West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1886-11-25
IN OLD STNNER.
EIibu Gregg Parioins n fGorsc aud
EIudcs the OfGIccFs.

EIibu Gregg ParIoins n usr.o saa
Eiudes the Ofuccrs.
Elihu Gregg, man Of eighty years .
or more, and who is well known 20 |
many of our readers. is wanted by the I.
officers Of the law. IL will be remem.
bered that the old man obtained n
good deal of notoriety several years
ago by his connection with the burn.
ing OF the Kingwood Court House.
He was tried for this offence and con.
victed. 1t is said that the law OF
West Virginia permits man con.
victed of the onense charged against
Gregg to choose between death by
hanging and imprisonment for life.
Gregg said, "Give me liberty or give
me DEATH" His execution was post.
poned from time TO time, and lie fin.
ally escaped from prison. and has
since been roaming the country over,
committing depredations in verious
sections. But few weeks ago h
gathered drove of sheep from farm
ers in Luzerne township, without
saying to the farmers, by your leave,
and drove them to Greene County,
where he was attempted to sell them,
when the farmers having missed their
focks, came up with him and secur-
ing their sheep, took them home.
The latest freak reported on Elihu
was on last Monday night, He
stole a valuable horse from the sta.
Dle of Alfred Knight. in Luzerne
tawnship. The horse was the prop.
erty of John Dearth, and Mr. Knight
was breaking him for him. Early
in the evening Gregg was seen walk.
ing along the road toward Mr.,
Knights and in a short time he re
turned over the same road on horse.
back. Mr.. Knight soon missed the
horse, and suspected Gregg to be
theft, he and John Crawford started
in pursuit.
They followed the National Road
occasionally getting from parties
along the route description that fit
Gregg and the horse, they having
passed short distance ahead of
their pursners Knight ond Craw-
ford found their horse apd Gregg at
Phillip Dennis, near the Maryland
line. They secured the horse, and
returned to UniontDwn Tuesday even.
ing. They scarcely knew why they
didn't make an effort to secure Gregg.
Upon their return to town a warrant
was issued for Gregg's arrest, and
officers sent out to secure bin. The
officers spent all of Wednesday can.
wasting the region where he had been
seen by different parties, but they
could not find him. They supposed
he was secreted in some of the glades
or swamps in Maryland.
Many of the people who have been
annoyed by Gregg fear him that is,
they regard him as Q desperate char.
acter, and fear that he will destroy
their property. Many of our people
have known Gregg for years. He is
mill wright by trade, and is said to
be first-class mechanic. The re-
ward which is offered will probably
secure his arrest, and if 1t should, the
remainder of his life will be spent
where he will not annoy his neigh
bors II UniOntown Genius.
Had it mot been for the unwise ex.
ercise of the pardoniDg power given
to Governor Jackson, of this State,
in 1881, Elihu would now be in the
Moundsville penitentiary. Gov.
Jackson gave Gregg an uncOndition.
al pardon without investigating the
case, and thus turned loose a man
who is in every way dangerous to
society. Our readers will probably
remember that The ARGUS Of April
1881, gently( Yreminded the above
Jacob b. Jackson Of the mistake he
made in granting an unconditional
pardon to the old "fre bug"