The "The Lancaster That Was" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading my Sunday LNP newspaper.  Opened the B-section of the paper, known as "Lancaster Living," and after turning to page 2 saw the headline under the "Lancaster That Was" sub-head: Swarr murder case was finally closed in 1995.  The "Lancaster That Was" section highlights stories from past newspapers, usually 5 years to up to 50 years from the current date.  Today the lead story talked about 1995 when the last chapter of the 1979 murder case was closed with a guilty plea from the man who masterminded a burglary that resulted in the deaths of two senior citizens who were siblings.  I remembered the case well and thought I would search the newspaper's archives to read about it one more time.  Within a few minutes I was reading a story written on Wednesday, January 18, 1989.

Headline in the January 18, 1989 newspaper.

Then for some reason I saw the staff writer's name who had written the article.  Guy by the name of John M. Hoober III, or "Bones" to me.  He was a friend since elementary school and he was even more skinny than me when we were little.  Graduated with him in 1962 and lost touch with him until our 25th Class Reunion.  "Bones" wrote the story of Horace J. Swarr, 81, and his sister Mary Amanda Swarr, 87, who were murdered in 1979 by at least two well-dressed robbers who traveled from out-of-town to the Swarr home on West Walnut Street and posed as Social Security officials to get inside.

Horace and Mary Swarr who died after being robbed.

The two were from Maryland and had heard the Swarrs kept a large amount of cash and valuables coins in their home at 432 W. Walnut St.  The robbers bound and gagged the elderly couple, stole what they could find and then made an anonymous call to the police.  They told police a robbery had taken place, but gave the wrong address.  As a result, the couple was not found for several days and slowly died from lack of food and water.

This graphic showed where the crime took place.

A Lancaster Newspaper carrier noticed papers piling up on the Swarr porch and reported it to his boss at the newspaper who informed the police who entered the home on September 17.  Mary was found dead from dehydration and starvation while Horace was barely alive.  He died the next day.  At least four men came to Lancaster, but only two went to the house.  Two men were eventually taken into custody and charged with two counts of criminal homicide and conspiracy.  The other two suspects were not identified, but evidence is being mounted for future arrests.  The two men arrested were Robert O'Neill , 40, and John Askey, 51, both from Maryland.  The Lancaster Police Chief said the arrests climax a decade-long investigation that was never closed and that ultimately involved local state and Maryland investigators.  The big break in the murder mystery came in November, 1987, eight years after the crime, when someone told Baltimore County police that he had information about a murder and robbery of an elderly couple in Pennsylvania.  When it was determined the tip involved the Swarr murders, a crack group of detectives began working on the case.  After 14 months enough evidence was obtained and the arrests were made.  A suit that one of the men wore was obtained for analysis.  The other two were still being sought.

Photo of friend Mary Biting who lived
next door to the Swarr's on Walnut. Street.

Eventually the mastermind was arrested and pled guilty to the murders.  I also located a story written Wednesday, January 18, 1989 that was titled "Neighbors recall 'nightmare'."  Tells about the neighbors on West Walnut Street who have not forgotten the murders of their neighbors.  One woman, Mary Bitting,...wait a minute!  I stared at the photograph of Mary and realized I sang in the St. James Church choir with her.  She sat right in front of me during choir practice as well as in the choir stalls. Often would talk to me about my children and my wife Carol.  At the time she was a retired school teacher who happened to live right next door to the Swarr's.  Said she couldn't sleep after she heard about the murder that happened in the other side of the duplex where she lived.  She did tell me that she was so glad that the murder was finally solved and the culprits were in jail.  The mastermind of the entire crime was Donald W. Nelson of Virginia who had learned of the wealth of the Swarr's from their nephew.  He ended up serving 10 years in prison.  There were also stories in the "Lancaster That Was" from 1970, 1945 and 1920, but those stories will have to wait for another day.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.