National Republican., 1883-03-08
AT THD End OF A ROPE.
uuah Meyer Follows His Brother from the
Scaiyold into Eternity
For the Murder Of an Aged Couple in
Pennsylvania Over Five Years Ago.
An Interesting Caso-Tho Manner in Which tho
Mpriortrs Were Convicted.
Al" Probability that mn Innocent 0Ian
VVas EAgruted-Thc Death scene.

NttopLEBURG, PA, Mar. 1.-Uriah Meyer
vas hanged here in the Jail yard at ll:Os o'clock
this morning for the murder of John aud
Gretchen liintzlcr on Dec. 8, 1877. He passed
u yrr" quiet nieht, sleeping we'll. When lie
wa, led out of his cell to the scalold he
stepped up i,my and e&hibitod great nerve
Tho prisoner guzcd calmly Oh the crowd of
$50 people, ana stated that the murder was
commi ted Oh Friday evening by him
and Emanuel Et.ingcr; that he and
his brother Jonathan and Ettingcr
robbed aud burned the body and the
prcinit,s ~ Saturday evening, He said, too,
that it had been said that his brother Joseph
was also present, but that was not so. A
prayer was then offered by Rev. j.. c. Ed
luundH, which the condemned man made
respons, After this the sheriff pinioncd
his urrd.t and ankles, and the rope was ad-
iusted The white cap was placed over his
head and the drop fell, lie died without II
struggle in about seven minutes.
URtAH MoYER WAS CONVICTED
in December, 1851, of the murder of Kintzler
and his wife. John Kntzler and Gretchen,
his wife, were an aged couple residing in an
unfrequented place, about ten miles from Mid
dloburg, near the foot Of Jack's mountain. IL
was generally understood among the neigh
bors that kint2lcr was in possession of con-
siderable amount of money, the hoardings of
years The crime, according to the testimony,
was committed on Sunday evening, Dec. :,
1877, and after killing the old couple the MUIR
derers set fire to the dwelling and consumed
it and the bodies of their victims Owing to
certain declarations made by some neighbori
of the Kintdlers, suspicion at once attached to
Meyer, his brother Jonathan, Emanuel Ettin-
ger, Israel Erb, and several others aud they
were all arrested, but were subsequently re-
leased on a writ of habcas corpus. They were
again arrested, however, upon information
given by young woman, Mary Hartley, and
indicted for tho murder of the old man.
Upon the trial of Erb
HE WAS ACQUITTED
under the charge Of the court there being an
insufliciency of evidence. nolle prosequi
q was entered in the other cases and the pris-
oners wero all discharged. Thus the matter
rested until the fall of 1850, when detective
was employed TO ferret out the perpetrators
of the crime. Tho result was the arrest of
Jonathan Meyer Israel Erb, and Emanuel
Ettinper, and they were promptly indicted
for the murder of the old lady. Uriah MoyeI
was at that time residing in the west, as was
also Ettinger with his mistress, Mary Hart
ley. Tho two latter were brought to this
county, the one to answer the charge and the
other detained as Il witness.
ETTINGER WAS TRIED FIRST,
and at his trial Mary Hartley swore that on
the night of Dec. 8, 1877, she, in company
with Ettinger and the two Meyers and their
wives, left the house of Jonathan Moyer and
proceeded to the Kintzler promises, and when
near there met Erb; the men crossed over to
the house, and effected an entrance and botl
the old people were killed by Ettinger after
securing tho money the torch was applied
The young woman's testimony was sustained
in material points by other witnesses, and alsC
by the confessions of the accused to the de.
teCtive. Ettinger was convicted of murder
in the first degree and Erb and Jonathan
Meyer were also convicted A writ of error
was taken and appeal mado to the supreme
court, but the judgment below was affirmed
Applications for pardon were made to the
board of pardons, but refused in the case O
Ettinger and Jonathan Meyer. Tho case o
Erb has been held under advisement up to the
present time. Ettinger died in Jail in octo
Der, 1881, and Jonathan Meyer was executed
March "a 1852. -.-...--..-----
IN THE MEANTIME,
in the fall of 1881, Uriah Meyer was appre.
helded in Michigan, brought on, and tried al
the December sessions, 1881, and promptly
convicted. The case was taken to tho su
preme court, as well as to the board of par
dOns, but without avail The date of execu
ton was fixed for February 25, but subse
quently weeks respite was granted.
According to the confessions of the accused
the murder was committed by Uriah MOye
aud Ettnger ON Friday evening, December z
dhu llub bll liAS NNNhAhB VI tLo NlBhlLl, hll'
neither Jonathan Meyer nor Erb was present
and the burning was done on the evening o
the eighth by the two Meyers and EtungeI
All the prisoners united in the assertion tina
Erb was not present on either occasion
There is general impression here that iona
than Meyer died innocent and the life Of En-
has thus far been extended on account of tn
doubt that has arisen Of his guilt from tn
declarations OF the condemned men, The tw
Meyers are the only persons ever hanged il
this county.