The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-10-11
BUCKEYE BANDITS.
Rival PAIR TO THE JAMES BROTHERS
At DunklrL, O.-TWo Brutal NGidsn Committed
BY Them within a WssI-A Company Of MIL
ITALIA Search Of Thrilling Nan Hunt
Through Three COuutltS-ThO story.

writes to that paper us follows For tire,
years past this section OF Ohio has beel
cursed with the presence OF two younl
despemdoes named Jerome and llenr!
Kebbler, two brothers, the former aget
about twenty-five, the latter about twenty
They are both men OF short stature, hu
built from tile ground up" us the pugilis
would say, being brawny, robust AM
strongand each possessed OF u bull'dogcOur
age, which has often found expression IL
the stereotyped saying Of the two outlaws
that they "would sooner fight than eat
The Police Gd:dte, the sporting papers and
y deck of trick cards constituted their solC
literature, and the pair seem to have sur
rendered themselves entirely up to hu'
man cussedncss on general principles
About three years ago Jerry" the elder
brother, whilst ut Dunkirk, in Hardin
county, courtcd and married n girl named
Short, whose father, sam Short, Is said to
have hal ChcCkered frontier lilc as Il
horse trader, miner, gambler, &c. The
marriage gave the boys Il "cOyer" where
they could always fly, aud Jerry's wife
seemed to he the go-between from the boys
to their 'pls" in hll the interior country
lor miles around, being noticed TO make
frequent excursions in all directions when
the boys were "wantpd" or being hunted
down by the officers Of the law.
The town Of Forrest, ut the junction Of
the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne 4 Chicago
and the Mad River Railroads, was the basc
Of operations last winter and tho winter
previous, but II determined marshal named
Sam Grafton, an old army veteran, ut last
broke up the gang and transferred their
nest to Dunkirk and to Findlay, where
they have lately Opentclwith u degree Of
during perfectly astounding, and which llQs
eliminated in two cold.blOodcd murders
inside Of ten days, and yet the two leading
outlaws are scot free.
On September %, 1881, the Kcbblcr boys
both:pHt IN an appearance IN Findlay, and
us usual, IN eye was kept upon them, but
late ut night they managed To arrange u
"jOb' for Il robbery In u saloon salrly lo-
Gated away from police surveillance An
old pGddlGr with hispack was slnvcigle,l in.
10 tho saloon, IL mock quarrel began aud
Jerry kcbblCr set upon the peddlcr und b..
lRborcd lin about the head so terribly that
he Enk down helpless Ho was robbed
and left to die, his death occurring in iow
hours, The brothers openly remarked af-
ter the murder, "Wcll, boys, wen skip ont
for Il little while I'LL this d-d fob blows
over" 'rhcydid skip ont, and us usual to
their old corner in tic hotel Of Sam Short,
ut Dunkirk. News Of the cOlh.bloodcd
I'indlay murder was sent allrOad, and Il
reward Of 800 was offered far Jerry Kcb.
bier. The Marshal Of Dunkirk got on the
track olmenthe, but pal numcd jake ILd.
wig, Of Dunkirk, procured u buggy, and
struggled Jerry out Of town.
The Marshal followed them to Kenton,
ten miles away, but the two managed to
escape Mlnong the lumber yards Of that
place. Tho Marshal returned homo dis,
appointed and crCatiallcn, and declared
that the id scOnnlrGlS should never rc.
turn 10 Dunkirk." Hen. Kebbler, the
youngest brother, declared in reply that
they would return, even il It required that
"thc Marshal he put out Of the way' ia
clear the coast. The wife Of Jerry Kebblcr,
the older brother, was closely watched.
She waS seen lifting to and fro from her
home, evidently IN communication with
the outlaws, and her mysterious actions
were soon developed in q second bloody
butChery,
The Marshal Of Dunkirk was well.lo.
dO md very popular man, named Edward
i. Slincy, aged about forty years, mnn OF
some nerve and untlinChing integrity, a
member Of the Masonic fraternity and a
reliable citizen. The Kebblen, knowing
that hG was IN impeliment to them, Cooly
imd deliberately planned his murder.
Hen. kebbler WIS slnugglcd into the town
on the thenlght Of September 90, In wO.
mems OlotleS by Jcrry's wife, and
was qlIarlercd al Sam Shorts ther
iather's) hotel the same wight,
II is supposed that Jerry got into the town.
On the day following (Thuslny, tho 9Oth)
three strangers entered the town on the
Fort Wayne railroad. The Marshal (shuey)
kept an eye on them lie suspected some
deviltry, but could not got fairly down to
their object. p. : .s-.
In the afternoon one Of them wis seen
in conversation with ".Iake" Ludwig, the
chum Of Jerry Kebhlrr. Soon after tllis
Ludwig hpproarhed Marshal Shuey
and offered to help him In capturing the
KebblerS, who, he said, "hc thought would
be IN town that night" The Marshal un.
Willingly ConIdcd in this "stool pigeon
Of the outlaws, and the two wandered
about the streets without noticing any.
thing Unusual until past midnight. Mean.
time one Of the coolest crimes on record
was being planned, and within all hour
was executed in the streets OF the little
country town.
About 1880 o'clock Ludwig left Shuey,
and Nid, hurriedly "Well, I'm going
home" lie left, and had not been gone
ten minutes before Marshal Shuey dis.
covered three men on the street. Two Of
them were Of the stranger party, aud
the third IL believed to have been Jerome
Kebbler. One OF the three men made a
"feint" Of attempting to burglarize store
hArdb This was only n blind, however,
to lead the victim, the Marshal, on TO his
fate. lie laRtcncd toward nnd arrested
the supposed burglar. The other two lnen
followed, until the railroad crossing was
reached. Here, at a given signaI, the
prisoner resisted the Marshal, and III tile
melee the largest Of the three nien placed
the intnIle Of pistol To the NlaBhal's back
and fired.
The officer sank down, but was held up
long enough by tie inhuman devils to be
robbed Of so IN gold, his watch, Il Masonic
pin, his handcuIIs, nippes and revolver,
when the nurderers dropped his body on
the railroad track aud CnoIly walked down
the railroad track, laigliingIy responding
to an old lady who shouted al them "G0
to bed, old woman, or you'll catch cold"
Piloted by Jerry kebhlcr, they proceeded
10 the lnrn Of a Mr.. I,ongwoftli near hy,
took possession OF buggy and harness,
went thence to pasture field and sei2ing
upon fine black mare, the property Of a
Mr.. Mel sOud, hitChed up and drove out Of
town on Ohe OF the public pixies leading
northward toward Hancock county.
The firing Of the shot aroused the com.
munity Of Dunkirk, and crowd Of citi.
sens soon gathered atOnt lhe dying AIaf-
shal, who lived about three hjilR lang
enough TO describe tic three men who did
tho murder. As the lay daYned scouting
Il IL - al ~ .l-I