The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-04-08
.P!TTSTON'S awful TRAGEDY
The Dead Body of Mrs. George
Nindish Locked in Her Parlor.
EVIDENCE or A FOUL MURDER
Corpse of the Unfortunate Woman Found
Under Piece of Carpct-InGca-
cations of n Terrible Struggle.
The Husband Missing.
Special to the Scranton Tribune.


Pittston, April THE borough OF
Hughestown, "a suburb of the city OF
Pittston. was thrown into a great state
OF excitement this quiet Sunday morn
ing at $50, on the discovery of the
corpse of murdered woman, which
was found at the residence of George
Windish. on Center street.
Neighbors We're summoned to the
scene and identified the body as that of
Elizabeth Windish, the wife of George
Windlsh. Several stories as to who had
committed the deed We're current. A
jury were empanelled by Coroner James
Gibbons and sent to view the scene of
the murder The Windisk family were
composed of the father, mother, and
three children, George Frank and So
phia, aged respectfully Il, Il and 10
! years.
| Windlsh and his wife had been MISS
ing for several days. Their absence
caused no comment, as they had often
before left home without warning and
remained away for several days.
This morning the Oldest son, George,
became suspicious and began a search
about the premises. He soon dlscov-
cred. by peeping through the blinds
| from the outside, a bulky object in an
unused parlor, covered over with a
Brussels carpet.
Chastity Spectacle.
The neighbors were notified of the
youths suspicious. j. +. Smalts being
the first upon the scene, forced an en-
trance to the room by an inner door,
which had always been kept locked and
which the children had not been
allowed to enter.
A ghastly sight met the gaze of the
intruders as the carpet was raised.
There, laying on the floor, face down
in pool of blood, was the corpse of
the murdered woman.
Several cuts were found about the
head and face. The walls and ceiling
of the room in which the murder had
been committed We're spattered with
many blood stains, giving evidence that
terrible struggle must have occurred.
Upon further search the clothing usual
ly worn by Windish was found blood
stained in a bed room. The pants had
been secreted beneath the mattress Of
the bed; the rubber boots were found
under the bed. and blood-stained vest
was found hanging inside out on chair
near by.
A chisel nearly eighteen inches long
and one and half inches wide was
found covered with blood between the
covering of the bed.
The last time Mrs Windish was seen
alive was last Thursday noon at II
O'Clock.
The Supposed Murderer.
Windish had been for many years
employed as miner at No. shaft of the
Pennsylvania Coal company. About
two weeks ago Windlsh gave up his
work and had been making plans to
take one of his frequent trips.
He had made several efforts to Sc
cure money by mortgaging the little
home, TO which his spouse objected.
He was of German descent and has
made several trips to the old country,
where he would purchase fancy bas-
kets, etc, which his wife would sell
from door to door, and thereby be-
came well known to the people of this
vicinity.
Windish, the husband of the mur-
dered woman, was last seen at his
iiOlh' SpOli SlLtSl u tIOIh OIl Hul
He came out of the house attired in a
light gray suit of clothes, blue over
coat and a Fedora hat. He walked
rapidly away from his home toward
the central part of the city, where he
was again noticed about o'clock. The
children We're absent from the house
at that hour The boys were at work at
No. breaker and the daughter was at
school. Upon their return home they
found the house deserted, but did not
pay much attention to the absence of
their parents, as they had heard them
speak of a contemplated visit to Halle
ton. In the oven of the kitchen stove
the children found n loaf of bread that
had been burned to a crisp. They bor-
rowed food of the near neighbors and
seemed to think that there was nothing
unusual in the disappearance of their
parents.
Evidently prcmeditatcd.
Examination of the house todaS
showed that the fight between Mir and
Mrs Windish must have commenced in
the dining room, as there were blood
stains on the wall. The murderous
husband had evidently pursued the wo-
man into the parlor, where the work
was finished.
Drs. McFadden and Barrett viewed
the body and found many wounds on
the head sufficient to have caused
death. There was Wound on the tenn
pie; on the back of the head: one ear
was cut nearly off and the skull was
broken in several places
Windish appears to have been an in
dvldual of bruitish instincts. He had
frequently made threats against his
wife. About u year ago, during the
progress of q row. he struck her four
times with a mallet and undoubtedly
would have killed her then but for the
interference OF his son and young wo-
man who was visiting the house at the
time.
Windlsh had evidently been planning
the murder of his wife. as it was
learned today that he had mortgaged
his property for as large an amount as
could be obtained upon It,
The missing man Is about GO years of
age, Is six feet and thre, inches tall
He has gray eyes; IS of light complexion
ard usually wore a mustache and
goatee. 1t is thought that he has taken
passage for Germany.
The coroner's jury summoned upon
the case is composed of Deputy Coroner
James Gibbons, John Pendergast, John
II. Clark, George Schmalts, Charles
Wintle, and George Watkins
----r o -----