New-York tribune., 1883-12-17
THE PIKE COUNTY MURDER.
GREENINGs TRIAL TO BEGIN TO-DAY.

4 ~
ANNIE CHEEvER's DEATH AND TILE CIRCUMSTANCES
| LEADING TO rr--HIsToRY OF THE NOTED GREEN
| ING FAMILY.
MILFORD, Penn, Dec. 16.-The trial OF John
r. Greening and Joseph p Benjamin, charged Win inc
murder Of Annie Cheeyer, OF Dingman township Flke
County win begin here before Judges seeey Baker and
Hornbeck tomorrow afternoon. Public sentiment Is
against the prisoners although the evidence VIII De pe
circumstantia II Is alleged that Groenng commtteu
the murder and that Benjamin. who appears TO De na
wtted young fellow his accomplce On the morning
ofOotober 90 old "Jerry" Greenng the prisoner
was passing the house of Annie Cheever In company
with friend. They saw something lying upon the wood
pile in Cheevers front yard and investigation proved
that tho object the cold and feess body OF Annie
Cheever.
How long he had been dead no one could tell. There
was bullet hole in his left breast and number OF DucE
shot other parts OF his body. The greatest excitement
prevailed. Old Jerry energetic in his efforts 10 DIS
cover the criminal although his ardor was soon cooled
when he found that suspicion began to point strongly To-
ward his family. At first the affair was shrouded
with mystery. Mr.. Cheeyer quiet, unassumng
who was believed to have enemies except the
Greetings, who always at swords points with their
neighbors Mrs. Cheeyer in New-York and Mi.
Cheever had been making preparations to sell his farm
and join her there By and by began to leak out that
feud had existed between John Greening and Mr.
Cheever since the teminatOnseveral months berOreO
lawsuit in which the Greetings. were beaten The
corOner's jury arrived at the conclusion that
the murder had been committed by hunter
The for arriving at this conclusion was that Pike
County guides and hunters use doube-barrelled gun
with barrel for shot and for bullet The dead
mans body was riddled with shot, and bullet hole was
found in his chest showing that both barrels had been
simultaneously discharged. No city spOrsmcn ever carry
guns OF this kind but the Grccnings have them Next 1t
learned that John Greenng had been "a frequent
visitor TO the while Mrs Cheever at home, and
To
his premises upon any pretext Other testimony was
presented the Coroners jury while they were in secret
session that led them to fix upon John +, Greening az the
murderer and 10 arrest young Benjamin rs an accompice
Mr. Cheever, the murdered man, was about forty-six
year OF age and native OF NewlOrk City. lie be-
onged the odd Fellows and other secret societies, In
all Of which he had held high offices AT one time he
lived In Philadelphia, but he returned TO New-York
where obtained work at his trade, uph0lserng, with
the firm OF r. ). SchoOnmaker Co. Having accumulated
some money he determined to buy farm. He fell into
the hands OF OF tho notorious Pike County land
agents who swndlcd him and gave him barren, worth
less farm In the backwOods Of "Rattlesnae Region ad-
Joining the farm owned by the Greetings. Here he re-
moved with his family and soon became discontented
Quarres with Old jerry" and his family about bound
arg lines arose. and kept going from bad to worse
until finally taken into court, where the
Greetings were defeated. Since that time they had
threatened vengeance at various times CheeYcr was
peaceable man and never carried weapons OF any kind
position I'm which his body was found indicated that
the assassin had been concealed behind the wOodple
and fatal shots had been fired whlo Mr. Cheeyer
was cutting flrcwOod The murdered man mas wealthy
relatives IN Buffalo, Boston, New-Nork' Baltimore
Philadelphia and the South. -.
