The sun., 1897-06-22
A COLD-BLOODED MURDER.
FARMER GARDINER RIDDL ED WITH
SHOT And HIS HOUSE ROBBED.

Tho Murder COMMITTEES ON Snfnrony In fiaue-
NIL by n Reside1tt or tire Village. who
s,,,e pr,, v,e,,u,,, Vucr,e and Drove 10 New.
-. v~.. M. sat-. ,,,, MAJ. -, o,..-
boo'y-Ae u "rr'"'e~ :" "'''"r county
NrwpuRo Juno 2l.--Tho valley between tho
shawangunk aud tho Marlt orough mountains,
where tho summer boarderS from Now York
conRreCatc annually by the titousa nds has pro.
duccd another murderer as cool and as brutal as
was Iizzio Halliday, who three or four yenrs
nro shocked tho whole central part OF the State
and sent shiyers I'M and down tho backs OF tho
proapccttyo summer boartlcrs with hor crimes
Tho murderer IN this case Is elieved to bo
J,nepb Decker, who was born and who hns lived
all his lifo in Plattekill n little town in Ulster
county, Mt the foot of tho Marlborough Noun
toins and lust across tho limo fiom Orange
county. Lizzie Halliday camo TO Newburp to
Get h,r victims. sho murdered them in hor
homo Mt the foot OF tho Sbawaps1,nk. on the
other side of tho valley Decker. II he In the
murderer In this cosc found his victim
ncnr at home. and after killing him ho
drov, to Ncwburp with tho horse and
burxy and about everything else that had
beon possessed by the murdered man. and spent
two days d,snosinu of the booty and spending
the proceeds. This within ten miles of tho spot
where he committed his crime. Far from nj.
temptinp TO conceal himself, he paradod tho
strocts and practically invited arrest. No ono
hro,v thcp that bc had committed murder md
ro be cpioyed his liberty until late Yesterday
afternoon. when he was captured on the road to
Kinvston
II was Decler's conduct before and after the
murder. rather than tho murder itself, that
makes his case OF parallel interest with tho
crime of Lizzie Ualliday The murdered man IL
S,,,,. Sr,",o =. Ahe i.". ~, e NV, ....m ,''
Wham ""f"her' iesp'.te" """ "''.ouo
farmer whose farm was na,t way up Inc Mari.
,r, -, -, 80. - o..s 80.
Decker lTod with MS iolks. aardher was
widower and lived alone. He was a peaceful
and innocent old man
eIu m.n,.S '''', on ",., NAT o, o.. =. ,.,,,
Decker was always supposed to bo peacetni
and innocent. too; but, like Lizzie Halliday. he
had spc,,s occasionally when his noiuhbors
-. IL. ~. 80 ,r,.,.ss, .s,Suno,,,
Decker drove over to this town and went to the
mousse o, friend OF tae name o. rur"y. & ne .o,a s
furdy that no expected 10 ha'o morse anu
wagon for sale about saturday. and he wanted
70 kho" Iuru' wo"'u , 'uy ~
Purdy said he didn't want any horse ana
,r 10 w. no'Il M" hn, u rho.s ,sst hs
do sn't know, and this man agreed to buy the
bors, md wagon II /, was what Decker claimed
It would be- Tor Sio. After making TINS agree
mcnt Decker went back to Plattekill to get the
h,ra, nd WAGON
noiso a',u ""son'
on saturday morning about CLOCK Decker
called at the home OF his brother VIII, about
two miles from 3ardner's house over the hills,
~ ~ 80, - -. ~ W n.-.'' ~. MI. -.
and asked to borrow his shotgun. Tho brother
asked him what he wanted 1t for, and he said he
hod t,,na , r,s, ,f wild co,s cont,;ni,, ,,ro
n'su NV, io"'u nese VI "nu .a'o sU'ans NV '"o
old ones ana four young ones, ana ne wanted 10
kill them Will let him have the gun, which
,v,s do,h,. horroI,,d sbo,,,n
"' u'uoie o"i tee" sHo
An hour after this Isaac Drake who lives
within stone $ throw of Gardner's place heard
two shots Uc sunnosed somebodv wps hunting
wv '"o's' i'' '"'po'e" ''i,'eoo'' ""s iiut''i"s
and paid no attention to them. An hour later
Decker was seen driving toward Newburg in
.,,ra,,r,s ,.,oo, inc, a, 10 r,,h;rr, boa ho,
"''' "aso" 'us' 40 ho's n"u n"F
pened. lie got TO Purdy house in Sewou urg
at atout 10 O'Clock prepared TO deliver the
hors, and wagon h, had agreed on Thursday ,o
n'' 80 "'', ""so Ao ''" "siee'' o iAu'' 'o"' w
produce. but the man who was going 10 buy 1t
didn't show up for an hour, and when he came
,,,,.., -, ,.n,,;,, :. h,,,- h. ,e.raa % 81
instead oi wanting 10 ous ho ohefea 10 'raae
horses.
Decker told him he wouldn't trade Then he
tool. p,rd,, ,nd hi. CON ;n,, th. y.ann .na
tooh Turus sun lHto INC NdBuh