Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-03-02
DEATH OF GLEN SKlLES.


Wild rights of Reckless sNewsmongers.
At the sale on Saturday afternoon in
Caernarvon township, two miles north
west of Churchtown, of the effects of the
late Jacob Sander, a number OF young mel
engaged in a game of corner ball, as is the
custom in that section at sales. During
the game ball thrown by Barton YOhl
struck Clement Skiles On the left ear. Lie
experienced no serious difficulty from tho
blow at first. He afterwards played off two
corners and one full game, then put on his
Overcoat, went into the barn to lie down
without saying wood about being hit
or feeling ill. In a short time he call tOI
VIM. Seiverling, a half brother, and asked
him several times to forgive him. saying,
"YOu know what for, and you must for
give me- Directly after which he became
unconscious and was carried to the house,
where under the care of Drs. Irwin,
Lincoln and Zeli, he fingered until Sunday
morning at ) O'Clock. when he expiI ed.
During the night the blood oozcd from his
nose, month and ears. No inquest Was
held and as yet the exact cause o. his
death is unknown, whether from internal
injuries sustained by jumping Gas he was
4 lofty tumbler) or from a stroke of the
ball. No blame whatever is attached tC
Mr.. IOhn, as the stroke from the bail was
purely accidental Thc body was inferred
in the cemetery at the Ccntre church,
Brecknrck township.
Skiles was young man OF pleasant eX.
preston, ObligiDg IN his disposition, o!
vigorous frame aud quite an athlete, being
especially fond OF the fox chase and almo ,t
as fleet of foot and untiring as a hound,
He was the son of Il daugh,e OF old jacob
Weller whose mysterious murder in the
FOrest" some veaaS ago has never been
traced to its perpetratOr. okllcs was ar
rested at the time, together with nearly
all the others of the family, and held t.
trial, but there was no substantial evi
dence against him ever disclosed and he
was acquitted without a trial.
However, the violent but not by any
means remarkable cause to which Skies S
death may apparently be traced. has fur
nisllcd OCCASION for the revival OF activity
on the part OF The sensational sciibes who
never fail to i..is! present and diStOrt every.
thing published IL connection with the
Weller family AL the Welsh mountains.
A correspondent, presumably, "t the E.r-
amincr content himself with mDdcstly
trying the Wc!l.r murder case over and
convicts Skies OF completely in il. The
truth is there never was any real evidence
connecting Skics with the murder. The
ofIic!ousness and stupidity OF al ignorant
and ovcrpaid detective led to his arrest
without any .ju>tiiica ioa. His defense
could have been made rs complete as the
prosecution was basclcSS and 10 intclli gent
person in the ncgbOrhuuh ever cherished
any idea of his guilt.
The New York Sun is advised from
Reading of the death of ''C!emci:t Ski.cs,
yOun. mau whose ilalnc has been a,So
ciatcd with the very worst crimes attrib-
uted to the Welsh Mountain band OF rob
bcrs, " and that Che was a dangerous
man." The Ucra1G publishes Il dis
patch from the same source, doubt
less, ia wnic, he is spoken OF
rs one "whOse fame as one OF the leaders
of the notorious Welsh Mountain gang "i
robbers is known ali over this section.
He is spoken of as an outlaw, responsible
for his grardfather's murder, and it is
added that "thcrc were several ether
butchcrics perpetratcd i'll the same viri;iity
but no arrests were made after Skilcs had
been acquitted Of the first tragedy
Nothing could be more riiiculDus or ul,-
just. Skiles had nothing To do with .hc
gang of petty thieves who Iaii,e over tla
Welsh mountains. and was never connect
ed with them nor SO suspected in any way
lie was good-naturcd. we'll liked. harm
less boy as far from bcing an "outlaw
rs possible ; and he never, we believe. was
accused OF any crime except the murder
of his grandfather. in which no enc now he
lievcs that he had any ra:t. No
violent death has previously occurred in
the Weller family except that oi tho Old
man, nor any other horrible butchcry =
in that neighborhrod. The Wclicra are 4
poor set of harmless people, living i'll a
wild and desolate region, and the Old man
was the victim of a mysterious, cruel n'll.-
der but with that exception there i lit
tie foundation for the scnsntinnal str.i, s
published about them.