The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-11-12
Italian Shot Down in Cold
Blood by a Fellow Country
man ON Bunker Hill.
ASSASSIN LAY IN AMBUSH
Following His Revolving Crime Joe
Buskeen Eludes Arrest and Gains
Start of Seven or Eight
Hours-AnOther Added to
Onr List Of Murders,

A foul and oOld-blooded murder Was,
committed last evening on" Bunker Hill'
a section OF Dunmore borough popu-
lated by Italians and situated near
what Is known as the old No. plane.
The murdered man was an Italian and
his slayer, who has escaped arrest, is
of the same nationality. Rather than
murder, the crime was assassination.
and the two Italian witnesses Of the re-
voting act We're too drunk after their
arrest to throw any light on the affair,
and at an early hour this morning were
laying in a bestial stupor in the Dun
more lookup.
The name Of the escaped murderer Is
Joe Buskeen. He is SO years of age, )
#. 10 in. in height, OF slender build,
has light colored, heavy, sandy NOUS
tache, curled at the ends, and is
thought to be clad in q blue suit OF
clothes.
Francis Comfort, the dead man, was
married and conducted u small store
on Bunker Hill" Both men worked as
section hands on the Erie and Wyoming
Valley railroad.
They Had Been Drinking.
During yesterday Buskecn, COMFORT,
Tony Ritch and John Embriel partici-
pated in q drunken carousal III Dun
more, and while returning to Bunker
HIP engaged in quarrel at $50 o'clock
on the wire bridge over Roaring brook
near the railroad car shops. In the
scuffie which ensued COMFORTS hat was
knocked over into the water and the
quartette had general fight. Buskeen
separated from the others and started
homeward along the pathway that
runs up the hillside studded with laurel
shrubs. About ten minutes later Com
bort and his two companions started
along the same route.
When the trio reached q turn In the
pathway about two rods below the
Erie and Wyoming tracks shot was
fired and COMFORT fell upon the bank
skirting the upper side OF the path. A
bullet had pierced his chest almost
in its center and in a line with the
heart AS Comfort fell Buskeen sprang
from the bushes and in the presence OF
his two ow-countrymen fired an
other bullet into his victims PROSTATE
body
Rltch and Embriel made no, attempt
10 detain Buskeen until he had ran
short distance back and along the path
way and when they started toward
him the assassin halted them with his
weapon and then ran 10 the Delaware,
Lackawanna and Western tracks and
disappeared in the direction of Elm
| hurst. These particulars were CLEANED
chiefly from James Klien, q watchman
ut the car shops across the brook, and
/ from Italians who appeared on the
scene shortly after the shooting and
| claim TO have obtained their informa-
lion from the two witnesses, who We're
! for the moment sobcred sufficiently to
realize what was happening.
! Murderer Had Good Start
The Dunmore police and Justice of
! the Peace Scott We're notified at once,
! but not until after o'clock was a de-
scription OF the murderer flashed over
the wires from the Erie and Wyoming
depot. Even then the description was
given wrong and the error was not rec
| titled until nearly midnight. Sheriff
| Fahey was given but meagre informa-
tlon of the crime shortly after IL hap
pened and he did not receive even a
few details until several hours later.
In the, meanwhile County Detective
Shea could not be located and at an
early hour this morning the murderer
had had start of seven or eight hours.
Justice Of the Peace Scott impanelled
the following coroner's jury which
viewed COMFORTS body: Z. c. Langan,
Michael Finnerty. Patrick McHale,
Frank Pettersall Martin Gallagher and
Mr.. Reardon. At 1890 o'clock the re-
mains were taken to the establishment
Of Undertaken Letchworth to await an
inquest by Coroner Kelley today. In
the dead mans pockets were found a
watch and chain, small knife with
the blade opened and little over one
dollar In coin. When he left home
earlier In the day he had over $2J on his
person.
l. Is Tough Character.
Buskeen, the murderer, has often
been under arrest for fighting and petty
crime, and has been considered very
tough character. He Is married and
childless. COMFORTS wife became quite
i'll after being told Of her husbands
violent death.
This is the sixth murder among the
foreign element within the county
within few months. The most recent
killing was that done by Merloa, who
escaped to Italy after shooting down q
fellow countryman in Old Forge in day
light, and In the presence of hundred
spectators Previously in Taylor q
man received a slash from knife. the
wound extending from the left shoulder
down and across the bowels to point
over the right hip, the cut almost dis
embowelling him. At Archibald, two
murders occurred recently. Last win.
ter, on Blair avenue, this city, Po.
lander named Tomallnus, while, en-.