Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-25

TO ms visitors to come In, they lifted up the
old-fashioned latch and entered. There
were two of the visitors. The taIIest, who
was afterward identified as David Nicely,
had his head bound up in two common red
handkerchiefs, exposing only his eyes and a
little of his cheeks. He wore dark-gray
gave as reason for his head being tied up
that he had been thrown from buggy.
The shorter man, who was atterward de-
clared to be Joseph Nicely, had his face
covered by mask or a false gray beard and
wig. The Umberger family could not de-
eide which it was, as their knowledge of
masquerade costumes was very limited.
The men were invited to take seat by
the stove, and Ella, the hired girl, was told
by her employer to mend the fire that their
visitors might warm and dry themselves
after their walk through the storm.
Arrival of Two Disguised Men.
The visitors and the family sat around the
stove for a few minutes talking about the
weather, crops, the price of produce and
other matters of interest to farmers. The
conversation was carried on mainly BY the
smaller man. his friend being rather silent,
as became man who had been thrown out of a
buggy. During the con 7ersation the men
ELECTED the information that the farmer had
but one hired man, his grandson, who had
gone on an errand and would not be back
for some time, and that the only persons in
the house were those In the room-the
farmer, his wife, little granddaughter and
the hired girl
After awhile the smaller man said: "Mr
Umberger, We are officers from Bedford
county. Peddler Maxom has been robbed
of quantity of jewelry, and we are in
structed to search every house between Jen-
nertown and Johnstowp."
Umberger asked him if the warrant was
countersigned, and the small man replied
that it had been backed by Squire Rauch,
of Jennertown. He drew out paper, which
he read as warrant, and said they had al
ready searched two houses in the neighbor-
hood, naming the occupants.
Search for Farmer Umberger's Wealth.
Farmer Umberger told the men that they
could search the house, but they would find
nothing. Little Mamie was told to get a
light, and Umberger, his wife, the smaller
man and the little girl went into the parlor,
leaving Ella Stern and the taller man in
the sitting-room. The latter changed his
seat so that be could see into the parlor, and
remarked to Ella Stern that "there was a
good deal of fun searching houses" The
others went into the bedroom, and after max
ing an examination there they went back
into the sitting-room, where the small man
said he had forgotten to look under the bed,
and wanted to examine the bureau for a
false drawer.
Umberger, the two men and Mamie Hor-
ner went into the bedroom, which is in the
front of the house. Here the smaller man
insisted upon Umberger pulling out the up
per drawer of the bureau, thus exposing the
contents Of the second drawer, in which were
two pocketbooks, which Umberger said con-
tained money to pay his hands.
Your Money or Your Life.
Umberger picked up the books and placed
them in his inside vest pocket, and folded
his arms across his breast He told the lit
tie girl to 60 for her grandmother. The lat
ter came into the room and said: "This
thing has gone far enough" Then the
whole party walked out into the sitting
room.
The party had no sooner reached the sit
ting-room than the small man, who had
been conducting the search, pulled q re-
volver, and, pointing it at Farmer Umber-
ger, said: Your money or your life!"
The farmer retreated, throwing up his
hands, until he was backed against book
case in the corner of the sitting-room. The
man again exclaimed, Your money or
your life, and began firing. The woman
and child scream ed, and Ella Stern ran out
of the house to a neighbours for assistance,
but owing to the distance which separates
dwellings IN that neighborhood it was half
an hour before she returned. Mrs. Um-
berger ran into the kitchen and began to
ring the farm bell, which serves the double
purpose of dinner bell In the day and an
alarm bell at night
Fell Dead at His Wife's Feet
Several shots were fired, one of which
struck joist in the ceiling and then
entered the wall. Two bullets entered
Umberger's body, one in the shoulder and
the other between the seventh and eighth
ribs toward the breast. The old farmer
out of the sitting-room into the
and fell dead at his wife's feet. as
she was pulling with desperation at the bell
rope. When Umberger fell dead he no
longer possessed the pocketbooks. They
were gone, and In them, his wife said, was
SIC, 900 to $50, 600 in gold and greenbacks.
Little Mamie exclaimed frantically: "Oh,