Bethlehem Section Stirred By Two Murders And A Stabbing
Bingen Killer and Bethlehem Slasher At Large, While Another Gun Handler Gives Himself Up
Two murders and a stabbing in the vicinity of Hellertown stirred the whole section yesterday. The two murders occurred within a period of five hours and one alleged slayer is under arrest. Charles Edgar Haines, aged 54 years, of North Bethlehem, is in custody, charged with killing James O'Connor, address unknown, following an argument. Haines is said to have used a double barrelled shotgun, firing but one charge to get his man.
Edward (Edwin) Henninger, of Bingen, near Hellertown, who has a notorious prison record, is at large with a posse on his trail. Henninger, who was said to have been drunk on Sunday and to have threatened to kill his whole family, shot and killed Harvey Gross, aged 48, of Hellertown, who in company with Chief of Police Zimpfer and his two sons, Constable Rothrock and W.W. Wasser, of Hellertown, were attempting to serve several warrants on Henninger. Shortly after killing Gross, Henninger shot and wounded Rothrock, who is in St. Luke's Hospital, South Bethlehem, with a flesh wound in the hip.
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Just as the O'Connor murder excitement had subsided, a report was sent to Bethlehem police headquarters about 7:40 p.m., that there had been another murder between Bingen and Leithsville. Superintendent Halteman, Detectives McGettigan, Quingey, and Kelleher, in company with several other men went to Hellertown, where the information was given that Edwin Henninger, a character well known to the police, had shot and killed Gross and seriously wounded Rothrock.
Henninger, it appears, had been threatening to clean up his whole family, which consists of his wife and seven children, and have it all over with. For several days, according to the members of his family, there had been domestic trouble and he did not enter the home, staying in a barn a short distance from the house.
Chief Zimpfer and Constable Rothrock, with the other men, went to the home last evening about 7 o'clock to serve the two warrants and found that Henninger was in the barn. As they walked toward the structure, being but a few feet away, Henninger opened a door on the second floor and fired two shots, one of which struck Gross in the left chest. The bullet took a downward course, struck a rib and lodged near the heart. Gross staggered and cried, I believe he got me. One of his companions asked if he was badly hurt and he answered yes. Gross was then taken into the house.
Henninger quickly closed the door. The officers and their men surrounded the building, Chief Zimpfer taking a stand close to the rear of the barn. A few minutes later Henninger attempted to leave by a rear window and as he put a foot out he was called upon by Zimpfer to surrender. He answered the challenge with “No, you ------, like ----- I will and fired two more shots at the officer.
Calling a council of war, the besiegers decided that a bucket filled with rags and rope ends would be lighted on the first floor of the barn in an effort to smoke Henninger out. The plan was carried out and in a few minutes Henninger came out of the lower door. Rothrock, who was standing probably twenty-five feet away from the entrance, shot at Henninger, who immediately returned the fire, one of his bullets, taking effects into the officer's right side.
Henninger ran toward the house as Rothrock dropped and the other officers started firing at him. As he reached the center of the garden he dropped for a moment or two, the officers being under the impression that he had been hit. A search, however, revealed the fact that he had crawled away through the shrubbery.
Gross and Rothrock were placed in machines and rushed to the office of Dr. Deibert, 411 Main street, Hellertown. At the time of the arrival at the physician's office Gross was dead and Rothrock was then taken to St. Luke's Hospital. Reinforcements were called by Chief Zimpfer and more than fifty residents of Hellertown answered the call with the officers. All the available revolvers, shotguns and rifles were commandeered and the man hunt was on. It was believed he had made his getaway and probably was hiding in a cornfield back of the house or in the woods which faced the front of the house.
Spreading out in semi-circle, about twenty of the men, aided by the rays of powerful flashlights and spotlights from the automobiles which had gathered around the place, fine-combed the vicinity, but Henninger had made good his escape.
Thinking that probably he had made his way toward Quakertown,
where he is well-known, or into the lower end of Bethlehem, all avenues of escape are being covered with the hopes of getting him. He is about five feet, five or six inches in height, heavily set, weighing between 160 and 175 pounds, has gray hair and is slightly bald. When he left the place after the shooting he wore no hat.
Henninger, it is said, was a member of the party of men who visited the home of a Mr. Reed near Fogelsville on September 1st and represented themselves as revenue officers. He was released from Lehigh county jail just a few days ago on another charge and was under bail. He has been arrested several other times and was known as a thoroughly bad man. He also served time in the Easton prison.
Gross, the murdered man, was a railroader and resided on Durham street, Hellertown. He leaves a widow and five or six children. Rothrock is married, but has no children.