The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1929-12-18
THREE PERSONS SHOT DEADLY
LIQUOR.WILD WEST VlRCINlAN
Just Out ot Jail, Man Set Out
on Mission Of Death, In
tending to Kill Five
WOUNDED THREE WOMEN
6oastsd Recently Of Cleanup
He Intended on Men Who
Sent Him Up

Romney. w. Va. Dec. lS.-4R,-
Three persons were killed and three
others were wounded by q liquor
crazed man who visited them at their
homes here early today and shot them
down with . shotgun. A justice Oi
the peace. the county jailer. and an
other man were slain. An eleven
year-old girl and two women were In
Jured. The slayer was captured.
One Of the men. Asa Woolford. -
was slain aS he sat at the bedside
Of his father who was III. The coun-
ty jailer. Ben E. Miller. SIS. was shot
down 1T the Jail where he lived
Miller was decapitated by the charge
from the shotgun.
The slain Justice Of the peace was
H. G. lnskeep. so. . prominent citizen
OF the town. He was called to the
door Of his home and shot In the
abdomen.
Three Are Weundea
The wounded persons were Mrs.
Carrie Wright, Mrs. Grace Woolford
and Mildred Holt. II. Sheriff J. b.
Saville said none was seriously hurt.
walter Crabtroe. IS. was arrested a
the slayer IN hour after the cra1ed
man had walked through the streets
Of the town dealing out death with
his shotgun. Crabtree completed q
six months jail sentence two weeks
ago. He had been Jailed for pos
sessing liquor. Crabtree was taken
to an adjoining county for safekeep-
Ing.
According to county Officers, Crab
tree set out on his mission OF death
early this morning. The Woolford
home WAS the first he visited. He
killed WoolfoCd g the latter sat at
his fathers siekbed. and then fired
at Mrs. Woolsord and llrs. Wright
through . window.
Mildred Hot was wounded at the
home Of Alrs. Blaine Holt. County
authorities had not determined how
the man gained entrance to the llott
home.
Fires Throueh Deer
Following the shootings or the tail-
e. Crabtree went home, the county
officers said. He was said to have set
out again from there and In passing
the home Of Or. J. 8. Easton, knocked
upon the door. The physician did
not answer the knock. and q charge
from the gun was fired through the
door.
Crabtree was alleged to have had IN
his possession list Of five names In
cluding those Of the three men slatn
and the sheriff. County authorities
said he apparently had written out .
death list" Of intended victims.
Sheriff and state TROOPER Joe
Horne. summoned to the home Of
Crabtrees father this moaning.
learned Of the Killings. The sheriff
found Crabtree completing the clean
Ing Of shotgun.
The officers said q search Of the
mans clothing disclosed the list Of
names. Besides the name Of Sheriff
6avillc and those Of the slain men,
the list bore the name Of former
Sheriff Ruckman.
According to the sheriff. residents
Of the town said he had boasted re-
Gently Of the cleanup he WAS going
to make. He had been trouble with
authorities here 1t various tunes.
Sheriff 6aville said the man ad-
mitted the slootinGs and laughed
and joked with his captors.
Feeling among the residents ran
high against Crabtree and he Vas
taken to Keyser In m adjoining
county for safe keeping. Romney
police notified b. =. Rankin. prose-
cutting attorney 1t Keyser. that they
feared mob violence gainst the man
and warned him to be prepared to
protect the prisoner.