Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1899-08-03

Great excitement prevailed in the
neighborhood of Elk City, Clarion Co,
over the discovery that William Kiser,
a wealthy bachelor had been murdered.
The murder was committed for robbery.
The news of the murder spread
throughout Clarion county, in which
Kiser was well known, and search for
the murderers was begun.
Kiser's body was found on Sunday by
party of berrypickers. The latter
had gone to the woods to gather berries,
and on their way home passed near
Kiser's house AS they did not see
Kiser about the place, and they had
been told that he had not been seen
since Friday night and as the house
showed no signs of life about it, they
determined toinvestigate. They found
that the door had been broken open and
they entered the house. The scene
that burst upan their eyes was appalling
Kisers body lay dead between the iron
safe, in which he kept large sum of
money, and the bed on which he had been
apparently lying when his assailants
sought his life that they might get his
money. The body was in curled up
position, and had been beaten black and
blue, the head being mass of cuts and
contusions. Kiser had been bound and
gagged. His feet and hands were tied
with rope, and piece of the bedclcthes
was bound across his mouth to prevent
him making an outcry. A piece OF cloth
was bound tightly around his throat
showing that strangulation was resorted
to in addition to the powerful blows of
his assailants to accomplish their object
He mus have had "a fearful struggle for
his life before he was overcome, handi
capped AZ he was, for his shirt was torn
from his body. Ii is presumed that
Kisers murderers gained entrance to the
house late Friday night, by breaking in
the door with fence rail. He was
last seen early Friday evening at church
| 1t is presumed that the robbers first
bound Kiser and then ordered him TO
open the safe. which they must have
known contained much money. He
refused to give up his wealth. and then
| they assaulted him in the hope that
blows and slow strangulation would
drive him to open the safe door.
Kiser still resisting, they either killed
| him outright or left him to die of his
| wounds.
The safe had not been opened. 1t is
supposed that they feared that they had
| been discovered in their work and left
Il
Their flight was hurried for they
stole rig and team of horses from the
barn OF Jacob Yonkers to aid them in
| getting away.
| There is no definite clue to the muir
derers, though three ex -convicts are un-
| der suspicition. Kiser is said to have
had 81, 900 in gold in the safe. Kiser's
relatives have offered 81 900 reward for
| the capture of the murderers The county
| commissioners will offer reward for
the same object.
Kiser had been left some money by
his father and he had added to il by the
sale of some valuable timber land and
from the sale of timber taken from
other portions of Kiser's estate He had
also made considerable money from oil
wells aud from oil leases. He was con
sidei ed eccentric.
Kiser was burned and otherwise tor
tured before being killed. One of the
stolen horses has been found several
miles north of the scene.
The funeral was sad event and at
tracted great concourse of people TO
the home of George Kiser, the eldest
brother Of the dead man, about POO
yards from the place where William, or
bill" as he was known to every one
lived his lonely life and met his tragic
! death. Just where the narrow gauge
| track of the Pittsburg 81 Western rail
road rises to the crest of divide and
then starts down grade toward Clarion
! the farms of the Kisers adjoin. Bills
house is on the right of the railroad
, Sunday morning about 10 o'clock Z
NJ Kiser, cousin of Bill, went to the
bachelors home and looked in. VIM
: had not been seen since late Friday
I night when he returned from bust
D meeting. or saints meeting, as it is call
| ed here His cousin was so Mortified by
r what he saw that he ran away, calling
for help.