The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1873-05-14
TIE RAFFERTY, cAsr.


s'' Our readers will remember the cir.
cumstance of Thps, Payne s. millbciug
.ab1rped down in August of 1871, alko
that some time aga, james Rafferty,
vas nrrested for the offtnce The &C.
:. count of tho trial which came on last
: week We copy from The Clarion lie.
: publican. Rafferty, got five years in
the Western Penitentiary: .ss,f /,
On Friday of hast week James Rsf..
ferty citizen OF Washington town.
ship in this County, was sentenced to-
tie Penitentiary for a period Of five
= years, charged with burning The saw
mill nf 'fhos. Payne in Isrmingion
township, in the mon,h If August
1871. The case was one that created
considerable of Interest, and quite an
excitement prevailed on account of it.
J. On the part Of the Cop1ronwsalth il
WAS shown that the NIL was burned
on the morning of the 23d Of Au.u.
= 1871. aud along with il was l ,500,0
feet Of pine lumber That on the ev-i
euing Of the 22d of August the mill
shut down al 6 p. M, and that the
= fire had died out in the engine room;
and that the wind had been blowing
frum the direction in which the boards
u we're piled. The fire was discover d
bsslbout two o'clock in The morning and
whrn seen was blazing through the
roof of the board piles and four or
live piles seemed To be on fire, IL
q also ppeared in evidence that on the
night of The burning man coming
from the direction OF The mill came
- within short distance nf some coon
hunters, and ON discovering them
turned away abruptly in another di-
j.. reaiisn and sOon afier they saw the
! fire. Evidence WAS al,lnced showing
!, that some time previously PayHe and
Rafferty, bad lqaarreied ami tina;
IS Railerty receiving the worst Of the
= battle had sworn to be rerenged
j Threats made by Rafferty, were given
sineyidense,s gang to shuw that he
had meditated spmething of tho kind
Declarations such AS "he would burn
90 him (Payne) out OF hotse and home"
were given in evidence, and also after
's1 The FIRE "Ihat one litlle match had
=. made big pile Of ashes" One of
the defendants children WIS cal led
81 and testified that She had heard her
father say that he would bHfn Payne's
e. mill. '-"sr '371a -
'-'a On the part Of the dcf,hee an effort
WAS made To pruge an aiihi Juhn Err.
~ rett of Nenaiigo tolnHv was ca led
2. who testified that In the month of
- August 1871 : Rafferty, and his son
81 stayed oue night with hRl, sleeping
- in the barn, and got their brea fast
sAl there the iext morning; bat was un-
able 70 fix the date OF the manih.
so' Michael Rafferty, the SON of the de-
iendant fixed tue time they gMere at
= Errells nbsnlgi Yl the night pf the
v : I2d, and hthat his father and him
E4s slept in,E Erretts barn, The defendant
d, was als9 sailed as = a,wilness, and ties
.ls,tised substantially that he. had slept
cid in Erreissharn the night fqf the fire.
sluRAd shat on that DAY I've had hauled
boards from Ellisons mill at Center
lluiYil e, and that sn, the -23d. be had
3 wept from. Errstt5 % Ellisqps mill. sa
= ba in anebHil9g ulbs epmmpn veal tb
b, proved that IssasFJ and his son had
both been seen on The evening" OF The
r292i near tryburg on their way home
from CenlerElle, and that they were
unworthy Of belief The case WAS
Vo'ably argued for the commonwealth
'oa4 45y Hon. jas canbel and Col. j. b..
~ Enox, and on the part of the defence
by Hon. I. G. GonlOn. The jury
we're oat less ,hsp az hour when they