Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1864-04-06
THE Late Riot Case-Previous Pardon, ETC.

| ed of not. under circumstances which induced
| their counsel and large number of our citizens
to apply to the Governor for pardon, (which was
! granted This has aroused the ire of the editors
of the CLARIFIED Republican, and excited the in
dignation of some correspondent of the Harris
| burg Patriot and Union. 10 such an alarming ex-
entthat they virtually advise their 'Demoeratic''
friends to take the law into their own hands here
after and TO hold tlems elves in readiness ito de-
lend their homes and fresiies in blood,'i with
much more to the same purpose, not necessary to
| repeat.
1t is due to the Governor and to those citizens
who asked for the pardonthat all the facts in til
case should be fair y stated, and if, in doing So
the feelings OF any Democrats hurt they
may thank their party friends for having render
| ed the statement necessary. We have had no dis
position TO enlarge the circumstances attend
| ing the trial and conviction heretofore because
! the reputation of the leaders of the dominant
party of this county for bigotry, intolerance and
! prescription Is bad enough already, and we had
hoped Tor their credit, and the credit of the
county, that the matter would have besn permit
| ted to rest
On the night before the October election the
| ''Uemocrats held meeting in Curyensviiie
After the meeting was over mum Der of persons
| were Assem- bied in the bar-room of Bloom tay-
| ern. Among the rest young soldier named
VIM. Addleman, who was at kome on furlough
having been wounded at the battle of q ettysburg
1 "a fracture of the lower jaw H. cheered for
| Curtin. and was Immediately attacked by George
| A. Bloom-knocked down, pounded his partly
healed wound torn open, and SO badly abused that
although it is more than five months since it oc-
CURED, he is yet suffering the consequences in the
| hospital. Pyle Bard and Harshorn, with others
| who were present, lnterfered, pulled Bloom off
! and rescued Addleman, or he would probably have
been Killed. he was removed to the store of Hip
pie and Faust where his wounds were dressed
| n the meantime Bloom started home.
subsequently Bloom made information
| charging Pyle Bard UartshOFn, and othors un-
known, with riot; alleging that they came TO his
| house about midnight (the same night of the af-
fray) and endeavored by various pretences to get
| him out of the hOuSe-that failing TO do so they
threw stones and other missiles through the win
doWs-hred guns and pistols made threats and
lett a tar can and a bag of feathers. They were
arrested, bound over to court, and January term
the case came on for trial. The prosecution was
conducted by District Attorney Test and Senator
Wallace Ii. B. Swoope for the defendants
When the Jury had been empanneled. Just as the
prosecutor called to the stand and before anv
evidence had been given Sheriff Perks went to
1 VIM. NJ Bride of Curwensville. where he was sit
! ting in the courtroom, and made this remark;
ot Rd bettcr get y0Yr boys to ssrtke this matter.
yOr got 5Slry there that 1rEN c0HUict tHe8z
/ sure The remark was heard by several Der
| sons, we'll as by Mr. Nj Bride to whom it was
| made. The trial proceedsd-Bloom and his wife
! toldtheir story. identifying the three young men
swearing positively as to each, and stating that
| Pyle threw can of tar through the window
| They sWore that five shots were fred that there
was great deal of hoiloing and noise, and that
n.
testified that he lived about thirty rods off that
he heard Bloom and his wife hoIloing in the
night, heard no other noise, and shooting. ex-
eept some early in the night by people going
home from the Democratic meeting lie went TO
the house. found tar and feathers and stones and
the window broken-no person hurt.
The defendants proved that Pyle not there,
because he went straight home from CurwensyiIle.
went to bed, and remained there until morning
b. b. Draucker accompanied him home-John
harley lived In the house, and swore that he came
home about eleven o'clock, went to bed, and slept
with hIm@ seymour Ross also lived in the house,
and testified to the fact. 1t was further pro-
ven, by four witnesses, that Bloom was drunk on
| that evening-and that his wife had also been
seen in Graft Lager-Beer Saloon drinking She
swore positively that she notthere at ali But
Mrs: Graf and feur other witnesses testified that
she was there 1t proved by John Elinger.
who lived 80 reds from Bloom that no shots were
fired were there any marks of shot to be found
about the premises-he that he heard no
noise except Bloom and his wife hoIloing Nine
citizens, Messrs. Fleming, Clark Draucker. Hemp
hltl, Mason. Eilnger, Hlie. Brown and Williams
testified that Bloom S character for truth and We
racity was bad. This was substantially the evil
dence in the case.
Senator Wallace, In summing ND for the Com
monwealth, made one of his regular political har-
rangues-talking about who were running the
machine"-''tax collectors assessors &c
| appealing directly to the political prejudices of
the jury, and as it turned out, not appealing in
vain.
Judge Linn, in his charge instructed the jury
as explicitly as was possible, that Pyle had 'sat-
isfactOrly accounted Cor his wherea bouts on the
night in question, and ought not to be convicted
He stated very clearly the rules of evidence in re-
gard TO witnesses contradcted in material points
and to the effect ofthe impeachment of their vera
city.
The jury consisted of the following persons
Thomas Mehatfey. q " Shimmel, John Living
ston, Henry hrifer, Robert Young, Samuel Full
lertOn, VIM. s Dickey S. Thorpe Robert L
| illegal, John Brechtol and Samuel Newcomer
After being out NINE HOURS, they returned gem
erai verdict of guilty against the whole three
| Judge Linn had in the meantime gone home
Judge Bloom relative of the prosecutor
and the sentence was therefore postponed until
| the March term.
1T was soon ascertained that the evidence had
| very little to do with the verdiet-that the ma
jority of the Jurors assigned political reasons for
| their actIon-some of their Der accusing the
man who held out for acquittaI with being
bribed etc. The evidence of these facts is on lie
/ In the Executive Department at Harri sbure In
no other way could a verdict, so manifestIy CON
trary TO the evidence and the instructions OF the
court be accounted for. Pyle was clearly inDo.
cent. beyond the shadow of doubt The eyi-
dence TO the others, was, by reason of the con-
tradIctiors, and the impeacbmento Of Eeraeity Who'll
| ly insufficient 10 convict Yet this jury. verify
! ing the prediction of Sheriff Perks did convict
the whole three, and did it for political reasons
| of their number has testified.
1t IS said by the correspondent of the Pztrist
and OalO1 that, when the pardon was presented
! 10 the court, Judge Linn pronounced it improper
We were not in court on the occasion, but have
/ talked on the SUBJ with several persons who
were present, all of whom say Judge Linn express
! sed no opinion whatever on the subject We felt
sure that he would not be guilty of anything so
| indiscreet-that whatever might be his opinion
| he would keep it TO himself 1t is no part of the
| duty of Judge to comment upon the acts of the
Executive could he know the reasons which
may have Influenced the Governor Any such
remark therefore as that attributed to him,would
| have been highly improper.
Instead of Governor Curtin being censurable
| for pardoning these young men. the censure of