Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1911-04-28
STORY OF THE MURDER
OF JOHN VE|TENGRUBER
SULLIVAN COUNTY CRIME OF
MORE THAN HALF CEN
TURY AGO.
Story OF One of the Most Tradegies in
Pennsylvania's History-The Only
Capital Punishment in Sullivan County


In the series of "Pennsylvania's
Greatest Crime Mysteries" The
Philadelphia North American re-
told as follows the thrilling story of
the murder of John Veitengruber,
which occurred more than half a
century ago, but which is still re-
membered by many of the old resi-
dents of Sullivan county:
Every one in Sullivan county and
the eastern section of Bradford knew
old John Veitengruber half dozen
years before the outbreak of the
civil war, His cabin near Elk Lake,
in the upper end of Sullivan county,
was poor enough-little better than
the old log cabin of the early pioneer
days, with tiny patch of truck
garden attached and its furnishings
so meager as barely to suffice for
Spartan living.
But the lonely cabin held two
Jewels, and there were few men who
saw them there who failed to envy
their possessor. One was old Veit-
engruber's little boy, fair-haired,
sturdy, bright-eyed youngster, whose
charm seemed the reflection of the
brilliant beauty of of old Johns
other treasure, wife so young that
she was always mistaken for a
daughter when strangers saw her
with bent little man.
How he got her no one ever knew.
She was so young, so 1.-THE, SO spark
ingly gay, so freshly rosy-why un-
der heaven, the few neighbors wond-
cred, had she ever given all that
youth and fire and devotion to the
mean unimpressive creature who
called her his frau and his schatZ,
with such happy intonation of com
plete content?
For all her liveliness, she could be
quiet, demur, dignified, even in the
cold peasant fashion that chilled the
ardOr of some blades who had heard
of her and made trips from miles
away, to see whether it was possible
any woman so young and fair could
be steadfastly true to a husband like
hers.
And she was notable housekeep-
er. No other home thereabouts,
however furnished with the comforts
that rated them as luxuries, could
claim more perfect cleanliness; and
few other tables, since all depended
on about the same supplies of food,
offered more savory odors to tempt
the appetite.
1t was always new delight to old
John when he came home, after his
long absences, to note how neat the
humble cabin looked, to smell the
good wholesome cooking that
seemed to transplant Germany to
this vast, wild land, and to receive
the gentle tender kiss his frau so
quietly offered him.
Those were the times when she
seemed least jocuad, least laughingly
jocund. He used to tease her about
it, telling her she always had to
wait so long, and she loved him so
much, that her loves sweetness was
in danger of becoming vinegary
A day or so and she resumed her
wonted high spirits; and then the
cabin was flood of jovial laughter,
until he had to 60 away again.
John Veitengruber was an itin-
Grant cobbler, practicing phase of
the the trade which has all but van
ished from the countryside today.
He did not like it and his pretty wife
protested that she liked it less.
Once she told him that was because
she felt, whenever he returned that,
she was getting married all over
again and getting used to him.
each, then you are bride all the
time!" rejoined her husband, de-
lightedly. "And me, it is true, l
feel always like the bridegroom.
Are you not happy, so, when l come
home again?"
"You are, Hans, aren't you?" she
asked him, with her familiar smile
reappearing. "Well, then, so am
II
Perhaps with healthy young body,
her lively temperament and her boy
to satisfy her mother love, she did