The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-07-24

sIsTERSvILLE. W. Va, July 25.-
The intelligence has just reached here
of a terrible outrage perpetrated upon
an nged lady living in the vicinity OF
SmIthheld, by six masked robbers On
account OF there being no telegraph or
telephone line out into that section Of
the country the news OF the crime was
very slow in getting here, but the story
as related by an oil man, who has just
arrived here from the smithheld dis
trlct. says the story is true, and that in
addition to robbing the old lady she was
very badly treated.
Mrs. shreves, the woman In question,
Il aged about sixty years, and has all
ways been In the habit Of keeping her
money in the house. preferring that
| manner of securing 1t 20 placing 1t in
any OF the banks, as she was afraid the
banks might break up, and she would
lose her money.
A BSit for ThieveI.
Her aversion to banks and savings
institutions has been well known IN
that section OF the county for years, and
It was always said that she had great
deal OF money stored about the house.
| the stories In regard to the amount fire.
quently placing It at anywhere from
10000 to $4,000.
While 1t was generally supposed that
these stories were greatly exaggerated,
It was well known that she had n con-
siderable sum OF money secreted about
| the house somewhere, and It Is suppos-
ed that some OF the tough element
which had drifted into the oil country
In that section, with the gambling
rooms and spenk-easle1. heard OF tho
hoardlngs OF the old woman and decid-
| ed to take advantage OF the fact that
she lived practically alone and rob her
OF the money.
Her Foolish Prejudice.
About ten days ago Mrs shreves re-
ceived quite n sum OF money from a
large oil company which had leased her
farm for drilling purposes, and when
this was found out some of her friends
advised her to put the money In the
bank, but she would not do so, and put
It with some other money she had hid
den about the house.
on Tuesday evening after she had re-
tired for the night. she heard strange
noise in one of the rooms adjacent to
where she was sleeping, and supposlng
n cat or dog was In the house, got up to
put Il out, Taking a lighted lamp, she
started out into the other room and Just
as she stepped from the room in which
she was sleeping. she was seized by two
men and told that II she made an out
cry she would be instantly killed.
Bound aud Gagged.
She was Immediately bound and gag
qed and carried back Into the room and
placed on the bed. Then all OF the rob-
bers made search OF the house, and as
they failed to find only a very small
amount Of money, they came back and
told her that unless she told where her
money was hidden, She would be kill
ed. and to emphasize the threat, one OF
the robbers drew n murderous looking
knife and pricked her on the neck
The woman was terribly frightened
and shocked, but refused to tell where
the money was, and finally the robbers
decided to torture her until she did tell.
Tortured TO Confession.
Tho first thing they did was to tie her
up by the thumbs for a few minutes,
but as that did not bring the desired re-
suit, they next beat her over the back
with switches and put lighted candles
to her bare feet The pain from this
brutal treatment was intense, and
finally she indicated that she would tell
them where the money was and they
dcslsted and took the gag from her
mouth. She told the robbers whore she
had the money sccretod, but there was
only about 1900 in the place she told
them, and they, thinking that was nll
there was In the houso,agaln bound and
gagged her and left shortly after mid
night.
Discovered ny a aNolghbOr.
The injured and suffering woman wns
compelled to lay all night on the bed
without any attention, and 1t was not
until late the next morning that she was
discovered In her terrible condition, by
neighbor, who had come over to scc
her on some business. As soon as pos.
siblo m alarm was sounded and a large
posse started out 10 search for the rob
bcrs, but the fellows had gotten such a
good start toward the river that they
were across II some hours before the
poss arrived there. ON the Ohio side
the trail OF the villains was lost, aud II
Is supposed they parted company ANA
each went different way.
The terrible treatment 10 which Mfa
shrcvcs was pubiortcd together with
the shock. has made her very III, and II
was reported yesterday evening by the
man who brought the news to this city,
that she was In very precnrIous con-
dltlon.
Saved the GrtHicr Part
when she told thcm whore the money
was which the robbers got she only
made mention Of one place where che
had money slowed away and thus say
ed the greater part " what she had
been saving. In another place II hns
developed that she had more than $4,000
IN gold and gtrcnhncka, hut since The
robbery NJ Tupgliy evening, II has been
taken cut of thorp ana placed whore VI
viii ho moro secure
rh0ro seems to be- nn organized gnnE
W these robbers IN the oil country ns
this ~ not the nrat lmr that the Hnnu
methods have been used nv gnnu IA
mako their victims llfgdrgc nnd tell
where their boarded gold was hidden II
has only been few months since an