Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 60, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 March 1899 — MOB IS DEFIED. [ARTICLE]

MOB IS DEFIED.

Daaperato Attempt to Capture Two Barricaded Murderer*. John and Paul Zeltner, murderers of Hoytsville, Ohio, were lodged in jail at Bowling Green after having tor eighteen hours defied an infuriated mob which threatened them with summary vengeance. The two men, who tpurdered Attorney Westenhaver and later killed Clarence Wittenmeyer, one of their pursuers, held the great crowd of would-be lynchers at bay until they were ready to surrender. During all the time from the commission of the first crime Saturday afternoon until after 6 o’clock Sunday morning the two, aided by the women of their household, defied the desperate throng which besieged their home. They plainly stated that they would not submit to lynching and every assault on the house was answered with such well-aimed bullets that the lynching party feared to carry out its plans. Each move on the part of the assailants was the signal for a shot, showing that the women were doing their share in the work of defense. Only when they were assured a military guard and all possible protection did the murderers agree to submit to arrest. E. H. Westenhaver had been attorney for the Zeltner brothers in numerous cases, and had sued them for his fees. The jury and witnesses had been sworn before Justice E. Burgoon at Hoyt’s Corners, in Westenhaver’s suit, when Paul Zeltner demanded some papers of Westenhaver, and attempted to take them from his pocket. John Zeltner then joined in demanding the papers, and immediately fired the fa tai. shot that killed Westenhaver. The Zeltners had thejr horses ready for mounting and escape, and it is thought that they had arranged to get Westenhaven into a fight, although they did not give the victim time to make any demonstrations toward them. The Zeltners kept up their firing till they mounted their horses, and continued it as hundreds of citizens pursued them to their residence. Then the citizens laid siege to the Zeltner house. The lynchers kept up a continual firing and it is declared that the women also engaged in the defense. John Zeltner is married and has four children, and his family was in the house with him. The battle was waged furiously, the besiegers, including the sheriff’s posse, finding it necessary to keep under cover of the trees to avoid being hit. Clarence Wittenmeyer was shot down while attempting with a posse of twenty-five or thirty to capture the house by a determined charge. This increased the excitement, and the mob, now swelled to 1,000 in number, seemed bent upon lynching the Zeltners. To prevent this the sheriff telegraphed to North Baltimore for the militia and the Bloomfield rifles and the North Baltimore cadets hurried to the scene. All night long the siege was kept up. When Wittenmeyer fell volley after volley was poured into tile crowd from the upper story of the Zeltner house. During the fight a cannon and a quantity of nitroglycerin had been secured, so that there would have been trouble after sunrise if the troops had not arrived. Peaceable methods finally prevailed in the capture, although it is doubtful if the capture would have been effected except for the fact that the Zeltners were nearly out of ammunition and they knew surrender was the only method of saving themselves. The Zeltners agreed to surrender to ex-Bheriff Biggs if guaranteed protection from the fury of the mob. The two military companies were drawn up in lines and the men handcuffed and taken from the house, after which the women locked all the doors and pulled down all the blinds, tinder escort of the militia, the men were marched through the mud and snow to Custar station, where they took a train for Tontogany, there changing again and landing in Bowling Green shortly after noon. At that point at least 1,500 persons had congregated, but the Zeltners were hurried to jail without any further trouble.