Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1882-09-24
SUDDEN DEATHS
Al the Hands Of Ohio County
Sheriffs.
4 History Of Some Of the Murderers and all
Of the Executions that Have Taken
Place in this County Since its
OrganiZatiOn-A Multitude
Of Murders,
ryLY A ssxtETTE OF PUNIsHasNrs.

rsrr than her share in the half century
If her municipal existence, the pro-
,,r,.on Of executions has been very
small and in the last twenty years there
IA. been but one, although the demand
f,-,tyer4l has been pressing aud per-
s,nn,o~v. Some Of the most horrible
numbers in criminal! history have been
,.,rr~trEtei i'm this city and the per-
r.,.a,or~arre>tcdh hut either by some legal
,.,sr!emsiu or hy the mistaken syu-
r,,ly Of mistaken jurors they have
len allowed 10 20 scot free or
i've undergone nominal term in the
>.,rr PRISON, in no wise commensurate
s.,l the enormity of the oftense for
which they were imprisoned.
A. one time tina western panhandle
o. Vlr.iuia, now West Virginia, was
considered by criminals with terror as the
commission Of a crime was but the
,r,,I,r>or To lis swift and speedy punish
rrrt. TulS was said with reference to
,..r...uf the eff nSeS inferior to murder,
audit truth WAS attested by the length
ns,rug Of the sentences imposed for
r.-,.ary, robbery, OF feloniOuS assaults.
ara maIlv, however, jurieS have grown
more mrrCifIl, and communities more
s.rr-P % the imposition OF extreme
psaa.Iles. while the statutes have
developed a degree Of elasticity hereto
srrUu>ptCIedand until these degenerate
,t,y, unknown. Twenty or twenty-five
y,ar, ago in the State of Virginia, u
>.s,u,r or law bearing upon any crime
arrru murder down To the most petty
" ,,'tweanOrS was construed literally
rru,rp particularly ut its face value
..hi,ct 10 no discount and the criminal
never hoped for any other part thant that |
nominated i'm the law. There may
Ne. been occasions when the rigDr of |
lie, law was regarded with regret by the !
,-.-p.!, of malafactOrS but the quiet |
rt.rV community the absolute |
s,...rv OF it, residents, the implicit faith !
~ ability of its officers 10 discharge |
q ..r duties and in their fearleSsness To !
r,-.o-u them more than compensated /
sr the maullin sentimentality of the !
rwwhO from motives OfintereSt opposed |
,he imposition of the full penalties. |
There have been, since the organ |
ps'.uu of this State. a comparatively !
lsrre number % murders perpetrated /
With = cDrrespOndingly small number /,
r'srrual punishments for the same, and :
10 ,urh an extent has this crime AID I.
other crimes been committed that Ohio
County has come to be regarded by /,
many felOns IS an asylum, sort OF !
criminals paradise, better than city !
OiTeluge and
MORE TENABLE THAN THE FASTNESsES !
OF THE MOUNTAINS.
There has been in the time indicated !
earnest. active efforts to convict and |
rupIsh criminals, and the failure l. not /
attributable To any disposition on the ,
Tart of the officials 10 allow the escape
,tar.y ou,. of them, but rather to the
well, the explanation i uneXplalnaoIe,
sud Jnnathau's intestine will O% too
ml of houses before t&Rre can be am
U.lurtN,cutiOu 10 have IL there.
The first murder that was ever PerPe-
tr,,pd in the city of Wheeling after it.
erection i'm "a municipality took place
In The wear 1856 on the bank Of Wheel /
Irg lr,.rk. near the northern end ot
Hn- or seventeenth street bridge, and
r.r circumstances, 80 far a. they are ac-
curalrIy obtained, are about Is follows:
\ man named ChrisIman, who has
sr,.,. been represented aS drOver, but
who it i believed was a patent right
vendor. made this city his hcadquar-
ter for a time and in that time circula-
ti IN the rural distr cts, diSpOsing of
patent rights territOrially and by actual
sales. Al intervals he was wOnttO re-
turn and fer few days TO indulge IN
tue Injuries of a spree, at which times
the money he had collected from the
frugal farmers would be distributed
about among the saloons with prOdi-
ga hand. Returning one day from an
Unusually successful jaunt into the
country, he went TO MCCOurtney's hos
trlrrv. which stood near the northeast
rururr of what is now Fourteenth and
Main streets. There he either encOun-
tered or came into the hotel with ThOs.
Il WintrIuger and Boone Long, two well
Known sports Of the town OF that day.
Flushed with drink and with the sue
Cess Of his rural adventures, the man
VaS disposed TO be O5tentatiOu5 with his
money, and calling up the drinks, prof.
isret SlO note in payment for them.
IN those DAYS money was money and q
/ So bill cOrrespOnded TO the 500 bill OF
the present in magnitude, and the bar
keeper promptly said that he could not
change il. Cant change 1t. Can't
/ change that note, Why, have enough
a them to make you a frOck coat
1 IbI, boast was the occasion of light
nlng glance of intelligence between
Wn,rnger and Long that the bar
Keeper noticed at the time and remem-
i-re,l aiterward TO their condemnation.
. shortly afterward all three of the men
/ IN the house and nothing more was
seen Of them until the next morning,
when the mangled body of ChriStman
Vas tiShed out of the creek, at the
SPOT indicated above and the search for
LNmurderrr begun.
Elijah Day Esq, who is still living
y an advanced aye was the county
81 Coroner and with characteristic energy
q hegan the work of investigating the
murder, and the causes leading thereto.
lie was the first one outside of the dis
C'yerrrs appriSed of the deed, and at
sshrce went out TO the spot where the
SS0ldy lay awaiting his official action.
4hyre was nothing about the body TO
tAu!calc his course of action in the mat
STSAu he was completely nOnpluSSed.
come disposition, however, must be
made Of the remains, and leaving them
~ charse OF special constable he start
10 the city to obtain a coffin, and was
SSeriaken by Martin Buckner McCOurt-
IIey lar tender who related the story OF
ue Ten dollar bill and also his suSpt-
SSohN that the two worthless knew more
SoGl The affair than any other men.
'-E' Day idea of the matter conceded
@Acuy with those of the bar-keeper
uG with him and his companion went
AK 70 tue scene of the murder where
Stey found both Wintringer Ond Long
lo mad by An irresistible fascination
S Dseh drawn 70 the spot. They were at
SuF arrested and taken to jail to ans
Ss' charge of murder. An inquest
al once held in the hall over the
aINet house, where it continued in
TSion iouE days the men all the time
rWStlng their innocence aud demand
an unconditional release. The
,tment Of the bar-keeper Buckner,
L., 81 D,