The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1895-12-14
DEATH WAS THE PENALTY.
TWO ROBBERS DROWNED WHILE
FLEEING WITH THEIR BOOTY.

FLEEING WITH THEIR BOOTY.
Their Boat Upsets While Crossing the
M0nongahela With Load OF foods
From Plundered Store.
On last Friday and Saturday three
strangers who we're well dressed were
seen loatng about Opekiska, IA
miles up the Monongahela river on
the Fairmont, Morgantown d Pitts
burg railroad, and Saturday night
the general store owned by J. A.
Hood in Louisville, on the opposite
side of the river, was robbed, the
burglars gaining an entrance by
forcing the lock off the door with a
cold chisel. Among the articles Ia.
ken from the store were a lot of pen
knives, 20 or % pairs of boots and
shoes, lot of jewelry, and a guam
tity of underclothing and dry goods
About Z o'clock Sunday morning W.
NJ. Roland who runs ferry boat be-
tween Opekiska and Louisville start
ed to cross the river and found a
sunken skiff about ten feet from the
end of the ferry boat The skifr was
all under water except the bow and
was anchored by the long chain
which was dragging the bottom of
the river. A few of the articles that
we're stolen from the store were float
ing about and the conclusion was at
once arrived at that the burglars
had started TO cross the river in the
skiff and had been compelled to
abandon their booty. Several people
at once went to the mill dam 500
yards below the spot and there found
about 500 worth of the articles and
two hats lodged against the dam, as
the river is so low the water is not
running over the dam. The finding
of the hats lead to the belief that the
owners of them were drowned and
search for the bodies was kept up for
several hours Sunday but without
success. At about l p. N. Monday
as terryman Roland was pushing his
boat across the river the pole came
in contact with soft substance at
the bottom of the river which inves-
tigation proved to be the body of
man. Great excitement prevailed in
the vicinity after the body was taken
ashore and a crowd of men and boys
at once began the work of thorough
ly dragging the river, their labor was
so rewarded by the finding of an
other body but although the search
was kept up for some time longer the
corpse of the third man could not be
found and later developments went
to prove that the man was not in the
river. The dead men were recogniz-
ed by a number of people as being
TWO of the three men who had been
IN the vicinity for two or three days
and living on what was given to
them by people at whose houses they
called. An inquest was held Monday
evening by Squire l. f. Arnett and
verdict Of accidental death by
drowning was rendered. Nothing
was found on the bodies that would
lead to the Identification of the men.
A receipt dated New York was found
in one mans pocket but it contained
no name One of the men was about
% years of age, light complexion, 5
feet inches tall, heavy set, had tat
too designs on both arms, and cut
on his upper lip. DIR. Few on whom
he called Saturday dressed this
wound and the man told the Doctor
that during a fight in Connellsville,
Pa, ON Thanksgiving Day man bit
his lip, The other man is about As
years of age, has dark brown mus
tache and is slightly bald headed, 5
feet 6 inches tall and of a muscular
build. Both men look like they are
of Irish descent. They were well
dressed in dark clothes and heavy
wooden underwear Several pen
knives and plugs of tobacco taken
from the store were found in the
mems pockets. There is no doubt
but that the third man escaped. AT
about 2 a. m. Sunday two ladies
heard man calling help help from
the East side of the river and short
ly afterward parties nearby heard a
man walking on the railroad Sever
al wet plugs of tobacco were found on
the shore and up the bank where the
man had evidently thrown them
The bodies of the dead men were
found about sixty feet from shore
near each other and near the skif. !
The skiff was secured on the Lows
vile side and was an old affair part
of the back end being out, and it
probably began to sink as soon as
the men got in it. The men played !
in extremely tough luck as several
good boats were tied to the same tree
as the. one they took. They could |
have all waded to shore as the water
was only 3 to feet deep, but
strangely enough they supposed it |
was over their heads and foundered |
about until exhausted and then The
cold waters of the Monongahela
closed over them and they met death |
while in the commission of a crime
for which they will have answer
only to that Judge before whom all
must stand sooner or later. Neal
Heston, of Opekiska, came to town
yesterday and secured two collins at
Hennen's undertaking rooms and
took them up on the noon train. The
men were given respectable and !
Christian burial at the expense of
the county.