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| Luther J. Shaffer- The Murderer Image Retrieved From: |
To tell the story of how Luther Shaffer ended up at the gallows, we must travel to the “narrows” between Lamar and Tylersville in Clinton County. It was here that the family of Isaiah and Nora Colby forged a humble existence working the rocky soil around their two-room pine-slab homestead. Two young children rounded out the family.
On August 8, 1887, Anna Colby, the mother of Isaiah, walked from her home in Tylersville towards her son’s homestead to assist with harvesting. When she arrived, she was met with a horrific sight. There in front of the house, was her beloved son with a bullet hole under his right eye. Just a few feet from him lay his wife, also dead with three bullet wounds and reportedly naked with indications of rape.
Anna then heard the cries of Augusta, the couple's fifteen-month-old child from inside. The child was emaciated from hunger and crying for its life. The couple's other child had been away with family at the time. Examination of the bodies by Dr. Huston of Mackeyville revealed that Nora had been raped either while she lay unconscious or after her last breath had escaped her.
Since decomposition had already set in, the couple were lowered into their graves in Tylersville that night. The graves were left open and a guard posted to watch over them until the morning. Hundreds of people from Sugar Valley and beyond attended the funeral services for the slain couple the next day. Isaiah was thirty-six years old and Nora twenty-one.
Since decomposition had already set in, the couple were lowered into their graves in Tylersville that night. The graves were left open and a guard posted to watch over them until the morning. Hundreds of people from Sugar Valley and beyond attended the funeral services for the slain couple the next day. Isaiah was thirty-six years old and Nora twenty-one.
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| Solomon Peck operated an undertaker business at the Junction House in Nittany. Mr. Peck prepared the bodies of Nora and Isaiah before burial. Author's Collection |
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| Tylersville Cemetery where Isaac and Nora were buried Author's Photo |
Days before the murder, a group of highwaymen had been robbing travelers on the road leading to the narrows from Lamar. Victims were able to provide descriptions of the men who had stopped them, of which one man, who wielded a pistol, seemed to be in charge. Three of the men were rounded up and questioned by the authorities. The fourth man, the one who held the pistol remained at large.
Luther Shaffer, a local resident of the area, matched the description of the missing highwayman with the pistol. Additional testimonies also placed him near the narrows before the murder and had since disappeared from the area. Shaffer now became the principle suspect in the investigation and a man-hunt began. Law enforcement officers from Lock Haven received news that Shaffer had been seen in North Bend, Clinton County heading up Young Woman's Creek.
On August 19th, the posse tracked Shaffer to a lumber camp on the West Branch of Pine Creek in Potter County. Upon arrival, the officers questioned a passing lumberman who said that a man matching the description of Shaffer had arrived just hours before. The sheriff crept within ten feet of Shaffer before he noticed the officer. With his pistol not within reach, Luther had no other option but to allow himself to be put under arrest. He was then taken to Ansonia and placed on a train to Lock Haven where he was taken to the jail. Reportedly, Shaffer told the sheriff that if he hadn't gotten lost the day before, they'd never would have caught him.
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| The old Lock Haven Jail where Luther Shaffer was hanged |
The trial of Shaffer and the three other men was set for two o’clock on December 5th, 1887. Throngs of people came to the city to hear its outcome. It was decided that Shaffer would be tried separate from the other men. He was first tried for the murder of Nora Colby, that way if he was acquitted on a technicality, he could be tried for Isaiah’s murder. Shaffer was told to stand as the indictment was read. His demeanor appeared exceptionally calm and undisturbed. He was then asked to respond to the charge as guilty or not guilty. Shaffer firmly bellowed, “I am not guilty!”
While he maintained his innocence, the evidence was becoming overwhelming. A silver watch that Shaffer had stolen from Isaiah's home and sold at a Renovo jewel shop was identified by John Colby, Isaiah's father. Numerous individuals were able to confirm that Shaffer had been in the vicinity of the Colby house or surrounding area. One of these witnesses was Henry Robb, then owner of the Nittany Inn. Many others who had a run in with Shaffer remembered seeing him with a pistol as he passed.
