Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-16
ONE MAN AND ACLUB.
continued from FIRST Pare.

Continued from First Page.
Crouch owed a small bill, was also told the
same story about the trunk key, and said il
| she would wait till her son came in enough
change could be secured from him to pay the
the bill.
The scene of the murder is the old two
story frame house of John Crouch, on the
road from Bentleysville to Washington, half
a mile east Of the village. John Crouch
was 70 years old, Mrs. Elizabeth Crouch five
years younger. and the son Andrew about
45. Another son lives in Pike county, Ind,
and daughter lives at Speer, opposite
Bellevernon. Mrs. Crouch has sister,
Mrs. Campbell, living about mile away.
| NOT EXACTLY FRIENDS.
| It seems that there was little friendship
between the Crouchs and the Campbells.
The latter have not visited the Crouch house
| since the murder. The house stands in a
yard near the highway. There are four
| rooms downstairs and three up. The parlor
runs out from the front like an L-behind
it is the large sitting room. At the right is
the bedroom where the old couple slept, the
kitchen is behind the sitting room and is
one-story high.
The murderer went to the kitchen door.
He had picked up rough oak pallng in
the front yard. A similar one leans against
the front of the house. Old man Crouch
answered the knock on the door, because his
son was very deaf. One blow on the old
mans neck below his left ear killed him.
The murderer entered the sitting room,
where Mrs. Crouch sat at one side OF the
fireplace and Andrew at the other The
sons neck was broken by blow at the base
of the SKULL His chair lay near him. Mrs.
Crouch was struck on the right side of her
face and neck. She lay upon her face and
a rocking chair lay beside her.
One man must have done the deed. He
was a man OF great strength. In each case
one blow was enough. Harry Crawford,
son of Alpheus Crawford, neighbor, dis
covered the murder when he went to the
Crouch house at 8 o'clock Wednesday morn
ing to return borrowed cross-cut saw. He
saw Mr.. Crouch's dead body through the
kitchen window. He ran home and told his
father, and the neighbors were soon aroused
and at the house. The neighbors found the
front door locked, but the kitchen door un-
locked andislightly open.
NOT A SOCIAL FAMILY.
The Crouch family were miserly, did little
farming and rarely visited their neighbors.
They often said that they kept their money
in their house and would not trust bank.
They lived economically on the interest of
loaned money.
Mayor Euston, of this place, this morn
ing sent Chief of Police McCleary to Pitts
burg to search for a tall and powerful negro
named William West, who came here Mon
day evening with white woman and child.
West on Tuesday tried at two livery stables
to hire rig to 60 into the country.
He was then lost sight Of. He
reappeared here yesterday morning and left
with the woman and child for Pittsburg.
The woman has staid at the Hotel Wilgus.
registering as Mrs. West. She had almost
no money on Tuesday, but on Wednesday
morning, when she bought three tickets at
the depot, she displayed large roll. The
woman told the station agent that she lived
in Allegheny. About noon to-day the
Mayor received telegram announcing the
arrest of the suspects at Beaver Falls.
Two Washington officers had been at
Bentleysville to-day investigating. Ten
years ago a nephew of Crouch, who lived
with him, ran away one night and took the
best horse in the stable He has never been
heard from. People are asking about him
now.
THE JURY GIVES IT UP.
The Coroner's jury's verdict was that the
murder was committed by party or parties
unknown. William West, the suspected
negro, lived near Bentleysville, and worked
at farming and mining. The latest infor
nation indicates that the murder was COM
mitted Tuesday afternoon. West reap
peared here Tuesday about dark. He
bought new shoes here at Sutman's, and in
paying gave an old-fashioned silver dollar.
When the clerk remarked Its age he took it
back. West had a satchel when he left
here Wednesday. but he either hid it or
threw it away between here and Riverview,
where he took the train.
He completely changed his clothes at Mrs.
CANDLES boarding house Tuesday night
Mrs. Griffith; the daughter. reached her
fathers home at noon to-day. She is pros
trated with grief.
Mrs West, mother OF William, said to-
day that her son spent Monday night at her
house and left there II o'clock Tuesday
forenoon, saying he was going to Bentley
Vile. He did not go to the village, but
must have left the road and cut across the
woods. The funeral Of the victims is to-
morrow at noon. HAsSLER.