Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1910-02-19
DESPERATE F|ENDS
TORTURE ENGINEER
Fied By Negroes and Thrust Head
First Into Furnace.
gHEN PLACED ON FLYWHEEL

Esody Falls Of and He Escapes the
s7orrible Death Planned For Him
FOUND Half An Hour Later Uncon-
scious BY Fellow EmpIoye-victinn
IS Badly Burned and Brused-Po-
ace Are Working on Several Clues.
w7rom The World OF Tuesday:
Three masked unidentified negroes.
vest erday morning robbed John g.
gneibert. engineer at Boyer e Heard's
grain elevator In Hagerstown and
chen pushed him headforemost into
she furnace OF the boiler until his
aim In that position .or few min
aates. they withdrew his body and,
2slaciug it on the inside rim of the
ssroad fywheel of the engine, started
she engine.
When the wheel started TO revolye
Seibert fell off and escaped DEATH.
His face, hair and eyes are badly
burned and his body and legs are
covered with bruises. When found
ne was unconscious and required the
services Of two physicians
Mr.. Neibert left his home shortly
before o'clock and went 10 the
elevator to stir up the fire in the boil
ST While at work the three masked
negroes entered the engine room,
seized him and threatened to kill him
s he did not hand over his money
AIR. Neibert told them he had no
Fnaney The robbers then threw him
town and rifled his pockets. securing
.fwo S. bills
The negroes then held a council as
20 what they should do with their
vierim. They voted to throw him into
the furnace. One Of them procured
from chest several sections of cord
and tied his feet and his hands behind
him.
4Neibert. half dead with fright,
pleaded with the negroes for his life.
While he was supplicating with his
vaptors they opened the door of the
furnace Two of them grabbed their
victim by his legs. while the other
fcanght him by his head They carried
swhile tied, toward the furnace and
pushed him through the door. His
granite shouts for help seemed to
Brighten the negroes, for they pulled
aim out
The negroes then held another
council and decided to dispose of him
~ "a different manner, Placing him
between the spokes of the great fly
wheel they started the engine. There
was 30 pounds of steam on at the time
out the sudden start iolted Neibert
scout of the wheel and he fell, still
q ound hand and foot to the floor.
Thirty minutes later he was found
7ehere he fell by Hezekiah Garvin, an
eemploye at the elevator. Neibert
7oas unconscious. The engine was run
samg at lightning speed and all the
tights in the engine room We're turned
on Garvin notified David S. Boyer.
sne'0i the owners OF the elevator, who
stopped the engine.
Drs. j. Mcpherson Scott and !.
y2oyer Laughlin gave medical assist
-dHCG -N6lbpII SOOH IeNtNtut bub
was nervous wreck for several hours
s 100 excited TO give a lucid account Of
he assault until later in the day. He
said the robbers acted more like
demons than human beings, and when
] ne begged them not to throw him into
8 ne furnace they laughed at him.
TThey were of large build, aged about
80 or 80 years and coarsely dressed
The police are working on several
Sgalass Some think the negroes are
s'rrang gers, while others think they be-
2nRE 10 Hagerstown and were famil-
IA with the elevator and Neibert's
flGies and hours OF work. William Or
suit, employed at the elevator, pass
,-ad through the elevator yards shortly
after O'Clock He saw a light in the
engine room and called to Neibert,
yul got no reply. Almost immediate
~ after calling the lights went out.
he became alarmed. thinking burglars
we're about. but kept on going to the
: stable Policeman Frank Williams,
who lives near the elevator, heard
ne engine suddenly start up, but
q nought nothing about it at he mo-
-ysen