New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-03-07
AN OUTLAW STANDS AT BAY.
r1vo THOUSAND ARMED MEN DEFIED BY
A MURDERER.

.r,JAM ErL1NGER STANDS SIEGE FOR
rwENrY-FoUR HOURS IN HIS HOUSE IN
WOODWARD PENN-FINALLY DRIVEN
OUT BY FIRE. HE BLOWS OUT HIS
BRAINS ON THE THRESHOLD.
pellefonte. Penn. March 6-After holding the
Sheriff of Centre County and 1000 armed citi-
Gems at bay for twenty-four hours the des-
nerado William Etlinger was only driven from
h,s house to-day when the burning embers OF
the structure were falling about his head, ana
then desperate to the last. and. preferring
death by his own hands to surrender, ne Die"
ont his brains on the threshold of his dwelling.
All efforts to dislodge the man had been In
vain and every one who approached the house
exnosed himself to death from Ethngers rihe.
Sheriff Condo, however. found man TO rlsh
his life in setting fire TO the structure. linen
It was that Etlineer allowed his two ht'ie CHI
dren to leave the burning building, but MS WIG
only escaped death by breaking away from hei
husbands grasp, as he had intended 10 XIII "e.
as we'll as himself. AS 1t was Ethheei nieu
four shots after the woman as she ned from ."s
building. and then stepped OUTSIDE anu NN
himself.
Etlinger lived In the little village Oh "o'"
ward. in the eastern end of this county lie was
re,gbbors he had the reputation of being man
whom It WIS best not to provoke severe"
months ag, he assaulted his father-h-iaW' pe"-
1amin Benner. and nearly scalped MN win
niece Of cordwood Etlirger was arres'eu a' ''e
time and brought here. He secured oa wv
when the case was called for trial E'ilheer ianeu
10 appear A bench warrant was Issued lor HIS
arrest but the man had taken refuge in the
mountains surrounding the hamlet in which ne
lived He was occasionally seen but none OF MS
neighbors ventured to attempt his arrest
A CONSTABLE SHOT DEAD.
va.tcrday afternoon Constable Barner heard
That Etinger at home. There had oeeh
seud between Barner and Etlinger and the con-
stable determined upon the arrest OF his enemy
pe deputized c. G. Motz and John Hoeterndh
70 assist him. The three went to the hcuse OF
r,r,rser and found that the latter, with his
wife and three year-old daughter and 'wo-year-
o,d SON. had barricaded himself in the second
story Of his frame dwelling. The off1cers en-
tered and Barner kicked in a panel OF the door
IN the second floor Evidently reckoning on no
desnerate resistance the constable started to
crawl into the room in which Et.inger had taken
refuge through the broken door. The man hao
prepared himself for resistance. however anu
as Barners head and shoulders appeared IN the
room, Etlinger fired a rifle ball through MS heau'
killing him instantly. Etlinger then hreo
through the door at the other two men and
Motz was struck and badly hurt The two con-
stables beat a hasty retreat from the house
SIEGE OF THE DWELLING.
They aroused the town. and men gathered up
their firearms and FASTENED to Etlineers o"eh-
ing. A shot from the house quickly warned
every man who came within range that Ethnser
was prepared TO do further murder in the de-
W
eranbed for. and. with sixteen armed depu-
ties went to Woodward on speclai traiil.
Upon the arrival Of the Sherin on @ me sseme sem
that official took charge OF the siege ne ..iVu ~
sand and more men around the house kept up
a fuslade Of shots until the aTnmunltioil VI ~. s,
little town was exhausted me T.,;sr Uny without
seemed possible 20 d'slodge Etnnger wiz "'e"e Gu
sacrificng the lives of several men, was 10 S m,S
the house but, on account OF the Gndi IN no, N
Mrs. Etinger the Sherin ,ra deler,,,,TT, m house
resort 10 this except last measure. Inc nou w.
was guarded throughout the night, . anu; a, ,here
news Of the siege had spread py gay t,,se ee
were fully 1000 armed men about the ;IouS.,
This morning Sheriff Condo determined ,, upoh
,+ternntinr TO carry the house by storm Win
a number of deputies he MADE hra,s tuSf o from
Etlinger's Winchester speedily took the couIase s,
out. OF the storming party and Grove ,h,ii, "a ero
under cover Then the ,,, sher''. Rel,esonte dep
uty volunteered to apply the match. Cnder tne
cover Of fierce fire. directed against tne notSe the
by the crowd Cornelly made his way 10 'ie
building and applied the torch and returned IN
safety.
ESCAPE OF MRS ETLINGER
The flames made slow headway. and 1t was
fully an hour before the building was fairly
ablaze. The heat Of the fire drove Etnger and
his family to the cellar. When the building had
become too hot for habtation the cellar door
was stealthily opened and the two babies pushed
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 they believed that
she lad assisted her husband in defending the
house, and she appeared cry went up.
"Shoot the witch" Cooler heads raised shout
and prevented any frirg at the AS she
ned from the house her husband fired four times
after her, but each she. went wide of the mark
BY this time the tuiding ablaZe from
cellar to rocf, and with the choice Of death by
cremation or at the hands Of the mob, Etlinger
decided TO kill himself. He suddenly stepped
from the cellarvay with a rife in one hand
and revolver In the other. on demand to
surrendtr the outlaw threw down his gun and
facing the crowd, cried out: II don't want 10
Kill any o.hei man but myself. but I'll not be
taken alive" With these words he put the re-
voIver - ris head and fired two bullets into
his brain. falling dead In the street.
A rush was made for the door and the body
~ Constable Barner was dragged from the
burning building just as the roof fell in.