Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-07-29


Quickly Ended an Austrian's Life at
Bridgeport, Last Evening.
KINSMEN ENEMIES FIGURE IN AN
EARLY EVENING TRAGEDY IN
THE c., l. & w. YARDS AT
BRIDGEPORT = THEY QUAR-
RELIED OVER A SMALL MONEY
MATTER AND A DIRK WAS THE
I ARBITER - THE MURDERER
STILL AT LARGE-DETAILS OF
THE CRIME.
A homicide which has all the charac-
teristics Of premeditated, red-handed
murder, occurred at Bridgeport at half
past O'Clock last evening and the town
across the river was startled by the
announcement which interrupted the
otherwise peaceful moments of the
closing day. George Mortesti, the vic
tim, lies in w. B. Halls undertaking
establishment with two awful, gaping
wounds upon his person, while Mike
Mortesti, his slayer, is still at large.
The dead man was employed as cook
upon the Cleveland, Lorain & Wheeling
construction train, which has been
doing track work at Bridgeport, Mar
tins Ferry and Bellaire for the
past four days. He was an Austrian
by birth and a brother-in-law of Mike
Mortesti, who stabbed him to death in
the presence of a dozen of his country
men and several citizens who were eye
witnesses to the tragedy. The author
of the crime was discharged from the
gang by Foreman Furlong on the 26th
of June, since which time he has been
working under Foreman Albert Pugh,
of the Bellaire section. The deceased is
said to have withheld $12 of a board
bill from his kinsman at the last pay
in June, since which time there has
been bad blood between the two men.
Last evening the cons truction train
was brought down from Martins Ferry
and the cars were backed in upon the
caboose track east of the c., L. & w.
freight depot in the yards at KirkwOod,
the intention being to send the gang to
foreign workmen to Holloway On the
first section of through freight No. 76,
which leaves Bridgeport about o'clock.
The Workmen to the number OF a dozen
or more were sitting upon some trucks
and timbers between the switch and the
main track enjoying the pleasant cool
ness of the early evening. In the cen-
ter of the group were the star actors
in the tragedy, sitting elbow to elbow
and conversing earnestly. The spot
is twenty-five yards east of the freight
building and three rods from the panK
of Wheeling creek. The twilight was
deepening and this fact made it pos
sible for the deft manipulation of the
murderous bowie to elude those who
would have followed him. Yard Mas
ter Howard Pendery was within fifteen
feet of the chattering foreigners turn
ing a switch for the ST. Clairsville ac-
commodation, and although his atten-
ton was divided between his duties
and the Austrians, he is able to give
graphic narrative of the scenes which
followed and which resulted in snuffing
out a human life as the curtain rang
down upon the closing act.
Mr.. Penderys story to Coroner A. G..
Beetham and the Register reporter a
short time after the homicide is as fol-
| lows: Just as l turned the switch
my attention was directed to the for
egners and | saw the two parties
called George and Mike rise from their
seats and begin fighting. They Crap
pied and the cook. who was a large
powerful man, turned his back to me
entirely obscuring the body of his an
J tagonist, who was much the smaller
| of the two Mike had his left hand
gripped upon Georges shoulder, but L
could not see his right The cook had
| his right arm free and was beating the
other upon the top of the head. There
was a momentary subsistence, during
which the men shuffled over toward the
car The fight was then furious for a
! few seconds, but an instant later their
holds were broken and the enemies
stood glaring at each other. George
turned to the crowd of his countrymen
with an agonized expression upon his
| face, shook his fist at them and fairly
| spit forth a hurried sentence which,
| being translated, was The S. of a D.
Fhas cut me. His clothes were crimson
| with his life blood and he sank to the
| earth with a groan. His hands gripped
the sand and slack, opening and clos
| ing convulsively. With a superhuman
| effort the strong man again staggered
| to his feet and regained almost an erect
posture when he gave a gasp and fell
| forward upon his face never to rise.
| The mans smothered gasps could be
heard for fifteen minutes later as | OBJ
carvpd after returning from summon inc