Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-10-01
A RemarkabIe FamlIY Feud.

THE arrest of Henry j. Elliott, a we'll
known farmer of the town of Catlin, N.
Y, on a charge of perjury, at the suit
of his nephew, John H. Minturn, is the
latest chapter in the history of a most.
remarkable family feud. Henry j.
Elliott is man fifty-six years of age.
His brother Warren is ten years young
er. They live on adjoining farms il
Chemung County. Until 1870 the broth
ers were on the best of terms, but in
that year Warren bought a team OF
horses of Henry, which he said were not
as represented, and charged his brother
with cheating him. They quarreled, and
the feud between them became so bitter
that when, q short time after the
differences arose, Henry Elliott's barn
was burned to the ground, with its con.
tents, Henry charged his brother with
having set it on fire. The parents OF
the two men, both then some eighty
years old, lived near them. Old Mr..
Elliott took sides with his son Henry,
while his wife, with whom he had lived
happily for sixty years, believed that
Warren's cause was the just one. The
old people themselves quarreled and
separated. The mother found home
with Warren's family, and the father
went TO hve with Henry.
A short time after the burning OF
Henry Elliott's barn, one belonging to
Warren Elliott was destroyed by fire.
Warren declared that it had been burned
by an incendiary, and that his brother
was the one who had set it on fire. In
1874 Henry's dwelling house was
burned. Warren publicly announced
his belief that Henry had set fire to the
house TO secure the insurance. Some OF
the neighbors believed this, while 9th
ers joined in the opinion of Henry, thar
Warren had set fire to the house.
An investigation was made, but
no positive evidence against either
of the brothers was elected. In the au-
tumn of 1876, barn that replaced the
one burned on Warren Elliot's farm was
burned. The usual charges and counter
charges of incendiarism were made by
the brothers, and the neighbors began
to believe that they were revenging
themselves one on the other by burning
each others property. A few weeks
after the last fire at Warren Elliott's,
Henry's new barn was burned. Warren,
charging that Henry had burned the
barn to get the insurance, paid an aG-
juster S25 to order an investigation into
the matter. The inquiry resulted in
finding suspicious circumstances against
both brothers, but nothing of sufficient
distinctness to warrant proceeding in
the matter. Soon after this fire old Mr..
Elliott died without having seen or
spoken to his aged wife since their sep
aration.
On the farm of Henry Elliott was a
detached building, which was known as
"the barracks" II was used as a store
house for grain. In the autumn of 1877
Henry leased it to farmer named Henry
Van Gelder. The latter stored it full Of
corn. Not long afterward it was burned
to the ground with its contents. There
was an Insurance on the building of 5000,
and Warren Elliott charged his brother,
as usual, with having himself fired the
property TO get the Insurance. Henry
was Just as loud and positive in his
charge that the barracks had been burn
ed by Warren. Van Gelder, with the
plan of recovering the value of his grain,
and advised and urged on by Warren
Elliott, in 1879 brought suit against
Henry Elliott, charging him with the
destruction of the building, and conse-
quently for the value of the corn burned.
The case was tried, and resulted in favor
Of Elliott. On the trial he swore that
the insurance was only 800 on the
building, and that he had received only
that amount.
About $3.50 on the evening Of the 18th
Of September, 1879, Alexander Wade
and his wife, living near Henry Elliott's,
were preparing TO go 10 bed, when Will
lie Elliott, son of Henry, came rum
ming to their house and called to them
that his father had been shot. Mr.. and
Mrs. Wade hurried to Elliott's. Henry
lay on the ground by his front gate. He
was carried into the house. There was
wound in his right arm, below the ell
bow, and another in his left side, hav-
ing the appearance of bullet wounds.
} They were not serious. Elliott said he
had been shot by two men, whom he
recognized, but he refused to say who
they were. Next day warrants were IS
sued, and John II. Minturn and Warren
Elliott were arrested, charged with the
attempted murder, but were acquitted
Minturn has now made a charge OF
perjury in connection with the burning
of "the barracks against his uncle,
and he has been arrested and held in
5000 bail to appear before the Grand
Jury. Several other lawsuits growing
out of this family feud, are said TO be
inevitable, and the two fine Elliot
farms have been heavily mortgaged Il
meet the demands that have been en-
tailed on their owners by the results o.
their quarrel ten years ago.-R. Y. Eyen
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