The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1883-02-10
A Most Brutal Murder.

A murder took place on Friday night Of
last week, in Slate Valley, five miles east OF
slatington, on. the line Of the Pennsylvania,
Slatington and New England Railroad.
severnl Italians occupying hut near the
railroad on which they worked, becqme en-.
gsged IN quarrel over some money matters.
Mstthias Alexander, a middle aged man,
and another known as Italian Pete, soon
narrowed the quarrel to thenselvcs,and the
result was that Alexander with the frrncity
Of tiger, sprang upon Pete, knuckek him
down and tramplrd ur"u him. Tie men
were brothers in-law. They were separated
by their comrades,and for time the breach
seemed to have been healed. .7i
CUT rNrnt PIECES.
"Italian Pete" went TO bed and d few
minutes alter he was. ASLEEP his brother-in-
law, who occupied bed in the same room,
stealthily arose, and obtaining hatchet,
which he had bought several days before,
attacked his victim with frenzied fury. He
must have welded the weapon with all his
strength, showering blow upon blow upon
the writhing body Of the prostrate- man.
"Iialian Pete" called out in an agonized
tone Of voice, but the deadly hat, het SCI n
quelled his frantic struggles, and, bloody
and mutilated, hesfell back dead on the bed.
With uncomfortable perseverance his muir
derer persisted in his brutal determination.
He hewed limb from limb, severing each
member with well directed strokes Of the
keen axe. Then, throwing the blood stained
weapon to the floor, Alexander fled from
the corpse and the.plucc.
News of the murder spread rapidly. A
man answering the description Of the n,ur
derer was seen standing pear a mill at
Treichler's Station, on the Lehigh and Sus-
quehanna Road. One of the mill hands
ventured to say to the stranger that be re.
semblcd the description OF the murderer
The man started, turned pale, and walked
away. and soon disappeared from view.
UNDER ARREST.
Alexander had purchased a ticket at
Treichler's Station for New York, and he
the remark Of the man in reference to the
murder frightened him oil. Had he taken
he tram he would not have been captured,
for word was sent from the scene of the
murder to Treicher's Station, asking that
the station agent there should telegraph to
the county officials in Easton, ST. that steps
might be taken to capture the man. The
agent said the wires in the depot belonged
to the railroad and he was not allowed to
use them for free messages. BY the time
word could be brought to Easton by mes
senger the man disappeared. Word was
sent up the Lehigh Valley to various officers
to keep lookout for the murderer, aud Sat-
urday evening he was arrested near Treich
ler's Station, and taken to Etston, where he
was committed 10 await the result of the
C"roner's inquest. Alexander is well
known to the police, and he is supposed to
have committed previous murder in New
York City. .. .... ..,4
THE INQUEST.
The Coroner's jury in the case Of the muir
dcred Italian, Philip Petrie. concluded the
irqrest at ii O'Clock Saturday night nnd
he | the man arrested tor the crime. His
o is now given as Alexander Sebi sto.
He is twenty five years of age and not of
very heavy build. He occupied the shahty
with eight others, and did not go to his room
on Friday night until the others had been
in bed half an hour or more. Three others
slept in the room, one of them being his
brother .in-law. Petrie, whose widow is the
murderer's sister, lives in Italy. and 10 her
Petrie sent his savings. The mon were
awakened by the blows AMI the shouts oi
Petrie for aid. He lived long enough In tell
all he knew of the affair, which was that, he
was awakened by terrible blow on the
head with the hatchet. He could not imag
inc why Sehasto should have attacked him
The men say Petrie owed Sebasto eight dol
lars, and that is the only reason they car
assign for the deed.
When Sebasto was placed in Jail the frs
thing he did was to ask for coffee and bread
No one is allowed to converse with him
lie refuses to say anything to the jailer, ex
cepl that they should wait until that maj
from New York comes, referring to tn,
counsel who has been telegrsphed for. Sc
basto said to the deputy warden that Petr
stole his bread, sugar aud clothing.
BAD RECORD.
Alexander Sebasto, the Italian murderer
now in jail at Easton has made an unsayor,
record while working in this county. II
stole money from comrade, and when th
Constable arrested him he asked to GO int
the shanty to change his clothing. The re
quest was granted, and Sebasto went to tn
second story, jumped from the window an
escaped, though the Constable fired thre
shots at him. At another time he quarrel
ed with Contractor Clark about mis- wages
He said Clark owed him money and if b
would not pay il he would kill him. Sever
al days later he crept up behind Clark an
man caught his arm and took his knit
away. Petrie, the man he murdered
served five years in Italy for killing ma
seyen years ago. The murderer's story
that he awoke Friday night and found tbd
a vest had been removed from under hi
pillow and $50 taken therelrom, and ths
} he accused Petrie oftaking it and asked hin
to turn out his pockets. Petrie refused
though all the other Italians turned OF
, their pockets and showed they had not tak
en- the money. sebasto then aPproache
Petrie, who cut him in tie hand with
razor. sebasto then seized a hatchet an
committed the crime. He has retO ned
! NJ. Hagerman and Charles Walter as hi
, counsel. The Criminal Court begins ne1
week.
Sad Picture Of Want.
Whan Woo1rxR Of