Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1881-10-27
P PATRICIDE! !!
Gen. James Weir Muir
dered by his Son!
He is Knocked Down,
His Skull Crushed
A Sickening Tragedy /!
The Murderer at Large
INQUEST AND VERDICT OF THE
CORONER

| this place to chronicle, from time to time
crime in various degrees and forms, bu
never before, in the annals of the town
has it been called upon to chronicle
crime SO unnatural and so shocking il
all its details, as the one we are about t
relate, and strange to say, the slayer AM
the victim are both Of the family wh'
have been brought into such unpleasan
! notoriety within the last ten months, be
cause of the tragedy which took plae'
upon our streets last Christmas, of thu
killing of Sterling Riggs by Geo. Weir
the youngest son of the deceased. ant
who is now incarcerated In a feloni
cell, and awaiting second trial, charged
with murder in the first degree.
THE WEIR RESIDENCE,
where the tragedy occurred. is on bacl
street, on the south side, at the east enc
of town-on the street to and adjoining
the fair grounds. 1t is beautifully 10
Gated, and under the hand Of refinement
it would be most inviting place, calcu
lated to inspire love and harmony anC
peace and good will in the hearts OF its
occupants. 1t was here that Gen. James
Weir lived for many years. and reared a
family Of eight children. all of whom
with the wife who bore them. except
Ada, tender and 1ovable girl just bud
ding into young wOmanhood, George W..
once a bright and promising boy, now
confined in Jail, and James, are lying In
the quiet cemetery north of town where
on Tuesday, the bruised and broken
body of the aged father was laid to rest,
to await the resurrection morn. One
after another the children died then the
mother; then grandmother, until none
but the old father and three children re-
mained. OF recent years affiiction and
trouble and heart-aches have come upon
the family, and to all outward appear
ance there were strifes and chickering's,
and turmoil and plots and counter-plots
unknown in happy and contented homes.
1t was a home without a wife and
mother, and lacking all the benign in
huences which such an one eXerts in a
household. Household duties fell to the
lot of such hired help as they were able
to obtain, and it was with difficulty that
any one could be pursuaded to take up
on themselves the management of the
house; in fact, for the past few weeks
there has been no female help about the
house, save that of a neighbor woman,
who prepared two meals day for the
family and. attend to milking the cow,
sc. On last Saturday evening, about
half-past four o'clock, Mrs. Geo. Scbick-
the kind lady to whom reference was
made above-had prepared the supper,
and the old gentleman, Jas. Weir, ST.,
and little daughter Ada, were in the
kitchen, which was used also as din
ing room, partaking of their meal. Mrs.
Schick, in the mean time, MIXED the
COW and went to the cellar under the
kitchen to put away the milk. While
there, she heard James Weir, jr., who
had been in the front parlor writing,
come to the kitchen and tell his
father that he wanted him to come
into the room; after considerable Rersua-
sion the old man acceded to the reyuest
of his son, and with feeble and totter-
ing step went into the room. Once there,
James read the following paper: 81
agree to let Miss Ada M. Cady have my
daughter Ada to adopt as her own
child" asked his father to sign it. The
old man refused, again and again, and
James persisted in his request, and ac-
cording to the testimony of Mrs. Schick,
told his father if he did mot sign it he
would kill him, but no persuasion or
threats, it seems, could induce the poor
old man, who clung to his baby-daugh-
ter as the last object of his love, and
through whom was reflected the light of
happier days, to sign a paper which
would separate him from her. James,
becoming enragsd, as his father turned
to leave the room, clutched him by the
collar roughly, pulled him back, and q
terrible blow from his fist or from a
heavy mahogany ruling stick,
FELLED HIM TO THE FLOOR,
and the poor, unconscious, bleeding,
PROSTATE form of the old man, and the
wild angered son were alone, and none
but that watchful eye, which sees US all.
and the fleeing son. know the acts of
atrocious cruelty which were there per-
petrated, and from which James Weir,
ST., died. After the terrible work was
done, James with his hands covered
with paternal blood, and his shirt all
bespattered, went out on the porch and
told Mrs. Schick that he had hit his
father, but didn't think he was hurt
much. The spirit of anger began to
cool, and a consciousness Of what had
happened to be realized. when he re-
turned to the room, and the almost life
less body and piteous groans of suffer-
ing and dying father,appealed to him for
aid. James, in the meantime, realizing
the situation, in some way, unaided, sue
ceeded in getting the body of his father
out of the parlor, across the hall, and
through another room into small, din
gy, filthy and gloomy. apartment. where
he placed him upon bed, and then
went out to the gate in front of the
house, and seeing John Riggs short
distance off, called to him. and told him
that he he had had some trouble, and
knocked his father down, and asked him
to come and assist him. Riggs started,
bat before he reached the house, he told
Weir he must have some one to 90 in
the house with him, besides himself,
when Ada, the little girl, was sent for
Drs. Henry and John E. West. Dr. H.
Vest reached the house shortly, and
when entering found the old man as de-
scribed, but before a minute examina-
tion was made of the injuries. at the re-
quest of James. he was carried to an up
per room by Riggs. DR.. West and James.
Here the extent of the wounds were dis
closed as detailed by the physicians, be-
low, and James was informed that his
FATHER WOULD DPRoBALLY DIE.
Then he appeared in great mental dis
tress, and implored the Doctor for Gods
sake to restore his father to conscious
ness, and to save his life if possible"
For two hours and half afterward he
busted himself in assisting the physi-
clans. and done all in his power to bring
back the life he had dashed out so ruth
lessly, but when told little before nine
o'clock
THERE WAS NO HOPE,
he prepared hastily, changing his linen
and getting together such clothing as he
could, unobserved, to leave, and after
making some requests of Shepherd Da-
wi Tounoo Mollor and Ngr,a X;rL roIo