The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-04-15
A FLASH OF LIGHTNING.
An Aged Broker Robbed and Almost Mar
dered mt HIS Office at MiddRy-The Jack
sheppards Speedily Punished.

dered mt His Onlce at MIdday-The Jack
sheppards Speedily Punished.
YESTERDAYS, in the General Sessions, one of the
most important and most thrilling cases of crime
ever tried in this or any criminal court was
disposed of by Cunning s. Bedford Jr our
efficient and independent City Judge. Two men,
named Francis Degan and Daniel Whitner, were
arraigned charged with robbery in the first
degree, and also with felonious assault and
battery, the complainant being Joseph A. jack
son. The accused pleaded not guilty, and the
prosecuting officer proceeded to try them upon
the Indictment for robbery.
Joseph A. jackson, an aged and venerable
looking gentleman, tottered to the stand and
told
A STARTLING TALE.
1t appeared that he carried on the business of
q broker at No Amity street, and that about
noon on the 18th ofMarch the prisoners entered,
looked around saw Mr. jackson and his clerk
and said, "Oh, we have made a mistake" and
then went out. Fifteen minutes afterwards they
came back, the clerk having left in the mean
time, and said II guess we are right. Is your
name jackson 2" To which the old gentleman
replied, YES"
Whitner then handed Mr.. Jackson letter,
which he proceeded to read, and while reading
he was knocked senseless with some sharp in
strument inflicting cash upon the head, which
the old gentleman exhibited to the court and
jury. He added that his Office clothes were per-
fectly saturated with blood and that for two
weeks he was so PROSTATE and unconscious from
the effects of the beating he received that he
could not recognize his own wife. Mr.. jackson
had stolen from him a gold watch and chain,
valuable diamond pin, gold match safe, bunch
of keys, and pocketbook the aggregate value
of which was $1,000.
Robern J. Rosenthal a clerk in Mr.. Jacl1son's
employ, was the next witness, who testified
that on the day of the occurrence, between
twelve and one o'clock, he left Mr.. jackson
alone in the Office, perfectly well in every
respect, but when he returned, three-quarters of
an hour afterwards, he was
FRIGHTENED BY THE SPECTACLE
which met his gaze. He found his employer
lying on the floor covered with blood; there was
not only q large hole in his head, but he was
perfectly unconscious, and the floor and win
dows of the office were covered with gore. He
procured assistance, and had Mr.. jackson re-
moved. The clerk described Mr.. Jacksons APP
pearance before he left the Office, stating that
he saw him have the gold watch and chain and
the diamond pin in his shirt, but on his return
the pockets were rifed and the valuables gone.
DR.. Butler described the physical condition of
Mr.. jackson when he first saw him, the most
serious wound on the head being about two and
n half inches long, in the region OF the ear.
The doctor stated that he was still attending
him three times each day, and expressed the
opinion that Mr.. jackson would finally recover.
Officers King and Lyon, of the detective force
testified that they arrested the prisoners on the
night of the 26th of March, while passing e
through Division street. Degan had Mr..
Jackson's gold watch and seventy-two dollars
the officer that if he would bring him to Mr..
jackson he would tell him the truth about the
affair.
This was the case for the people, and after a
| brief and eloquent address by Mr.. Knitting,
| whom the Court assigned to defend the pri-
soners, Mr.. Fellows poured hot shot into the
| jury-boX for fifteen minutes, which resulted in
| the rendition of
! VERDICT OF GUILTY
| by the jury without leaving their seats.
Judge Bedford called Officer King to state the
antecedents of the prisoners who drew a rather
| dark portrait of their characters. 1t appeared
| that Degan was twice convicted of burglary, and
| Whitner was arrested several times for different
| crimes.
| To the usual inquiry which the clerk pro.
| pounds, "What is your occupation 7" one of the
| highWaymen replied that he was plasterer and
| the other said he was blacksmith. The evil
| dence showed that between them old Mr.. Jack.
| son was pretty well plastered and pounded by
| the heartless ruffians.
| SENTENCE OF THE COURT.
Judge Bedford, in passing sentence, said
Such monsters as you are should be Gagged fol
| life. The sentence of the Court is that you eacf
| be confined in the State Prison, at hard labor
| for the term of nineteen years and six months.
| The spectators who crowded the courtroom
| could not refrain from
| EXPRESSING THEIR APPROPRIATION
at this just sentence, but gave vent to their feel
| ings in enthusiastic applause. The audience
| listened with breathless attention TO the shock
ing development made by the witnesses in thi
case, and the court-rooom presented a mucl
| livelier spectacle than the other branch of th
| court, where the monotonous details of th
| Mcfarland case are being evolyed.-N. y
Herald this morning.