Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1885-06-19
a TERRIBLE TALE.

| An Old Man Says He Was Imprisoned in a
Cellar Eleven Years by His tep-DaugI-
ter and Her Husband.
! Pittsburgh. Pa, February 26th, Special
An old man named William Moore ar
! rived here o-day to consult lawyer relo-
/ tive to the recovery of some properly
! which he claims he has been defrauded of.
! His story is a most wonderful one of suf-
! fering en- llred for the last eleven years
! from the cruel treatment of designin rel
atives. He says he is sixty-one years of
age, and that for ten years the on side
world has thought him dead.
! Said he: 81 have, in fact, been buried
alive, as it were, in a stone-cellar I'M the
rear of my s.epdaughtar's husbands home,
on farm in Washington County, near
Tria lelphia, which farm is my property,
but which my relatives tried to unla W fully
keep me out Of. In 1871 L, being a bache-
lor, married a widow named Mrs. Wal
lace, who, with her only daughter, Lived
in Wheeling. / brought tn I'm both to
my farm. The girl was then eighteen
years old, but the mother was still a
young women, being about thirty seven
years OF age. Two years after that my
vie died, and year afterward my step
daughter married, much against my will,
a worthless fellow whom she knew in
Wheeling, named Jim Slavin. They both
came 10 live with me, as l thought he
might bs of use on the farm, but in that l
was mistaken, as he was continually bor-
rowing money from me and always re-
fUsing to do any work. frequently knew
that h, took money from my pocket when
= was asleep, aud also pilfered cash from
the bureau drawer. When accused him
or 1t both he and his wife flew into a pas
son and threaten d to II me-
'They Lnally, under threats, induced
me to make will in their favor, and
shortly after had done this my term of
long, imprisonment commenced. One
evening a neighbor called at my house
and said: I understand you are going on
n visit TO see your relatives / was ON
the point of denying any such report when
my son-in-law made q threatening gesture
and sad: %, yes.'
THAT night while 1 was lying in bed l
was gagged, bound and placed in the cell
lar speak Of, and the door doubly locked
and bolted. The next morning Slavin
sawed a wicket in the door, and through
that opening food was handed to me. And
| have livel in that place OFF and on ever
90 out at night, bound with ropes about
my body, and permitted to walk Rbout the
yard. The cellar was so arranged that
my outcries, in case made any, could not
be heard, and in case visitors came to the
house gag was always put in my mouth
as extra precaution. l heard after es-
capped that it had been given out that
had died while in Michigan
About two weeks ago my usual allow
auce of food was not given me, and, hear
ing no sound about the house, thought 1
would try to get out. During my long inn
prisonment / had loosed large stone from
its position in the wall, and with this ap-
proa ched the door and managed to batter
it down. There was no person in the house,
and my relatives were nowhere to be seen
l ransacked the house, and found nearly
| 500 in money in one Of the drawers.
took the money and started Immediately
for p Plttshurgh, and intend to have my
wrongs righted and my property restored
/ to me-"