Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1886-07-22
BELMONT COUNTY SOIL ONCE MORE STAINED
WITH THE BLOOD OF A MURDERER'S
VICTIM.
BRUCE RAMAGE HURLED INTO ETERNITY BY A
MIDNIGHT ASSASSIN.
DYNAMITE CARTRIDGES USED TO BLOW UP A
STORE AND ITS CONTENTS.
HENRY C. CAMPBELL is CHARGED WITH THE
HORRIBLE CRIME.

lect TO the merry furnace, MI. Bruce ham
age is a son of VIM. Ramage, Esq, a
Eell-known citizen of Wheeling town.
ship. He has been for some years res
Iident of near Coon Island, Beaver eouR>
ty, Pa, but for the last two months has
been in the employ of his brother, JOS,
B. Ramage, in charge of the store at
Union Coal Works, in Mead township
Henry c. Campbell, the man charged
with exploding the dynamite, came to
this county several years ago, with a
party from Perry county, and organized
the Wheeling Valley Coal Co.. and is
well-known in this vicinity.
He was in this place on Tuesday be-
fore the explosion, and some say that be
was seen here as late as Friday. He
was arrested and taken 10 Bellaire Mon,
day, where he had a preliminary hear
ing yesterday. The accused heretofore
has not borne bad reputation, and it is
hoped that he may establish his inne-
cence of so terrible a crime. The Reg
ister's account of the affair is as follows:
What at this time seems to be one of
the most fiendish and deliberately plan
ned murders ever committed in the Ohio
Valley, occurred at the Union Coal
Works, opposite MoundsYjile, shortly
after 2 o'clock yesterday morning, by
which popular and careful mine man
ager met death in lis most horrible form,
and building with large stock OF gro
ceries and supplies, was totally destroy
ed by fire. The victim of this diabolical
plot is Mr.. Robert B. Ramage, for the
last two months manager of the Union
Coal Works, named above, while the
man under arrest, charged with the
double crime of murder and arson, is
Henry Campbell, at one time manager
of the works, but who was recently dis
placed by the management, and the sit
uation given to Ramsge.
The Union coal works is owned by DR.
John Frissell, of this city, and J. w.
Gallaher and Charles Thompson, of
Moundsville, but has for some time been
operated under lease held by J. B.
Ramage, brother of the murdered man.
The change in the Office of manager, by
which Campbell was displaced, angered
the outgoing official terribly, his passion
being directed toward the new manager,
and he and his wife were frequently
heard to make threats against the life of
Ramage, the woman being said by some
to be the more violent of the two. After
his elevation to the Office of manager,
| Mr. Robert Ramage, the murdered man,
made practice of sleeping in the store
room of his brother. j. B. Ramage, the
building, large new frame structure.
being located upon the bank of the riv-
er, just opposite the B. & o. depot in
Moundsville, and about 200 yards south
! OF the coal works. The building was
well stocked with groceries and miscel-
Ianeous supplies, and in it was also kept
eleven kegs of blasting powder, to be
used in the mine, and two barrels of oil,
one for the miners lamps and the other
petroleum.
Saturday night, about half-past twelve
o'clock, Robert Ramage left some friends
with whom he spent the evening and
entered the store room to retire, leaving
word to call him at o'clock in morning,
as be desired to go to bis home at West
Alexander to see his wife, ana particu
larly to catch glimpse of new born
babe which had entered to world about
three weeks ago. Just after 2 o'clock
the people living about the coal mines
and dozeus of citizens of MouUdsville,
were awakened by Il loud and sharp de-
tonation, and as they ran to their win
dows they saw shaft of flame shoot in
to the air from the storehouse, and
moment later there came dull, heavy
explosion which shook the windows and
doors all over Moundsville, an0 blew the
sash from the houses near the scene of
the disaster, while the blazing timbers
were scattered in every direction. Two
smaller explosions followed, and then,
all danger seeming to be past. men from
the few houses near by rushed to the
scene of the fire. Those first upon the
ground, VIM Mussard, James Terrell, |
Urias Rankin, Randolph Rankin, and |
others. were horrified at hearing voice !
cry: For Gods sake help me out! and |
through the fire and smoke they caught |
sight of the blackened and blistered 6g |
ured of Robert Ramage standing at |
shattered window of what remained of |
the storehouse. Willing hands at once
drew him out and laid him upon the |
kOdd, dllCI w dLO Jim W q bOhoO |
near by. He was alive and conscious, |
aud stated that he thought he had been |
Glown up by some one, who, he had no
idea. The frightfully burned and dis |
figured man, lived about four hours, dy
ing about six o'clock in the morning in |
intense agony.
Tue lire communicated to a stable on
the Thompson estate, which was also /
entirely destroyed. One man, Mr. Wm
Dawson, saw man run across the road |
from the storeroom to some tall weeds,
just after the explosion. and this person
is popularity supposed to have been
Campbell. During the fire the suspects
ed murderer remained close at his house,
about one hundred yards away, and con-
cerned himself little about the awful
tragedy enacted so near at hand. Dur
ing the morning, however, when the
body of Mr. Ramage was being taken
over the river to Moundsville. Campbell
came out upon the portico of his house
and watched the ghostly and grim pro-
c1ssion file by.
The dead man was taken to the house
of Mr. B Ramage, on the West Virgin
ia side of the river, about s o'clock, but
at o'clock in the afternoon. when Cor
oner P o Criswell, of Bellaire. who had
been sent for. arrived. it was brought
back and the inquest held. The testimo-
ny adduced before tie Coroner was SUBJ
stantially as follows:
William Mussard-Knew the deceased; he
came to his death from an explosion in the store
house; saw him about o'clock last night; never
heard any threats made against him; saw him
between and 3 o'clock this morning; he was
at the door of the store he cried: "For Gods
sake, boys, help me cut" We helped him from
the building as soon as possible; he lived about
four hours after we got him out. l talked with
him after the explosion; he was in his right
mind. He told me he thought he was blown up
by some person, but did not tell me who he
thought it was. He accuse no one of it in my
presence.
James Tyrrell-Was acquainted with the de-
l. 10 al; Cof |