Mr. Blevins an immigrant from Ireland ran a small grocery business in between the times he first won the Newcastle treasurers position in 1875 and again in 1884
although the case is officially unsolved one convicted and executed murderer Charles E. Kruger
who killed a constable
Claims to have been involved in it but it has been found by officials at the time not to be credible .
It was in he evening of Saturday January 7,1899 when Treasurer Blevins would be found in a pool of blood after a horrific beating in his treasurers office in the rear of old City building after first stopping by his sons store on Washington Street to tell him he would be stopping by the treasurers office . When his son returned home for the evening around 11 Pm his son concerned went to his office since he had not returned home and came upon the ghastly scene his father lying on the floor unconscious ad dying and blood splattered everywhere thru the office furniture at the time one of the most horrific murders of its day a old timer I meet while at Gem & Mineral show in Newcastle in 70s and who was alive at time of the case as a young teen told me about the case and he said everyone in town was just in shock over the whole matter.
Despite a very high $2000.00 dollar Reward the equivalent of $200,000.00 today and fact office was view-able from the street, no one came forward with information .The only clues left by the killer or killers a piece of iron possibly a spring from a horse buggy used to bludgeon the treasurer
Plus there where papers and some money missing later determined to be around $26,000.00 in city and $32,000.00 in school funds .
It is not known if it was taken by the killers or it had been loaned to individuals as Mr. Blevins was known to be honest and accommodating to those who needed to pay taxes and where in arrears and needed more time to pay.
One theory was the killer or killers came to take papers that proved they where loaned the money
or maybe some one he did business with felt cheated by him or even some one who may have lost there home or business to tax sale took revenge. All avenues at the time where pursued but unsuccessful and in 1899 forensics where no where near as sophisticated as today's crime science.
it goes down as one of Lawrence County's oldest Cold Cases Hopefully one day we will have answers.
Thank You to the Lawrence County Historical Society who has done extensive research on this case which allowed me to look further into the story since I first heard of it.
It was in he evening of Saturday January 7,1899 when Treasurer Blevins would be found in a pool of blood after a horrific beating in his treasurers office in the rear of old City building after first stopping by his sons store on Washington Street to tell him he would be stopping by the treasurers office . When his son returned home for the evening around 11 Pm his son concerned went to his office since he had not returned home and came upon the ghastly scene his father lying on the floor unconscious ad dying and blood splattered everywhere thru the office furniture at the time one of the most horrific murders of its day a old timer I meet while at Gem & Mineral show in Newcastle in 70s and who was alive at time of the case as a young teen told me about the case and he said everyone in town was just in shock over the whole matter.
Despite a very high $2000.00 dollar Reward the equivalent of $200,000.00 today and fact office was view-able from the street, no one came forward with information .The only clues left by the killer or killers a piece of iron possibly a spring from a horse buggy used to bludgeon the treasurer
Plus there where papers and some money missing later determined to be around $26,000.00 in city and $32,000.00 in school funds .
It is not known if it was taken by the killers or it had been loaned to individuals as Mr. Blevins was known to be honest and accommodating to those who needed to pay taxes and where in arrears and needed more time to pay.
One theory was the killer or killers came to take papers that proved they where loaned the money
or maybe some one he did business with felt cheated by him or even some one who may have lost there home or business to tax sale took revenge. All avenues at the time where pursued but unsuccessful and in 1899 forensics where no where near as sophisticated as today's crime science.
it goes down as one of Lawrence County's oldest Cold Cases Hopefully one day we will have answers.
Thank You to the Lawrence County Historical Society who has done extensive research on this case which allowed me to look further into the story since I first heard of it.
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