The scene OF the murcr In the Rattlesuakc Creek re-
gion OF the most Isolated spots In Pike County
i ten miles from Milford, and mile or more irom any
house Tho Jerry Grrnng farm. the CheeV er farm ard
the country place Of Madame Ponisi' OF Waiacks lhc
trc adlon each other. The Greening family have run
thngs' 10 suit themselves IN hat region Tor e last
thlriy years They yiudctve and lnWlrss and are
feared by all the natives They own small tract OF land
which they are prsd To- ,l ialll hud Uyupy Iht .s
house which "Od Jerry built when ne settled there my
one daughter and four Aonzo, Case jeremiah and
John F-lhc prisoner. All tue boys aru une mtrksmen
and think nothing OF hitting the bullseyc with rifle
bullet AZ 100 yard range Their courage and grit" are
pruycrbul. Not lcng ago one Of them met bear IN ne
nsts aud boots rather than SpOu the skin hy
using an axe which he @ gfued' IhIie Is not not
who has not had trouble ~ some Kind with the
- ~ ,,r M which some ~ tbc Grr,uIu,s ,id
h1rc either plaintiffs OF dcf,ndhnt7 In assault ana
battery ca,e. For the la-t miro or ten years odJcuy'
Ia. been -ubdued; previous TO that time his np
paraDce IN Milford was sufficient o Indicate that lght
IN store, aud r"ue one lu'arlh'y gpt a" licking Dc
fore bully returned home one dy he came lnto the
PIKE County House tnen Kept by Inclr Ira Cr5 .n"n
VINO had made a rrpui non IN jersey ds hdtu htioI
Jerry hld never seen him and was making noisc
wncn Uncle Ira ordered him 10 leave the premises
Jerry threw Of h7 coat ana started IN 10 frln out
the proprietor. Before ten minutes he wa being carried
home -cnsless ia the bottom o his wagon, by OF lis
son. siucc that day he has never been drunk or dis
has
all the witnesses have given their testimony with great
any thing that would tend 10 hurt
the Grccuing, or 10 iitAtc ht one witness declared
he was afraid the Greetings would XIII him This feeling
i so extensive that at hrst the County Commissioners
refused 10 apprortc any money To AID the prosecution
y, and was hot until the resignation OF Bilds
and Baker their legal counsel brought Them To their
senses That tncy could be- induced To appropriate $l5OO
T The purposc aud then they did thclr duty in fear
and trciluliny one OF the men who gave important
trlmouy to the effect that John Greenng loaded his
tbr ty before the murder vita tho ayOwcd intention Of
hoouy Chccycr'- dOg and thdt the ShOi found IN tho
d,od mans body similar to that which itteuiug loaded
G glin aftcrward testified that hc afraid the Green
urs would MS barns This general feeling or fear
vii make the trial unusually interesting and as the
all to testify ing against the pJsOncr
n will b, difficult secure conviction. doubt seems
In ia, AT present whether u viii DE possible TO Sct
Jury owing to the present state OF i,u'It7 an eNt
has urawn by order Ot Judge 9cciey' Hnoua u'e
Jury even upon the most convincing evidence rrnder
y,trt Of guilty they would, AZ Is SAID o. marked NEIL
An ,Ira of the character OF the Greetings may bo oh
1iprd from the fact that during the rebellion, when
draft va. made In Pike County the Gtechls7 not Ohly
,t Them If could come and take them. "Old jerry"
burrcndrd his hut aud held the tort against tic men
Who were sent capture him for several days. Az
length his provisions gave ont ana ne gave IN re was
taken Philadelphia, where ne Woud nave 'uIlv Gu r
fun penalty OF military law hHd II not btti IOt 'c inter-
lrrrncr Of wealthy Quaker, who had once bttn VISITOR
l t,rcening's the woods, and who secured ms
release since then ha been the old mans boast thht
. uo, only yhpIcd every ngting man IN the country
mo prisoner il rather CoodlOokng man OF thirtyOne
nr y-two lie has heretofore been ihe best DchaVed
~ thr whole family. lie j. married ana has Wle ana
two children. The young man BeJaihlh Is 0ny nineteen
or twenty years Old. and apparently mas no leus OF re
allvc- The array of counsel Is quite lW31lng @ @Sooa
irs "a Bul OF Milford, and George &. waller, leading
lawyer OF liOnc-luc, Will defend the prisoners "hle
attorney Newman VIII be assisted IN me prose
tion by state Senator John Van Auken ana H. l. Baker,
| OF Philadelphia
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1ftu ttVTUS DE GENESIS