Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1899-04-06
MOS ~ oer,En I
Desperate Attempt 60 Capture Tive
BarricMded Murdererac

Desperate Attempt 60 Capture Two
Barricaded Murderers
John and Paul Zeltner, murderers of
Hoytsville. Ohio, were lodged III Jail at
Bowling Green after having for eighteen
hours deied an Infatuated mob which
threatened them with summary ven
geance. The two men, who murdered
Attorney Westenhaver and later. killed
Clarence Wittenmeyer, one of their pur-
suers. held the great crowd Of would-be
lynchers at bay until they were ready to
surrender. During all the time from the
commission Of the first crime Saturday af-
ternoon until after o'clock Sunday morn
ing the two, aided by the women of their
household. defed the desperate throng
which besieged their home. They. plainly
stated that they would not. submit to
lynching and every assault on the house
was answered with such well-aimed bull
lets that the lynching party feared to
carry out its plans. Each move on the
part of the ASSISTANTS was the signal fora
shot, showing that the women were doine
their share in the work of defense. Only
when they were assured military guard
and all possible protection did the murder
ers agree to submit to arrest.
Il. III. Westenhaver had been attorney
for the ,Zeltner brothers in numerous
cases, and had sued them for his fees. The
jury and witnesses had been sworn before
Justice Il. Burgoon at Hoyt's Corners, in
Westenhaver's suit, when Paul Zeltner
demanded some papers Of Westenhaver,
and attempted to take them from his pock-
ct. John Zeltner then joined in demand
ing the papers, and Immediately fred the
fatal shot that killed Westenhaver. The
Zeltners had their horses ready for mount
ing and escape, and it is thought that
they had arranged to get Westenhayen
into a fight, although they did not give
the victim time to make any demonstra-
tons toward them. The Zeltners kept
up their firing till they mounted their
horses, and continued ii as hundreds OF
citizens pursued them to their residence.
Then the citizens laid siege to the Zelt-
ner house. The lynchers kept up contin-
ual firing and il is declared that the wom-
en- also engaged in the defense John Zelt-
ner is married and has four children, and
his family was in the house with him. The
battle was waged furiously, the besiegers,
including the sheriff's posse, finding it nee
essary to keep under cover Of the trees to
avoid being hit. Clarence Wittenmeyer
was shot down while attempting with
posse of twenty-five or thirty to capture
the house by a determined charge. This
increased the excitement, and the mob,
now swelled to 1000 in number, seemed
bent upon lynching the Zeltners. To pre-
vent this the sheriff telegraphed to North
Baltimore for the militia and the Bloom
field rifles and the North Baltimore cadets
hurried to the scene. All night long the
siege was kept up. When Wittenmeyer
fell volley after volley was poured into
the crowd from the upper story of the
Zeltner house. During the fight a cannon
and quantity of nitroglycerin had been
secured, so that there would have been
trouble after sunrise il the troops had not
arrived.
Peaceable methods finally prevailed in
the capture, although ii Is doubtful il the
capture would have been effected except
for the fact that the Zeltners were nearly
out of ammunition and they knew surren-
der was the only method of saving them
selves. The Zeltners agreed to surrender
to ex-Sheriff Biggs If guaranteed protec-
ton from the fury of the mob. The two
military companies were drawn up in lines
and the men handcuffcd and taken from
the house, after which the women locked
all the doors and pulled down all the
blinds. Under escort of the militia, the
men were marched through the mud and
snow to Gustav station. where they took
a train for Tontogany, there changing
again and landing in Bowling Green short
~ after noon. At that point at least 1,5OO
persons had congregated. but the Zeltners
were hurried to jail without any further
trouble.
The Zeltners are men of much more
than average intelligence, and were fairly
well-to-do German farmers. They express
cd regret at the killing of Clarence Wit
tenmeyer, who, they said, was killed I'M
Intentionally, but neither of the Zeltners
expressed the slightest regret for the kill
ing of LAWYER Westephayer