Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-21
MURDER0US ATTACK.
Wendell Doranberger Beaten and Cut
With Knife by Two Men.
HIS CONDITION QUITE SERIOUS
The Object of the FOotpads is Supposed to
Have Been Robbery.
WORK FOR THE sOUTHsIDE OFFICERS

About o'clock yesterday morning a
Southside man was attacked by two men
and almost murdered within 80 feet of his
own door. At that time Wendell Doran-
berger, a glass sorter at the factory Of
Thomas Evans & Co., was set upon, beaten
over the head with coupling link, cut and
slashed in several places about the head
and body and left lying In an unconscious
condition on the sidewalk, three doors from
his own home, on Manor street. between
South Tenth and Eleventh streets. The cir
cumstances of the assault as detailed by the
injured man would make it appear as
though the motive was robbery or that the
men had mistaken their victim for another
man.
Mr.. Doranberger had been at the glass
factory, where he is employed, attending to
some duties, and then started down Manor
street on his way home. When he reached
the corner of South Twelfth street two men,
one large the other quite small, came toward
him from the direction of Nusser's brewery.
They appeared to be perfectly sober, and
walked down Manor street at the side OF
their victim until they came to South
Eleventh street, near where Doranberger
lives. When they had proceeded to that
point, not word having been exchanged on
the way, the smallest of the men stepped
close up to Doranberger and said: You are
the man who was going to do us up on
Twelfth street last night, amt you?"
"No, sir, am not" was the answer.
AN UNEXPECTED BLOW.
He had scarcely finished speaking when
the man stopped down and, picking up a
link used for coupling cars, struck him a
a terrific blow over the head. The assault
was too quickly made to be warded of, but
as he staggered to one side from the effect
Doranberger, who is large, powerfully
built man, clutched the larger man to pre-
vent him from assisting the other. When
he grappled with his companion the man
who had started the affair lunged at the vic
tim with knife, cutting a terrible cash
over his leftitemple. In spite of the stab,
Doranbergef threw the big man to
the ground but was prevented
from inficting any punishment
upon him by the smaller man, who danced
about like fiend. He kept his knife in
play all the while, and so effectively that in
the very few minutes the wounded man was
able to make struggle for. his life, he re-
ceived no less than six stabs and slashes
about the back, left side and arm. The most
serious ones are the cuts made on the side of
the heart and deep cut just below the left
shoulder-blade. Doranberger says the strug
gle was of only momentary duration, when
he became unconscious. After he recovered
from the insensibility he crawled to the door
Of his home and awakened his wife and
brother-in-law. His clothing was cut and
torn and covered with blood.
HIS CONDITION SERIOUS.
DR.. Donovan was called in to dress the
wounds and said that the injured mans con-
dition was serious. His skull was thought
to be slightly fractured, but an examination
later in the day showed that to be mistake.
The many cuts and the deep stab in the
back, however, together with the almost
complete prostration consequent on the great
loss of blood and the danger of erysipelas
setting in, makes the victims condition
serious. The medical attendant considers
his chances for recovery fairly good.
No motive for the murderous assault can
be conjectured, unless it were for the pur-
pose of robbery. Doranberger is a we'll
known man, sober and industrious, and has
been employed at Evans & Co.'S factory
for almost 20 years. Recently he has
handled considerable funds in his
duties connected with the manage
ment of an estate and his assailants may
have supposed that they would make haul
by robbing him. He does not know whether
they rifled his pockets or not, but they were
disappointed if they did, for he had only
some small change, his money having been
deposited at home on Saturday evening.
One of the men had his hat knocked off in |
the struggle, and as it was left lying beside |
their unconscious victim, they had evidently |
been frightened from the place. The hat |
was given to the police as the only clew,
although Doranberger is able to describe |
his assailants, and says he will be able to
identify them.