quite apt to confide his secrets
and his plans to his acquaintances,
and to try to intimidate any one who
should interfere. When the Coro-
ner got his trunk containing clothing
and other effects, from Yorkville, in il
was found the old Colts revolver
which he took, belonging TO CoTbin
Bennett. He had, as reported, hid a
musket, belonging to Bennett, which
facts bear evidence that it was his in
tention to disarrn Bennett. Bat be
fore going to see Miss Bennett on
the fatal afternoon John Wills, who
is a farm hand of L. C. Swift and
lives but short distance from Ben.
nett, had persuaded Longacre to
leave his revolver with him wills
which he did do, and the time he was
shot he had no revolver about his
person, a fact that may not have been
known to Bennett when he shot him
The following is the evidence of Miss
Rilla Bennett, who Longacre sought
to abduct:
Rilla Bennett, being duly sworn,
states that she resides in Little Rock
township, and lives with her mother
l am 16 years of age. / have been
engaged to marry James Longacre
and when ] found out what kind of a
man he was / broke the engagement.
and told him that 1 would have moth
ing to do with him. This occurred
about a month ago. He then threat
ened my life and said he would Kill
me if did not marry him. 1 told
my mother this last Thursday. ]
heard five pistol shots between s and
8 o'clock Saturday evening, Decem
Der 9th, outside of the gate southeast
Of the house. To-day, December 9th,
/ heard the door open into the kitch-
en- and directly Mr. Longacre came
into the sitting room where l and
my mother and my sister Martha
were sitting. He came up TO me and
asked me if 1 sent that ring back,
and / said 1 did. He then took hold
of my arm with one hand and put
the other around me. My mother
and sister then grabbed hold of him
and tried to pull me away and pushed
him towards the door. Mother open
ed the door and called to Corb. My
mother and sister pushed James
Longacre out of the door. 1 then
heard three shots fired in quick sue
cession, and then Corb came in and
shut the door.
THE OTHER SIDE.
The Aurora Herald of last FRIDAY
published our account of the homicide
and then follawed it with a story given
by the deceased TO an Aurora LAWYER
previous to the shooting. We publish
The Heraid's account but know nothing
Of its truth. Here it is:
"The above is from sources friendly
to the man who took the life of Long
acre. LII only fair that the dead mans
account of the feelings OF the Bennett,
family towards him should be given.
Longacre came to this city last Sa,ur-
day to consult an attorney il reference