Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-06-30
WEIRD DEATH Walls
Over the Body of An Italian Boy
Drowned In the Ohio River.
BARTLEY COSTELLO NOW In JAIL,
Charged By the Coroner With Numbering
Young Panaro.
DUCKED HIM UNDER TILL HE WAS DEAD

Harry Moore, Alexander Irwin and some
other people who took a ride in O sailboat on
the Ohio river, Sunday, report a weird
mourning scene witnessed ut Shousetown,
which they say is beyond tho power of de-
scription. just opposite the place, where u
culvert empties into the river, and where
the water is very deep, an Italian rushed
down the steep bank beating his breast,
which was naked, and bowling like some
wild animal. He was soon followed by q
multitude, and they were all exceedingly
clamorous and seemed to be grieving. The
sailors stopped their craft and demanded
what was wrong, when the chorus attempted
an explanation. None could talk English,
but they finally succeeded in making 1t
known that a boy had been drowned.
Then was set up q vail such as no words
can describe. 1t gave the listeners an i'm
preston of the combined sounds of 8olian
harps, singing sands and horsef1ddles, and
at times swelled with the solemn cadence Of
a great church organ. At times the voices
were cultural and exceedingly harsh, and at
others plaintive and exquisitely beautiful.
Attempts to Recover the Body.
This was kept up for quite while and so
charmed the boatmen that they could not
leave the spot, and they again unfurled
their sails until at length party arrived in
a skiff with graphing irons and a supply of
an instant, but none of the n1ourners made
any effort to assist in the recovery of the
body.
The dead boy was Constando Panaro, II
year-old Italian boy, drowned near Stoop's
Ferry Sunday night BARLEY Costello was
lodged in jail last night charged with the
boys murder, and several others are i'm
pIfcated. Sunday evening several boys and
men were amusing themselves along the
shore of the Ohio river. One of the boys,
Panaro, 1t Is claimed, was thrown into the
river by one Of the men, The case was re-
though the body had not yet been found.
Coroner Mcdowell at once went before
Magistrate Gripp and lodged an Information
against a man whose name was unknown,
charging him with murder.
The Murderer Discovered and Arrested.
The warrant was given to Officer William
McClelland, who started to Stoop's Ferry
after the unknown. He learned that the
man accused of the crime was Bartley Cos
tello and finally located him at work with
gang of laborers laying pipe line through
the woods half mile above Stoop's Ferry.
Costello at first denied his identity, but he
was arrested and brought to the city and
placed in Jail to await the result of the
Coroncr's inquest The body of the drowned
boy was recovered last evening near the
scene of the drowning and taken to the
home of his parents nearby.
The story of the affair as told to Officer
McClelland was that the boy was in bathing
He could not swim, but Costello and a COM
panion forced him under water. When they
eventually let him go he sank to the bottom
and was drowned. The men whose amuse-
ment had cost the boy his life then started
or Costello was the only one of the party
known. Officer McClelland, after placing
Costello In Jail, was started by Coroner Nc
Dowell to thoroughly investigate the case.
The inquest will be held this afternoon at
Stoop's Ferry.
The body of George Payton, drowned Sun
day evening near Woods Run, has not yet
r. Nc oIIr-
day directed Superintendent Muth, of Allie
gheny, to hold In custody Henry Thompson,
Frank Mcmahon and Robert Lowery, the
companions of Payton in the boat from
which he was drowned, until the body is
found and the inquest held. The men are
still in the Allegheny lookup.