The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-08-29
HUNDREDS JOIN In
FURIOUS MAN HUNT
Citizens of Illinois Aroused Over a
Peculiarly Fiendish Murder Of
an Inoffensive Aged Couple.

Frecport, H., Aug. 2S-Sheriff Fox
and a posse of two hundred or more
people are securing the country north
of here in search of the murderer of
Mr.. and Mrs. John Bobb, the old peo-
pie who were so brutally killed Thurs
day night. If he is caught he will
probably be lynched.
For pure finedishness, the murder of
the Bobbs could hardly be surpassed.
If robbery was the motive for the
crime, and it does not seem possible
that there could have been any other,
the death of the aged man and woman
was entirely unnecessary. The old
man was nearly 90 years of age, was
deaf and so feeble that he was almost
bedridden. The woman was in her
eightysixth year, decrepit from long
suffering from kidney ailment and
without strength to resist an attack
from a child. The house where they
lived was not near enough to any
other in the neighborhood for their
cries for help to have been heard and
they could easily have been intimi-
dated into giving up what little money
they had. The murderer seems to
have killed for the pure love of kill
ing.
Lived in a Lonely Spot.
The Bobb homestead. where the old
couple had lived for nearly fifty years,
stands in a little sag about fifteen
PAGES off the road that runs directly
north from Buena Vista. The near
est house to it is that of John Wag-
ner. Wagner lived about three hun
dred yards to the south behind a
little hill. To the north and the east
there are no houses for about a quar-
ter of mile.
The tramp who committed the mur-
der had been seen from last Sunday
afternoon until Wednesday walking
up and down the lanes of the neigh
borhood by half dozen persons, but
had always shown a disposition to
move on when anyone approached him
or had turned his head aside when he
passed in the road. Those who saw
the tramp walking up and down said
that he carried a stick that cores
pOnded exactly with the fork handle,
and splintered bits of it were found in
the old mans room, the stick having
been broken when the tramp knocked
his victim senseless before cutting his
throat.
John Wagner discovered the fact of
the murder about l o'clock Yesterday
| afternoon, and gave the alarm, which
was quickly taken up by those who are
| now hunting the murderer. Wagner
went to the place to do some work.
and saw through the open door of the
| kitchen the body of Mrs. Bobb dressed
| only in scanty night clothing lying in
| the middle of the floor.
A CHASTITY Spectacle.
The body of the old man was huddled
| up by the side of the bed in the ad-
| joining room, the bedclothes pulled
| partly over him, as though the mur-
| derer had thrown them there in
| searching for money. The barely fur
| nished and uncarpetcd rooms reeked
| with blood. The woman had been
| struck twice, once on the left side Of
| the jaw, which was shattered, and
| again behind the right ear where the
skull was crushed. An old ak, clotted
with blood and 20 which some Of the
| woman's hair still stuck, stood against
the wall. The OLD mans body showed
three wounds. Across the top of his
head was bruiso evid emily made with
the pitchfork, which was lying broken
beside the bed. The shattered bits
were found under the he'd.
Above the lett eye was a deep cut
apparently made with sharp knife
and in the right side Of the throat
was another wound, SO deep that the
iugular vein was severed. It appeared
as if the murderer had knocked his
victim down and gone round behint
and cut his throat, holding his knee
in the old mans back until he bled tC
death.
In the room there vas an old bu
reau, and the drawers of that We're al
turned tOpsyturvy. A chest of draw
ers upstairs also showed that the rob
Der had gone through thom. Wha
money there was i'm the house was Il
one of the bureau drawers down
stairs. According to what the old lad,
had told the neighbors it was abou
$50. Mrs. Bobb had peen keeping So
of this sum for years to bury the frs
one Of them that died.
The tramp who is supposed to hav,
committed the crime is described b,
those who saw him as a short, stock,
man, about 25 years old, with darl
hair and thin moustache.
BANK NOTES BLOW AWAY.