The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1898-08-05
Peculiar Case of Incendiarism and
Alleged Infanticide-A Wedding
Aroused jealousy.

l fAlSSO0 w OdAAHS
Aroused Jealousy.
The following array of facts, in
cidents, hints, &C., appeared in the
daily papers of Baltimore and Phil
adelphia last week, in the shape OF
a despatch from Oxford, Pa:
A singular case of alleged barn
burning, which has back of it sew
eral mysterious features, over which
the people of this section of Chester
county have gossipped and specu-
lated for months, eliminated Fri
day evening, when Squire w.
Smith Campbell, of this place, held
to give bail for trial at West Ches-
ter Mrs. Eliza Keetley, charged
with the crime, and Matt j. Laugh
lin, laccused as an accessory after
the burning.
The main offense with which Mrs.
Keetley is charged was committed
ON the night of Oct. 20 last, when
the barn of Job Gallagher, in West
Nottingham township, on the Penn
sylvania- Maryland line, was burn
ed, and with it were consumed four
horses, five COWS and a lot of other
property.
From the hearing, at which four
teen witnesses were examined, and
evidence cleaned by Detective T.
H. Beckett, of Philadelphia, was
brought out, the following interest
ing series of facts was elected:
Mr.. Gallagher's son, Will d.
Gallagher, was married in Philada.
on Sept. II last to Miss Sallie
Hause. They went to Mr. Gala
gher's home, and had hardly ended
their honeymoon when Mr.. Gal
lagher received an anonymous let
ter, in which the writer painted
Mr.. Gallagher as a wretch of the
blacklist hue.
Quickly following the letter came
the burning of the barn. Next
morning neighbor, while walking
along a fence that divides two fields
of the Gallagher and Keetley farms,
found parts of lid of small grape
basket. He took them to Gala
gher's, and, fitting them with other
pieces of similar character, found
in the slaughter house there (Which
was fired the same night as the
barn, but not burned), he found
the whole made complete lid, ex-
cepting lone small piece that was
missing. The ownership and last
known possession of this grape bas-
ket have since played an important
part in the detection of the couple
sent to Jail.
Soon after the receipt of the
threatening letter and the burning
of the barn rumors began to circu-
late that certain persons were .jeal-
GUS as a result of Will Gallagher's
marriage, and about this time
Squire Campbell received an
anonymous letter that was quite
uncomplimentary respecting Gal
lagher and his wife.
On December 13 last the body of
an infant was found in deep
chrome pit adjoining a lonely road
about a mile and a-half from Mrs.
Keetley's, This matter was ven
tilated freely at the hearing and the
witnesses expressed themselves diff
ferently on the subject Of the in
fanticide. Mrs. Keetley is widow,
the mother of seven children.
The barn burning and the infant
icide scandal became so interlinked
that the township authorities EN-
ployed Detective Beckett to investi-
gate, with the result that Mrs.
Keetley and Laughlin had their
hearing Friday night and were held
to await trial. Laughlin has been
considered one of the substantial
men Of West Nottingham, and has
been a member of the School Board.