Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-03-19
THE VALLEY FORGE MURDER.
THE DESPERATE, CRIME OF A DAs-
TARDLY THIEF

TARDLY THIEF.
On the Trail Of tho vilIain-Circumstantia
Evidence.
Further particulars of the murder OF
Mr.. Clusston, at Valley Forge early Fri
day morning, shows that about o'clock
Mrs. Clugston was awakened from deep
slumber by a heavy current of air passing
through the room, and, remembering that
the door had been carefully closed when
they retired. she intuitively felt that some
thing was wrong. Arousing her husband,
they saw by the CHASTITY dimness of the
lamp, which they had left burning low,
that the door was wide open. Mr.. Clug-
stOn arose to look at the clock and close
the door, but he had scarcely taken three
steps before he stumbled upon the form
of a burglar crouching near the bed.
Finding himself discovered, the intruder
assumed an upright position with cat-like
agility and in an instant the two men were
engaged in deadly combat. The noise
of the struggle thoroughly terrified Mrs.
Ciusston. who Immediately screamed at
the top OF her voice Tom, get up I!
There's burglar in the house Murder |!
Help! :" Thoroughly comprehendins this
signal Of approaching danger the burglar
struggled desperately to free himself from
his older but tenacious antagonist. Real
izing that he was making but slow pro-
gress and hearing the approaching foot
steps Of Thomas ClugstOn, the % year.
old son, who occupied the rear room on
the second floor, the burglar as q last re-
sort drew revolver and discharged it at
Mr.. Clusston. who Immediately released
his hold upon the desperate. At this crit
ical moment Thomas ClugstOn, the son,
entered the door as the flash of the sec
ond discharge momentarily illuminated
the apartment, and taking in the situation
at glance threw himself upon the bur
glar for The purpose of disarming and
making him prisoner. A desperate
struggle then followed between the men,
and although Thomas was doubtless the
stronger physically, the murderer, for
such he proved to be, impelled by the
thought of the gallows OF prison, seemed
possessed Of superhuman strength and ac-
tivity. How long the struggle would
have continued it is impossible to conjec-
ture had not the two men, clutching each
other in a vice-lke grip, rolled down
stairs. AS they descended in this abrupt
manner Mr.. Clugston, although he had re
ceived his death wound, attempted to
descend the steps to assist his son.
The effort was more than his fast-ebbing
life would permit, the death-rattle sound
ed in his throat, and he staggered and fell
headlOng down the stairs, a corpse, upon
the two men still writhing in each others
grasp. First one and then the other
seemed to gain the advantage. The MUIR
derOus intruder vainly endeavered to
raise his revolver, which he still held
with desperate clutch, in order to put
bullet through the young mans
heart, and Just when it seemed that
he would succeed in his murder
out attempt Thomas, by an extraor-
dinary effort, disarmed him. The son re-
newed his efforts to overcome the despe-
RADIO, but he slipped from his grasp and
with one leap cleared the parlOr bounded
out of tho open window, and dashed down
the lane like a greyhound, leaving his vest,
undercoat and Overcoat in the hands of
young Clugston. The latter bounded
after, but after chasing him for over
one hundred yards without gaining upon
him returned to the cottage. A lamp was
brought down stairs and the dying father
placed on a sofa. He never spoke word
or uttered groan, but gave short gasp
and quietly passed away just twenty min
utes after he was placed Oh the sofa. The
death-dealing bullet entered the right side
ly severing the jugular vein. The ball
was a No. 5 cartridge and the weapon a
fve-chambered, thirty-two calibre revOl-
yer with two empty chambers, showing
that the second shot had missed its mark.
The murderer had approached the cot
tage from Mill Lane, and pried open the
south window of the parlOr. He removed
his No. 7 Congress CATERS and carefully
placed them upon the windOwsill, which
was nearly level with the front porch. In
the struggle the murderer left his well
worn stiff hat containing the initials sc.
E.' in the house; also bis brown OvercOat,
gray sack coat and dark vest, over
whelmins evidence against him. In the
pockets were found a black clasp pocket
book containing $13.1O, comprising
a ten.dollar bill of the Allegheny
County bank of 1864. twO-dOllar
and one-dollar bill and dime, six linen
handkershiefs, sheath dagger, six pairs
of ladies' new striped hose, a silver watch,
pocket mirror, a flask of whisky, pawn
ticket for five dollars for a silver watch
pawned on March 9, in the name Of E.
Abbott. with the Consolidated loan COM
pany, No. So West Baltimore street, Balti.
more, Nd; the card photograph Of a
pretty tive-year-old girl wrapped in piece
of brown paper. on which was written {:
Mrs. Jones. No. 20 W. Lafayette street.
Ella Shipp."
The armed party who started out to
hunt the murderer met Il man on the road
with blood on his shirt 'front.'. He was
taken to Valley Forge, where he proved
that his name was Fisher Lee, aged 72
years, of Horshan township, Montgomery
county, and that the blood on his shirt was
caused by cut under his ear. Several
respectable persons testified as to his good
character. and he was promptly released.
Before starting out again young Melva-
ney took 4 good look at the clothing left
behind by the murderous burglar and was
startled to identity them as those worn by
Henry Griebela notnriously bad character,
who was in tho Valley Forge postoffice
on Thursday. Young Tom Clugston, who
also saw Griebel, recognized the coat as
that worn by him on the day before at:the
postofficc. Griebel was well known in the
village, where he bore an unenviable char
acter and associated with the worst cle-
ment. He served three years in the West
Chester prison for cattle stealing; his prison
record is not limited to that state. He
formerly kept small junk store at Valley
Forge, but at the same time was known
to frequent disreputable place in the
woods near Greentrce, within short dis
tance of Penn station on the Pennsylvania
railroad. Between Valley Forge and this
point there are nearly five miles of solid