Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-03-07
BARRICADED IN HIS HOUSE
He Defed 1000 Armed Citizens for Twenty
-Four Hours.
WAS FINALLY BURNT OUT OF HIS FORT
His Wife Has Nearly Lost Her Reason on
Account of the Remarkable Experience
Through Which She Has Passed.
A Horrible Discovery.

Bellefont, Pa, March 6.-After holding
the sheriff of Center county and 1000 arm
ed citizens at bay for twenty-four hours
the despsrado, Will am Etlinger, was
only driven from his house today when
the burning embers of the structure were
falling about his head, and then, desper-
ate to the last and preferring death by
his own hands to surrender, he blew out
his brains upon the threshold of his
dwelling. All efforts to dislodge the man
had been in vain. Sheriff Condo found
a man to risk his life in setting fire to the
structure. Then it was that Etlinger al
lowed his two Little children to leave the
burning building, but his wife only escap-
ed death by breaking away from her
husbands grasp, as he had intended to
kill her as well as himself. AS it was,
Etlinger fired four shots after the woman
as she fed from the building and then
stepped outside and killed himself.
EtIinger lived N the village of Wood
ward, in the eastern end of the county.
He was about 25 years old, and among
his neighbors he had the reputation of
being a man whom 1t was not best to
provoke. Several months ago he assault
ed his father-in-law, Benjamin Benner,
and nearly scalped him with piece or
cord wood. Ell. niger was arrested al the
time and brought here. He secured bail,
but when the case was called for trial
Etlinger failed to appear. bench war
rant was issued for his arrest, but the
man had taken refuge in the mountains
that surrounded the hamlet i'll which he
lived. He was occasionally seen, but
none of his neighbors were venturesome
enough To attempt his arrest.
Yesterday afternoon Constable Barnes
heard that Etlinger was at home. There
had been afeud between Barnes and Et-
linger and the constable determined upon
the arrest of his enemy. He deputized G.
G.. Motz and John Hosterman to ass st
him in arresting Etlinger The three
went to the house of Etlinger and found
that the latter, with his wife and 3-year-
old daughter and 2-year-old son, had
barricaded themselves in the second sto-
ry of their frame dwelling. The officers
entered and Barnes kicked In panel OF
the door on the second floor. Evidently
reckoning on no desperate resistance the
constable started to crawl into the room
in which Etlinger had taken refuge
through the broken door. The man had
prepared himself for resistance, however,
and as Barnes head and shoulders ap-
peared in the room Etlinger fired rifle
ball through his head, killing him in
stantly. Etlinger then fired through the
door at the other two men and Motz was
struck and badly hurt. The two depu-
tized constables beat hasty retreat
from the house. They aroused the town
and the men gathered up their firearms
and hastened to Etlinger's dwelling. A
shot from the house quickly warned ev-
cry man that came within range that Et-
lnger was prepared to do further muir
der in the defense of his person. Sheriff
Condo was telegraphed for here and with
sixteen armed deputies went TO wood
ward on a special train. During the siege
yesterday afternoon Etlinger sent shot
though the window of a house next to
his and Frank Gese Whit who was lying
ill therein was hit and wounded.
A little~later Etlinger fired into the
house of Mrs Robert Miller and the bull
let Just missed that lady. John Musser,
who was watching Etlingers house, was
shot in the neck and severely wounded.
Upon the arrival of the sheriff on the
scene that official took charge or the
siege The thousand and more men
around the house kept up fusilade OF
shots until the ammunition of the little
town was exhausted. The only way that
seemed possible to dislodge Etlinger with
out sacrificing the lives of several men
was to fire the house, but on account
of the children and Mrs. Etlinger the
sheriff determined not to resort to this
except as last measure. The house
was guarded throughout the night, and
as the news of the siege had spread by
daylight there were fully 200O armed men
about the house. This morning Sheriff
Condo determined upon attempting to
carry the house by storm With a num-
ber of deputies he made rush for the
building, but the whistle of the bullets
from Etlingers winchester speedily took
the courage out of the storming party
and drove them back under cover. Then
the sheriff decided to fire the building.
James Cornelly. Bellefont deputy, vol
unteered to apply the match. Under
the cover of fierce fire directed against
the house by the crowd, Cornelly made
his way to the building and applied the
torch and returned In safety.
The flames made slow headway and 1t
was fully an hour before the building was
fairly ablaze. The heat of the fire drove
Etlinger and his family to the cellar.
When the building had become-too hot
for habitation the cellar door was stealth
lily opened and the two babies passed
through into the street
Closely following the children, Mrs
Etlinger burst through the cellar door
and staggered out. The crowd was hot
in anger against the woman. as it was
believed that she had assisted her hus-
band in defending the house, and as she
made her appearance a cry went up
"Shoot the witch!' Cooler heads raised
a shout and prevented any firing at the
woman. rs she fed from the house her
husband fred four times after her, but
each shot went wide of the mark.
BY this time the building was ablaze
from cellar to roof, and with the choice
of death BY cremation or at the hands
of the mob, Etlinger decided to kill him.
self He suddenly stepped from the cell
lar way with rife in one hand and
revolver In the other. On demand to
surrender the outlaw threw down his
gun. Yelling that he would not be taken
alive he put the revolver to his head and
fired two bullets into his brain. falling
dead in the doorway. A rush was made
for the door and the dead body of Con-
stable Barnes was dragged from the burn
ing building just as the roof fell in. The
crowd was Mortified to find that not only
had the entire top of Barnes head been
shot away. but that his throat had been
cut from ear to ear.
When Mrs. Etlfnger had somewhat re-
covered her composure she told that she
WAS NOT a Willing defendpr of the house