Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-03-21
TRACKING A MURDERER.
The Mysterious Valley Forge Crime.

The Mysterious Valley Forge Crime.
On the Esd of February, 1881, the IN
rELLIGENcEE published the following
local item
"Last night burglars entered the house
of Charles Lafferty, station agent OF the
Pennsylvania railroad company at Leaman
Place. They went into the room where
Mr.. Latferty and his wife were asleep and
stole therefrom pair Of breechcs contain
ing $40 in money and valuable watch.
Neither Mr.. Latferty nor his wife heard
the robbers, and they were not aware of
the fact that the house was entered until
this morning when they arose, and Mr..
Lafferty discovered that his clothing was
missing. The thieves entered the house
by crawling up rail to window. which
they opened"
No clue was found at the time to the
perpetrator of this theft. though suspicion
attached to 4 strange loafer who had been
seen around Lcamen Place for some days
before and who disappeared after the rob-
berry.
1t will be remembered that in the account
We have published of the murder of Sam'l
Clugston ut Valley Forge by burglar
whom he caught i'll his house it was noted
that on his clothes left behind was y pawn
ticket calling for an Elsin watch which
was pledged with the Consolidated Loan
office, No. 53 West Baltimore street, Bal
timore. on the 9th Of this month. by a
man giving the name of +. A. Abbott,
who said that he lived on Enson street,
where no such man was found.
An examination Of this watch showed
that it was made for II. +. Andrews,
jewclcr, of Strasburg. this county. The
movement is No. 15O, 500, and the case is
No. 6la. A plated gold chain, with a
brass medallion of President Garfield, was
attached. Tho man was waited on by j.
M.Salabcs, the clerk in the establishment,
who remembers the circumstances, his at
tentiOn having been called at the time to
the Garfield medallion, which was an un-
usual article to be received. Mr.. Salabcs
says that he does not recall the mans pei
sOnal appearance sufficiently to describe
him, but is confident that he could recog-
niZe him.
In an interview with Mr.. Andrews at
Strasburg, by 4 representative Of the IN
TEL1LGENCER, tho jewe!er referred to his
watch book where it appeared that he
sold this watch to Mr.. Laverty, Dee. 81,
1879; and it was stolen from Mr.. T.. Just
Il month ago, as above narrated. Evi-
IDENTITY the thief, or some one to whom lie
passed this watch, made his way
to Baltimore and there pawned it
under fictitions name and address,
The chain and Garfield medal were not
taken from Mr.. Laycrty, rs he docs not
wear ''that kind of medal The de-
velOpments of the later crime will lead TO
the recovery of Mr.. Laverty's watch, but
as the same mystery attaches to the
30 ~ V.,lI~
Forge murderer, the ssclue does not extend
much further ut present.
The rag dealer, Greibcl, at first suspected
of the murder, has been set free, his inno-
cence being conciusively shown. The
clue which may lead to :. speedy apprc-
henion OF the murderer. On Friday night
the house of J. Jones Still, ut Malvern on
! the Pennsylvania railroad six miles from.
| Valley Forge, was broken into and robbed
of Il hat, two coats and 4 pair of shoes.
Nothing else was disturbed except some
eatables. Entrance was effected by re-
moving the fresh putty from around Il re-
Gently glazed pane in the parlor window,
! the burglar taking out the glass and push
ing the catch out Of place so that the sasl,
could be raised. In the sort cIayey soil in
front of the window were five footprints
which were unluestionably ma,lc by Il mar
in his stocking feet, whose great toe and
second toe were exposed. the damp yiel,l-
ing soil being So imprcsSionablc that, the
fibre OF the stocking could almost be
defined.
To the north OF the railroad, and iyin.
between it and Valley Forge, is Il long
stretch of dense woodland. After the
terrible struggle with young Clusston, thi
murderer, lcaping into the darkness,
naturally fled for the nearest cover, which
lo found in the woods: An adept III
crime, no doubt, he knew that to venture
forth without hat, coat or shoes would at.
| tract immediate attention, even though
he were guiltlcss. All day long the
murderer. it is Thought, lowered With!
few miles of the house wherein the
murdered man lay. AS night approached
he must have maize up his mind to make i
desperate break for liberty by committing
Il second crime. Sheltered by the Fl iendly
woods, he could have readily made his way
to the railroad. Stills house would be
first to meet his view after crossing the
tracks, and by making y careful dctnur hc
would have found the eastern extremity
to be the weakest point OF attack. How
ever, he did break in the house, entered
the parlor, passed through the sitting
room, and thence to the kitchen.
After satisfying the panss of hunger at
the pantry, he hastily seized the articles
whicl. if hsf We're the murderer would give
him the passport to liberty, and enable
him to walk boldly forth and defy detec.
tion. The fact that only such articles
were stolen as were lost by tho murderer.
the imprint Of the shoeless feet near Stills
house, and TINT the robbery was commit
ted less than day after the murder.
point strongly to the robber as the one
gave Mr.. Clu.ston his death wound. The
police have :. complete description of the
stolen clothes, and hope thereby to cap
t,lrc the assassin burglar.
HA Hal