Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1897-06-20

! Lewis and Albert Voires will be hung
at Fayetteville, w. Va, June 20, for
the murder of Charles Gibson. At the
same time and place Jerry Brown,
negro, will be hung for committing a
rape on the person OF Mrs. Ike Radford.
On the night OF April1S, 1896, Charles
Gibson, a coal miner, lay asleep beside
his wife in his home, a little three-room
cottage, in the town of Montgomery,
village twenty-six miles east of
Charleston. Albert Voires lay awake
on pallet, on the floor, in the room,
with Mr.. and Mrs. Gibson, where he
had often slept. Like a tiger watching
his prey, No;res watched Gibson till he
was sure that his unsuspecting victim
was deep in slumber. towards Two
o'clock Voires got up, walked softly TO
the door, unlocked it, and gave soft
whistle. A few seconds later Clark
Lewis, a negro, and Wilbur Slaughter
entered Gibson's house, and the three
men-Lewis, Slaughter and Volres-
stealthily gathered around Gibson's bed
and laid hands on him. Clark Lewis
caught the defenseless man by the
throat and began to choke him. Slaugh-
ter held his hands and Voires held his
feet. Gibson began TO struggle and TO
make a noise.
Stop that noise" said Voires, and he
sprang to the assistance Of Lewis, who
was clutching his throat.
They succeeded effectually in stop
ping the noise and within five minutes
Gibson ceased to breathe. They took
the body out of the house and up the
mountain-side to the mouth Of an old
abandoned coal mine and laid it down
and began to prepare to make an en-
trance into the mine. To their surprise
Gibson began to breathe again and to
struggle to rise, but few blows on
the head with a stone put out his life
| forever. They then carried the body
into the mine and covered it over with
pieces Of slate and rocks, after which
they returned to Gibson's house for
the booty. Mrs. Gibson was awake and
it is presumed that she was awake
when her husband was murdered. she
had planned the murder and it was sue
cessful. They found in the pockets OF
Gibson's clothing a watch and money
purse containing S35. He also had
pistol which they took.
Albert Voires had lived with the Glib
sons for several years and was supposed
to have been criminally intimate with
Mrs Gibson. Clark Lewis, the negro,
was also criminally intimate with her,
a fact which she shamelessly acknowl-
edged. Manfred Nelson and Martha
Kirby lived in illicit relations at the
Gibson house. Gibson had driven Clark
Lewis from his house and would not
let him return. He had also driven
Nelson and the Kirby woman away.
An effort had been made to kill Glib
son abou a week previous to the time
of his murder. The plan was to get
him aboard OF a freight train, on top
of a box car to murder and rob him
and then throw his body under the
wheels OF the cars, but the effort failed,
as they could not induce Gibson to get
on the train. Manfred Nelson was one
of the ringleaders in this plot.
Virgie Gibson, the wife of the muir
edred man. is twenty-eight years? old,
fair complexion, blue eyes and rather
good looking. She has three good
looking children, the youngest nearly
two years old and the oldest about nine
years. Virgie Gibson's parents are
named Dent and live near Maiden.
Albert Voires also formerly lived in
or near Maiden and was foster son
Of Mrs. Gibson's father. He went 20
Montgomery in 1893. led dissipated
life. and was many times in court on
warrants for fighting and petty thiev-
ing.
Clark and Wiley Lewis, the two COL
ored men. were reared by the Montgom-
ervs. who founded and have mainly
built I'D the town that has taken Their
name. The mother Of the Lewis boys
was formerly the slave ot The elder
Montgomery. Wiley Lewis is now in
iail at Fayetteville, the county seat of
the county (Fayette), on the charge OF
robbery. but he will first be tried for
the murder Of John Cochran, who was
killed and thrown into the river last
February.
The Lewises. Albert Voires, Wilbur
Slaughter and Manfred Nelson are said
to be members of an organized band or
thieves and murderers who have been
operating in the Kanawha and New
river valleys for several years. The
many murders and robberies that have
been committed in and around Mont
gomery within the last two years are
laid to their charge. A life insurance
agent from New York, who was Killed
on the New river, near the time o.
Gibson's murder, is thought to have
been killed by one of the Lewis gang.
They are also believed TO have murdered
John Cochran last February. The rob-
beries which it is believed that they
have committed are too numerous 10
mention.
Mayor Dunbar ard Chief OF Police
Tbos, Branigan. of Montgomery, last
February began to watch these men, and
thew soon got sufficient evidence to war
rant their arrest. Clark and Wiley
Lewis. John Hudson, Wilbur Slaugh-
fer. Albert Voires, Manfred Nelson.
Martha Kirby and Virgie Gibson were
arrested and lodged in Jail. They were
all Except Wiley Lewis tried at the
April term of the Feyatte criminal
cour. Clark Lewis and Albert Noires
were convicted of murder in the first
degree and sentenced to be hung. Will
bur Slaughter was sentenced to life i'm
nrisonment in the penitentiary. Virgie
Gibson was sent up for eighteen years.