The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1882-10-28


A PRESTON COUNTY OUTRAGE-THE
WRoNG PARTY ARRESTED AND THE
PERPETRAToR STILL AT LARGE
Rumors of an outrage committed
near Reedsville between this place
and Klngwood were afoat on the
stree is here last week. but the par
ticulars OF the crime were not known
until the Kingwood Journal was re.
ceived on Saturday. That paper
contains the following in reference
to the matter:
On Monday afternoon, about three
o'clock some human fiend committed
namelcss outrage on the person of
Mrs. Hartsel. The woman is the
willow of the late Ezra M. Hartsell,
who died about eighteen months ago
IN Monongalia County, he having
moved there from this county. Her
maiden name was Metheny; and two
respectable gentlemen who knew her
from her childhood till her marriage,
tell us that she was thoroughly re-
spectacle woman.
A month ago she moved to house
on the farm of George Watson, in
Valley District. A few days ago
her daughter and only child was
married, since which time Mrs. Hart
sell has been living alone.
On Monday afternoon, while she
was sitting in her kitchen, man
quietly entered the house. When
she first saw him he was within a
few feet of her. His unexpected
presence startled her much. Seeing
her fright, the scoundrel told her that
she had nothing to fear. She hand
ed him chair. AS she did so, he
took hold of her. She screamed, and
he took revolver from his pocket
and, threatening to take her life if
she made noise, he accomplished
his brutal purpose. She lost con-
seriousness. When she came to, the
man was bathing her face with wa
ter. He spoke kindly to her, was
we'll dressed, and Of gentlemanly APP
pearance and manner. When she
became able to speak, the man look
ed out the window, then went out
the door and left. Mrs. Hartsell was
SO weak that she was unable to rise,
and she lay on the bed where the
man had thrown her, till some of
her neighbors came in, to whom she
related what had occurred, and de-
scribed the villain.
1t happened that two gentlemen,
one resident of this county and the
other of a distant part of the State,
had driven from Kingwood to Mason
town, and returned by way of Reeds
vile, passing near Mrs. HartselPs,on
Monday. Her description of her
ravisher led some to suppose that he
was the latter of the two men. A
warrant was issued for his arrest by
Justice Cobun. of Masontown; and
George B. Spurgin was deputized to
serve it. George arrived here Tues
day morning and arrested the gentle
man. Finding his warrant defective,
he released him, and returned to Ma
sontown and got another warrant.
Late in the afternoon George return
ed to Kingwood, and again arrested
the man, who, with his attorney, Mr..
Payne. a large number of friends, /
and Prosecuting Attorney Fortney,
went to the place of trial, which was
fixed at Mrs. Hartsell's house. Ar
irving there, the crowd of men all
went into the room with the accused,
and Mrs. Hartsell was brought in
and told to identify the man. After
surveying all present, she
said the man was not there. The
person accused was then pointed out
to her, but she declared that he was
not the man. Thus the gentleman
arrested (whom everybody knew
could not be guilty, and whose name
we withhold for obvious reasons) was
exonerated and vindicated
We believe no further efforts have
been made to secure the arrest Of the
guilty man, but we hope and trust
that everything possible will be done
10 ferret him ont and bring him to
speedy justice. /