Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-08-06
PENNSYLVANIA DEsPERADOES.
The Disastrous Hunt After Robbers
Capture of Suspected Parties
Great Public Excitement.

A Pittsburg dispatch of the Sd instant
says: "The murder of Mr.. Mcclure near
McKeesport by a band of desperadoes
was one of the most atrocious affairs
that ever took place here. On Sunday
night the grocery and hardware store of
Mcclure 81 Hendrickson at McKeesport
was robbed of four hundred dollars
worth of goods, principally hardware
On Monday search warrant was issued
at the instance of Mcclure, and the
house of a man named Lightner was
searched. No goods were found, as the
parties had been previously warned,
and five of them took a train
and went away. On Monday after
noon some of the thieves sent the
goods to Ellrod Station, three miles,from
McKeesport. Mr.. George A. Mcclure,
the senior partner in the firm which had
been robbed, and his partner, Wilbert
Hendrickson, and Joseph Lynch, went
to the woods on Yough Hill to search
for the goods. Z. They discovered pieces
of paper from knife and revolver, boxes
scattered about the ground near spring
and followed them up to hollow log,
where silver castor and other goods
were found. Hendrickson cana home
and Lynch and Mcclure went to the
house of George Fleming, in Dead
Mans Hollow, near the hill, and ate
supper.
Fleming went back with them, and
the three wandered around nearly all the
afternoon until about dark. Mcclure
was sitting at the foot of a large cedar
tree, resting, Fleming was not far away
and Lynch was little distance of, when
suddenly there appeared before Mcclure
seven men, all armed. Here, exclaimed
one of the robbers, is one of the -
(uttering a vile expression). We will
kill him first, and Immediately com
menced firing. A dozen or more shots
were fired, one of them taking effect in
McClures forehead, killing him instant
ly. Fleming received ball in his leg,
not, however, causing serious wound.
Fleming was not armed, and of course
could not return the fire. Lynch had
two revOlvers, but took to his heels I'M
mediately when the first firing COM
menced. After the first volley. when
Mcclure was shot, the desperadoes
turned their attention to Fleming, and
he, when wounded, as he could not
walk, rolled down a hill and escaped.
"The news of the shooting, when it
reached the city, caused tremendous eX-
citement. Crowds of people gathered
and went out to the scene of the tragedy,
some on horseback, some in wagons and
others on foot, while many went out on
the nine o'clock train. A determined
effort was made to find the thieves and
murderers, but the density of the under.
growth in the woods and the darkness
of the night prevented any of them from
being caught At nine o'clock the body
of Mcclure was found. 1t had been
rifled by the murderers. At daybreak
five roughs, with revolvers and burglars
tools in their possession. were arrested at
West Newton, about fifteen miles from
McKeesport. The murderers are Nc
Keesport roughs, who sometimes work in
rolling mills and at odd jobs. The
names of the suspected persons are Jack
Dacy, Jack Lee, McConkey, Carol, Jno.
Llghtner, Heenan Lightner and man
called Shorty" The Coroner began an
inquest to-day.
Detectives from Pittsburg, police
men from McKeesport, constables from
were after the murderers all day. Near
ly thousand men were at the morning
train at McKeesport, as report was
started that the murderers were to be
brought down at that time.
Lynch, who was with Mcclure, says
there was some discussion between the
three as to the advisability of prosecut-
ing the search without reiDforcements,
but Lynch says that Mcclure insisted on
going ahead, and they proceeded along
the hollow. They had travelled about
an hour and a quarter after leaving
Fleming's house, and, as near as Lynch
can remember, it was half-past seven
o'clock when, as they were descending
the hill on the brink of Dead Mans
Hollow, they heard voices at the
other side of a fence below them. Nc
Clure stopped and suggested that the
voices were those of the party who were
expected to assist them, but Lynch said
they were not. The next moment they
saw six or seven men standing below
them on the hillside Lynch dropped
on his hands and knees, and, with two
revolvers in his hands, started to scram-
BILE up the hill. Mcclure was some dis
tance below him, and standing on the
edge of the bank, when the robbers ap-
peared, and as soon as he saw them he
stepped backward down the bank about
two feet. Lynch is not positive but that
the seven robbers fired simultaneously at
the man whom they murdered, and who
fell down the nil.
'"The story of the capture of the men
at West Newton is as follows: Last
night, about twelve o'clock, as freight
train arrived from McKeesport, Consta-
bic Campbell instituted a search, and in
an oil car found four men secreted.
They had crawled in over the top, and
in the same car were found two revol-
vers, brace and bit, fuse and augers,
all new. A handkerchief stained with
blood was also found. The men were
placed in the lookup. After the train
started the brakeman reported another
man in the car, who escaped. This
morning early County Detective Dress
Ter arrived lon the scene. and at
eleven o'clock, Hendrickson, McClure's
partner, and Lynch, the man who was
with the deceased when the latter was
murdered, came here to identify the
goods and prisoners. Hendricksen at
OHC0 StdtOu GndI IAe SOOuS were nOG his.
Lynch SAID he was not sure whether he
could identify the men after he did see
them, but went to the lookup and looked
at them carefully. He said the only re-
semblance was the light pants the two
men wore. The men were locked up late
to day in the McKeesport jail. There
were fears at first that they would be
lynched. A reward of 81 900 has been
offered by the Council of McKeesport for
the arrest of the murderers.