Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1896-06-08
A SAD HOME COMING.
SORROWFUL NEWS GREETED REV.
J. P. BUXTON LAST WEEK.

upon HIS Return from Abroad He Learn
ed of the Murderous Assault Commit.
ted at the Home of His Father In
Maryland.
Rev. j. p. Buxton, pastor of st.
James u, Il. church at Drifton, arrived
at New York last week from his extend
ed tour through Europe and the Holy
Land. Immediately upon his arrival a
message was received calling him to the
home OF his parents at Gaithcrsburg a
small village in Montgomery county.
Maryland, about twenty miles from
Washington.
Arriving at Gaithcrsburg he learned
OF terrible crime that had been COM
mitted at his fathers home. Both his
parents and his two sisters, Maud, aged
l6 years, and Sadie, aged 6 years, had
been murderouSly assaulted by negroes.
The details Of the affair, as far as can
be learned, go to show that the crime
was instigated by a desire for revenge.
Early on Monday morning, May 25, the
home of Richard l.. Buxton, Il miller,
was entered by two negroes. They
were armed with axes, and fell upon the
four sleeping inmates like demons.
When they thought they had com
pleted their work they fed. All the
members of the family were suffering
severely from the blows dealt them, but
they were placed under medical treat
ment and showed signs of recovery.
Detectives were Immediately placed
on the track of two negroes who were
suspected of the horrible deed, with the
result that both men were captured the
following day.
George Neal, one of the supposed as
sailants placed under arrest, had been
released from prison Il month previous.
lie had served nine years sentence for
aSsautfng young girl. At the time of
his trial on the latter charge Mr.. BuX
ton was the chief witness. 1t is said
that when the Judge sentenced Neal
he openly vowed in court that when he
was released from prison he would be
revenged on Buxton.
When arrested he was in field near
his log cabin home. He wore no shirt
and two little colored boys who lived in
the house stated that he had not been at
home all night, but that he had arrived
shortly before lie was arrested, and had
taken off his shirt and burned it. There
were stains on it, they said, and he had
warned all in the house to say nothing
of what he had done
Neal denied the statement, but a
detective found smouldcring ashes of
rags in the CRATE, as well as bone and
metal buttons, such as are used on
shirts. Neal could not explain how they
came to be in the stove.
Meals shoes fitted the smaller tracks
which Rev. l.. l.. Lloyd, the Methodist
minister detective, had followed so
closely from the house of the victims to
the negro's hut.
Sidney Randolph, the other negro ar
rested, is as brutal looking as Neal, and
both appear to be desperate characters.
For the past two weeks the Buxton
family hovercd between life and death.
and on Friday night last the little girl,
Sadie, succumbcd to the wounds she re-
ccived on the fatal morning. The
others will probably recover.
Rev. Buxton will certainly have the
sympathy of the entire community when
the above account of the misfortune of
his relatives is read. He is one of the
most respected ministers in our midst,
and the troubles he was greeted with
upon his home coming are regretted by
every one of his acquaintances.