The trial was continued the following day. Shaffer did not exhibit the same iron demeanor he had the previous day, in fact he looked fatigued and rather nervous. Nora's bloody clothing was exhibited and identified by John Colby. Other witnesses traced his path north to Lock Haven and then eventually Renovo. Even up there he could not escape running into people who knew him back in Nittany Valley. One of the last articles of evidence was the blood found on Shaffer's pants that even with scrubbing still remained. Shaffer's defense attempted to frame the evidence as circumstantial and that he jury should heavily scrutinize each piece.
On December 8th, the trial was concluded and the jury was sent out to deliberate. They returned not long after with a verdict. Luther Shaffer was found guilty of first-degree murder. A second trial was asked for by his defense, but was refused. Luther was later sentenced to death by hanging. Governor James Beaver later signed his death warrant; Wednesday April 4th, 1888 would be Shaffer’s last day on Earth.
The trial was continued the following day. Shaffer did not exhibit the same iron demeanor he had the previous day, in fact he looked fatigued and rather nervous. Nora's bloody clothing was exhibited and identified by John Colby. Other witnesses traced his path north to Lock Haven and then eventually Renovo. Even up there he could not escape running into people who knew him back in Nittany Valley. One of the last articles of evidence was the blood found on Shaffer's pants that even with scrubbing still remained. Shaffer's defense attempted to frame the evidence as circumstantial and that he jury should heavily scrutinize each piece.
On December 8th, the trial was concluded and the jury was sent out to deliberate. They returned not long after with a verdict. Luther Shaffer was found guilty of first-degree murder. A second trial was asked for by his defense, but was refused. Luther was later sentenced to death by hanging. Governor James Beaver later signed his death warrant; Wednesday April 4th, 1888 would be Shaffer’s last day on Earth.
As he waited in the jail, Shaffer attempted to implicate another man who he said committed the crime. John W. Johnson was one of the three other men who were later tried. While Johnson had a previous history with the Colby's and was spotted in the area near their home, he was later acquitted.
Before his execution, the Pennsylvania Grit pieced together a pamphlet of what occurred that hot day back in August. Luther Shaffer had taken breakfast with the Colby's on Sunday August 7th. When Isaiah went outside to cut grass for his livestock. Luther took the opportunity to attempt to make a pass at Nora. When she rebuffed his advances, he was determined to force himself upon her. Nora was able to escape and dart outside. Luther followed close behind and drew his pistol. If he allowed her to escape, he would certainly be found out. Luther fired three shots, all of which struck Nora. When Isaiah ran up to investigate, Luther felled him with one shot. Luther then returned to Nora where he proceeded in "ravishing her."
Soon Luther's final day came. Gallows were transported from Williamsport and erected in the courtyard of the Lock Haven Jail. The hanging of Luther J. Shaffer went without incident. Right before the execution, Shaffer professed religion and accepted the Catholic faith. By doing so, Shaffer was interred in the city's St. Mary’s Cemetery rather than in an unmarked grave.
However, if you try to find his name among the rows of tombstones, you won't find it. There is however, a Francis J. Shaffer inscribed on a broken tombstone with the date of death as April 4, 1888. This is not a mere coincidence. Luther’s name, forever linked with sin, was changed before being interred in the cemetery's sacred ground.
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| Luther Shaffer's broken headstone in St. Mary's Cemetery in Lock Haven. Author's Photo |
Today, little is left as a reminder of this great tragedy. Shaffer’s grave and the old jail where he was hanged are the only physical reminders of the event. Nora and Isaiah’s graves in Tylersville are no longer marked. The Colby farm where the murders took place was washed away in the Flood of 1889. No traces of it remain today. All a visitor will experience when walking near the site of the Colby’s home is a resounding sense of peacefulness from the tranquil surroundings, followed by sorrow for the lives that were traumatically cut short so long ago.
Information Retrieved From:
Furst, J.(1892).Historical and biographical work: or, Past and Present of Clinton County pa. Pennsylvania Grit Printing House.
John W Johnson is one of my ancestors. I would love to hear his story.
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