Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-09-26
LAID UNDER A LOG,
A Mcdonald Murder Mystery Cleared
Up Yesterday by the Discov-
cry of Emma Gross Body.
BEATEN AND BADLY MUTILATLD,
Albert Catlin, Who Did the Horrible Work
Supposed to Be Hiding in an
Abandoned Coal Mine.
BEATEN AND BADLY MUTILATED,
THE LAST OF A SERIES OF QUARRELs
Ends in a Tragedy, the Details Of Which Are
Extremely Sensational

a murder mystery, four DAYS old, has
just been cleared up at Mcdonald. Wash
ingtou county. The body of a coIored
woman was unearthcd from under a
log yesterday afternoon, about O'Clock.
Though frightfully cut and beaten it
was recognized rs that of. Emma Gross, who
disappeared last Tuesday Albert Catlin,
her colored lover, is hiding in one of the
many abandoned coal mines OF that vicinity.
lie is wanted for her murder
The circumstances developed after the
finding of the body yesterday revealed one
of the most revolving crimes on the
Washington county records, and the
indignation of the people about
Mcdonald cannot be suppressed
Locked in little, dingy room drunken
man and woman curse and rave at each
other. The neighbors exchange significant
glances and remark: ''Catlini is beating her
again. Suddenly they hear two wild
screams. They do not see the big, burIy
Catlin press the woman down on
the rickety bed, beat and choke
her into insensibility, and then
slash her throat with knife All they
can see through the half-open window is
Catlin few moments later lift the woman's
body up as if to see whether any life re-
mained.
JUST ONE QUARREL TOO MANY
The terrible nature of the affair was not
suspected by the neighbors who heard the
screams last Monday night. Quarrels
between the two had been SO frequent that
little attention was paid. The pair had an
upper room in Thomas Rollins house, stu
ated in ravine just south of Mcdonald
station. They had been there only short
time, and little was known of them in the
neighborhood, except that Catlin had wife
and family in Washington, Pa, and
the woman had once been mar
Washington. Catlin had been employed
putting in oil well castings, but was not
much of a worker and preferred liquor to
anything else. People looked on both with
suspicion
Tuesday morning following the night of
the last quarrel the Rollins family went to
attend an oX-roast near Mcdonald They
left about 9 O'Clock. Prior to going MIR.
Rollins knocked at the door of Catlin's
room TO lind out why he had not made his
appearance, thinking he or the woman
might be sick. Catlin called out for him to
mind his own business and Rollins went
away When the family returned late that
night they found Catlin there, but the woman
was missing. He said he knew nothing
about her. Nothing more was thought of
the matter until Wednesday morning when
someone going into the room discovered the
bed covered with blood and every indica-
tion OF 4 deathly scutlle.
CATJTN CLEARS OFT FASUry
The alarm was spread and search was
started No attention was paid to Cat
lin, and before the excited people
fairly realized the situation he, too, had dis
appeared. Search was kept up without even
2 clew until Thursday afternoon, when a
bloody stocking was found at the edge of a
wood about 40 rods from the Rollins house
Everybody was convinced then that the wo-
man had been murdered, but what had been
done with her body remained a mystery.
About O'Clock Yesterday afternoon
Michael RYAN, a boilerInaker of Washing
ton, was walking along the ravine, half
a mile back of the house, when he noticed
some ireshly-turned leaves and earth beside
a halt-rOtten log Scraping away some
OF the earth he discovered the nude body of
q woman. The head was bruised and
swollen, the features distorted and the |
throat slaShed several times The body was
covered with blood and had evidently been
there several DAYS RYAN notified the |
authorities, who recognized the missing |
Emma Gross.
1t is supposed that Catlin remained in the |
room with his victims bloody corpse Mon
day night and all day Tuesday. That |
evening, prior TO the return of the Rollins |
family, he carried it half a mile up the |
raviue and buried it under the log, after |
burning all the woman's clothes
AN INQUEST NOW IN PROGRESS.
The body. shortly after it was discovered,
was carried back to the Rollins house The
Coroner w17 notified and late in the after
noon started the Inquest 4 Jury was en-
paneled and viewed the remains, after
w<ch the inquest was adjourned until to-
day.
There is but one accepted theory as to
how the woman met her death. Mrs. Ram
mels, VINO lives in an adjoining house to
that occupied by CaJlin and the woman saw |
the pair struggling in their room through |
an open window. She heard the woman |
scream twice. In few minutes all was |
quiet. Shortly afterward Mrs. Rammels |
saw Catlin take up the woman's BODY, which |
was living on the bed He took the body in |
his arms and seemed TO be looking for |
signs of life. Glaring through the
open window the murderer saw his |
nelghbors wife watching his movements |
lie sprang 10 his feet and moved the bed
away from the window and into a corner of
the room. Mrs. Rammells was unable to
see any more of his movements
Catlin has not vet been captured He
was seen Yesterday evening near Venice bv
Sam AShbUry, a teamster Later in the
evening, about dark, he was seen near Cun-
onsburg. Nothing has been heard of him
since He Is supposed 10 be hiding in some
OF the unused coal mines near Canons-
burg
Trr-N-,,,-,, ~-,..r,.