The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1896-03-11


Yesterday afternoon Constable Barner
heard that Etlinger was at home. There
had been a feud between Barner and Et-
linger and the constable determined upon
the arrest of his enemy. He deputized
G. @. Motz and John Hostel man TO assist
him in arresting Etlinger. The three
went to the house OF Etlinger and found
that the latter. with his wife and three
year-old daughter and twO-year-old son,
had barricaded themselves in the second
story of their frame dwelling. The officers
entered and Barner 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 Barner's head and shoulders APP
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 deputiz-
ed constables beat hasty retreat from
the house.
They aroused the town and men gath
cred up their firearms and fastened 10
Etlinger's dwelling. A shot from the
house quickly warned every man that
came within range that Etlinger was pre-
pared TO do further murder in the defense
OF his person. Sheriff Condo was tele-
graphed for here and with sixteen armed
deputies went to Woodward on a special
train.
During the siege yesterday afternoon
Etlinger sent a shot through the window
of a house next door to his and Frank
Geiswhite. who was lying i'll therein, was
hii and dangerously wounded. 4 liltlt
later Etlinger fired into the house Of Mrs
Robert Miller and the bullet just missed
that lady. John Musser, who was watch
ing Etlinger's house, was shot in the neck
and severely wounded.
Upon the arrival of the sheriff on the
scene that official took charge ofthe siege
The thousand and more men around the
house kept up a fusillade of shots until
the ammunition of the little town was
exhausted. The only way that seemed
possible to dislOdge Etlinger without
sacrificing the lives of several men was
10 fire the house, but, on account of the
children and Mrs. Etlinger, the sheriff
determined not 10 resort 20 this except as
a last measure. The house was guarded
throughout the night and, as the news Of
the siege had spread, by daylight: there
were fully 1900 armed men about the
house.
This morning Sheriff Condo deteTmin-
ed upon attempting to carry the house
by storm. With a number of deputies he
made rush for the building, but the
whistle of the bullets from Etlinger's
Winchester speedily took the courage out
Of the Storming party and drove them
back under cover. Then the sheriff de
cided to fire the building. James Cor
neiley. Belleionie deputy, volunteered
to apply the match. Under the cover OF
a fierce ire directed against the house by
the crowd Cornelley made his way 10 the
building and applied the torch and re-
turned in safety.
The flames made slow headway and IL
was fllly an hour before the building
was fairly ablaze. The heat of the fire
drove Euinger and his family to the
cellar. When the building had become
too hot for habitation the cellar door was
Stealthi.y opened and the two children
pushed through into the street. Closely
following the children Mrs. Eilinger Durs;
through the cellar door aad staggered
out. The crowd was hot in anger
against the woman, as they believed
that she had assisted her husband in de-
Tending 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. As
she lied from the house her husband fired
FOUR times after her, but each shot went
wide Of tie mark.
BY this time the building was ablsze
from cellar to roof. and, with the choice
Cf dsa;h i,y cremation or at the hands of
the mob. Etlingsr decided to kill him
SELF lie suddenly stepped from the eel
larway with rifle i'm one hand and a re-
volver IN the other. On demand to sur
render the outlaw threw down his gun aud
uniauIitedly facing the mob cried out:
II don't want to kill any other man but
myself but | will not be taken alive -
With these words he put the revolver to
his head and fired two bullets into his
brain, falling dead in the street.
\ rush was made for the door and the
dead body of Constable Barner WAS drag
ged from the burning building just as the
roof fell in. The crowd was horrified 10
find that not only had the entire top Of
Barner's head been shot away, but
that his throat had been cut from ear to
ear.
When Mrs. Etlinger had somewhat re-
covered her composure she told that she
was got willing defender of the house
with her husband, but that sire had been
detained there by him, and to insure her
not escaping he had handcuffed her feet
together. Etlinger bad anticipated an at
tempt to secure him and had made YER
itside fort and arsenal Of his house. 1t
" A. his plan TO hold ont as long as posi-
BILE. and when driven 60 extremities, to
give liberty TO the children and Kill his
= ile and himself Mas i;tlinger is pros
Irated y ise terrible experience through
which she passed and her reason is
threatened.
FOILED BY HIS ogS BEAfa.
BELLEFoNrE. Pa, March "A strange
md weird funeral was that of the out
law, VIM. Etlinger, a; Woodward. an
inquest was held last night on the body
sf the desperado. who had shot himself
o escape capture. The jury was unable
% determine who did the killing of Con-
stable Barner. a. Mrs. Etiinger was the
,nly person seen by those outside when
he fatal shot was fired. The brother
md the widow of the outlaw refused to
Iave anything 20 do with his body, aud
he overseers Of the Poor took it in