The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1900-10-11
Family Journal Economy
MURDER At ORIENTAL.
Adam Goodling Shot in Cold Blood by an
Unknown Assassin.


Unknown Assassin.
Junlata County Tribune.
Word was received here yesterday
shortly after o'clock that most cow
ardly murder had been committed in
the lower end of the county the night
previous. Adam Goodling, farmer,
who lived near Oriental, in Susquchan-
ma township, was shot and instantly
killed by an as yet unknown assassin.
He was doing in a rocking chair in
one of the rooms of the lower story of
house, and the murderer sneaked up to
the windCw, which was partly open,
and, it is thought, raised the weapon,
n shot gun, loaded with No. 4 shot, on
the window and fired into the room,
almost the entire charge striking the
sleeping man in the face, killing him
instantly. y few shots penetrated the
back of the chair on which Mr.. Good.
ling had been doing, some entered tn,
wall back of the chair and few struck
some glass jars Of fruit that were on Il
table between the chair and wall, and
one or two of the jars Were broken.
The murder was committed between
S and o o'clock. The family, which
consisted of Mr.. Goodling, his wife and
two sons, had partakcn of their even.
ing meal n short time before and the
two boys, aged 10 and II years, had
gone to bed, and the wife was about
finishing up her household duties fol
the evening. Mr.. Goodling had been
working in his buckwheat field during
the day and being somewhat fatgued
shortly after eating supper sat, down in
his favorite chair, which was about
ten feet from the window through
which the fatal shot was fired, and in q
short time was in n dozc. Without
any itus perceptihle noise or alarm
Mrs. oodling was greatly surprised
and shocked by powder fash, in.
stantly followed by a loud report of the
gun, and the room was filled with
smoke. The wife, who had her back
to the window, on turning around saw
that her husband had been shot and
that he was dead. The body of tn,
murdered man was in the same posi-.
ton rs before the shot was fired. TIL,
two sons, being awakened by the loud
report of the gun, Immediately cam,
down stairs and were shocked almost
beyond expression to find that their
father had been foully murdered. Tn,
assassin sncaked away from the house
AS quietly as he approached ii on his
mission of crime. None of the house
hold got n sight Of him or heard him
come and go.
On receiving notice of the murder,
Justice of the Peace Levi Light, of Sus-
1uehanna township, summoned II jury
and held an inquest, and after hear
ing the evidence ofthc murdered mans
wife, rendered n verdict "that Adam
Goodling came to his death by gun
shot wound, caused by AN unknown
person to the jury"
District Attorney George l.. Hover
was notified by postal card, which he
received in yesterday Moons mail from
the east, that a most foul murder had
been committed in Susquchanna town
ship and was requested to start for that
place at once and make an invcstiga-
ton. Mr. Howcrl left on thc5 p. III. train
east yesterday for the scene of the MUIR
der. He has not returned to this place
at this writing and what conclusion he
has come to is not known here, but it
is said there will likely be some arrests
made in few days.
Telephone messages yesterday, re-
ceived from points near the murdered
mans home, were to the effect that the
suspect lived in the same ncighbor-
hood. The report was. also received in
town that during a conversation with
his wife day or two ago the murdered
man told her that he had two enemies
in the world. One of them, he said,
was n neighbor, and one of them he
spoke of as being terribly in fear.
AS far as now known, even if such n
conversation took place and he gave to
his wife the names of the persons refer
red to she has not made them public.
What course will be followed to bring
the guilty one to justice will depend
entirely upon the facts bearing on the
crime that will be brought out by the
investigation the District Attorney is
now making.
The murdered man will be buried to-
morrow forenoon. Services will be held
in the house in which he was killed.
Rev. Gilbert. Of Fremont, Snyder Co.,
will officiate, and interment will be
made at ArbOgast church burial ground
in Snyder county. He was aged about
90 years.