The sun., 1901-12-26
ASSASSINATED AT HIS DOOR.
FARMER r. A. HALLENBECE SHOT
DOWN ny MASKED MEN.
Was Called to His Door by knocks on the
outside and when He Appeared He
Was Fired l'pon-severai Shots After
ward Fired Into His Body-Four
Young Men Locked Up In Hudson jail.

GREENPoRr, N. Y. Dec. 25-Four masked
men stopped at Peter A. Hallenbeck's
door last night and knocked When he
opened the door they shot him TO death
with revolvers. They shot him in the
face and In the arms. When he turned
70 catch up the shotgun which stood be-
hind the kitchen door. they shot him in
the back. He fell and they fired into his
body as it lay on the floor until their re-
volvers were empty. His wife stood on
the threshold screaming with despair until
her husband fell, and then. with his aged
mother, fed to the garret from which,
hours later. she crept TO give the alarm.
In Hudson Jail tonight four young men
are lodged charged with the murder OF
Peter Hallenbeck The Oldest Of them is %.
The Youngest is about 10. All Of them
are indirectly related to the man who was
murdered. Three Of them lived near the
Hallenbeck place in Greenport until few
months ago Then Hallenbeck who had
suffered much from their family and had
been kind, foreclosed a mortgage on the
farm owned by Mrs. Van Wormer. the
stepmother Of the boys. and dispossessed
her, and the family moved to Kinderhook,
Sheriff and the police who arrested the
boys this dispossession supplied the motive
for the terrible tragedy of Christmas eve.
But the people Of this part Of the Hudson
Valley recall that less than year ago. when
these same boys were threatened with
prosecution for raids on a chicken yard
at Linlithgo, Peter Hallenbeck had in
terceded for them, asserted their innocence
most earnestly and had paid for the chickens
20 avoid all possibility Of prosecution,
Recalling these things, the people say that
human ingratitude could not go so far
and that the boys must be innocent.
In this hamlet of Greenport. four miles
south Of Hudson. Hallenbeck was looked
up to as the leading man Of the community.
He was farmer. He was prosperous.
About the only particular in which he was
not envied by his neighbors was in the
second wife's relations. One OF her sisters.
the widow Van Wormer, had three step-sons,
Bert, Fred and Willis. They were never
meek and manageable and seldom indus
trous Another sister, the wife Of Jonas
Bruce, had a boy. barely out OF knicker-
bockers. who seemed all too much given 10
following in the ways OF the Van Wormer
boys He is only 10 years old, but head
strong and reckless beyond his associates.
His father, Jonas Bruce. IL known and loved
from Albany TO Tivoli as -Jone" Bruce.
Tonight. when Harvey Bruce was ar
rested with the three Van Wormer boys.
Jonas Bruce divided the sympathy which
was given To tho mother and widow Of Peter
Hahenbeck. Everybody says that IL the
police are right In attributing q share in
Hallcnbeck's murder TO Harvey, -Jone-
Bruce viii mako his boy confess and will
tell the authorities all he learns. THAT
they say. lis the Kind OF man Jone is
Almost everybody In 0reenport went
last night to q Christmas tree celebrate on
at the Greenport Church. which il about
quarter 81 a mile from the Hallen-
beck home. Charles Hallenbeck, Peters
man went with the rest Of the town folks
They had been gone but few minutes
before Peter Hafenbeck who was in the
sitting room of tie house with his wife
and mother. heard voices In the road.
which runs within a few feet ~ the front
q the house. He looked out 81 the win
dow. The moon was shining brightly.
Tie reflected light from the snow which
lay on the ground after Mondays storm.
made everythinR light and clear. 'DCok
The women went 10 the window and stood
with him. harchinE along the road, four
abreast. were four men. They wbre black
masks Their Oyercoats were turned in
side on, and Ia. broadly checked liningr
%sas .s'" q, 'es ss. sSo.,o,ns s1e.arS IN. an. ,SS.
wl.o sometimes come 70 Hudson tO portray
.IAfs is tis Great City,"
I'm afraid they niean mischief, Peter.
sid Mn. Hallenbeck what are they
nsg"d ou, that way for
,,~ok laughing and tanning to he seat
hy tho ia np. 'Thaf's all they are. Just
plain chicken thieves though from tho
ssy they've hKed themselves a body might
,hihs they ~as out "a rob Q hAnk 90 Lili
MD nail.nhsck va afraid Tor their
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a. that iiall-biseck's hired man, after
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