Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-04-02

A NtEiNltE I otIeNNuiluthA hANANn hhS 'NS'AN
OF Their Numerous OGtrages-How the
Discovery was First Made-Result of
Electing Reform Mayor.
Special to the Register.
Charleston. w. Va, April IA Reg
ister reporter visited Montgomery to-
day, where a carnival Of crime has been
going on for several years. and succeed
cd in getting all of the material facts
concerning these atrociouc crimes that
are obtaiuable. Mayor Dunbar, the
present incumbent. was elected in jan
uary last as a reform Mayor. The town
had been run for many years IN very
loose manner. and its name had become
the synonym for lawiessness and
crime It was formerly called Coal
Valley" but il is said that the name OF
the town was changed 10 Montgomery
for the purpose of getting ria OF the
foul Odor that attended TO the name OF
Coal Valley.
Mr.. Dunbar having been elected as
reform Mayor he set to work at the be-
ginning OF his term to discover and
identify the persons who had been COM
hitting rObberies and thefts IN the
town. He did not dream Of running
down any murderers. His efforts in
hunting for thieves resulted in his
finding murderers. Depot Agent Han
cock having been robbed OF watch
and other valuables which We're taken
from his residence, Mayor Dunbar got
evidence against Wiley Lewis and had
him arrested. He confessed 10 the
theft and offered to make terms with
the Mayor. He told Mayor Dunbar that
if he would not deal hard with him he
would tell him where great many
other stolen goods could be found, and
accordingly took the Mayor TO an
abandoned coal miae. They could not
enter because of the caving IN OF the
mine. A practical miner told the
Mayor that he could get into the mine
bv entering az another place. When
This prODOsitiOn was made Wiley Lewis
grew very nervous and wanted to get
away. This aroused the Mayors sus-
uicious. and questioning Lewis closely
as 90 why he wanted TO get away with
out going into TIE mine. he told the
Mayor that he might find something In
there that he was not looking for. lie
said he might find dead body in the
mine The Mayor afterward had
private talk with Lewis, and the latter
told him that Charles Gibson had been
murdered and his body placed in the
mine nearly a year ago; that the mar
der was committed by his brother
Clark. Wilbur Slaughter and Albert
Voirs. Warrants were al once issued
for the three men and they were ar
rested. Clark Lewis and Wilbur
Slaughter. after their arrest, confessed
TO the crime of numbering Gibson and
told substantially the same story as
that detailed by Wiley Lewis. From
the three confessions it is gathered that
Clark Lewis was criminally intimate
with GibsOn's wife, and Lewis wanted
TO get Gibson out of the way. This
was one Of the reasons assigned for the
murder. Another was GibSOn's wife
was keeping a kind of designation house
where the TWO Lewis's. Wilbur Slaugh-
ter. Albert Vcirs and others resorted to
with women. Gibson undertook to rid
his house Of these people. He drove
them away and said he would shoot
the first one that returned. This was
an additional reason why Gibson should
be put out of the way. The third was
that he had money on his person, and
his murderers wanted it, The night of
GibsOn's murder he had been flourish
ing a pistol around very recklesSly and
the three men made arrangements 10
kill him. They waited till he had gone
TO bed and fell asleep, when they en-
tered his room nOiSelesSly and sprang
upon him. Clark Lewis held GibsOn's
right hand with his left. while he
caught Gibson by the throat with his
right hand. choking him. Wilbur
Slaughter got on the other side of the
bed. held Gibsons lef, hand and also
clutching Gibson's throat. Noirs held
the victims legs while the others held
his hands and did the choking. They
said it took about five minutes 20 choke
thc life out of him. When he was
found to be dead. they carried the bouy
mn the hillside 20 the old Straughan
coal mine. lClg since abandoned, and
covered il over with slate. They say
that Mrs. Gibson was in the room when
the murder was committed. They got
SEQ from Gibson. Gibson was murder
ed on the oath of April. 1895 John
Cochran disappeared on the 2Sth of
April. ard he is believed TO have been
murdered by this same gang. and his
bodv secreted in the mine. Wiley
lewis said a drummer was killed and
laid awav i'm the mine Within the last
two wears two other men-JuliuS
Thomas and a jeweler by the name Of
NrcNaman-have mysteriOusly disap-
neareG. and they are now supposed TO
have been murdered by this gang
The Register representative visited
rho house where the murder was com
mi-ted. and also the house where Mrs.
Gibson now lives. which almost ad-
ioins the other house. It is located on
The hillside opposite the Chesapeake
ANA Ohio railway depot in part OF the
town closely built up with miners cot
faces. or more properly speaking
sbanties containing two rooms each.
Mrs. Gibson is allowed TO remain at her
homo. but is kept under heavy guard.
She IS rather good looking woman
with a pleasing face. She has light
hair and blue eyes. and fair complex
ion. Her age is twenty-eight. She
was horn in Roanoke Va. her parents
name being Dent. She with her par
ents moved to Georges creek, near