The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1878-03-29
From Moadoy's Extra Edition
The END AT LAST.
Closing Chapter in the Rea Murder.
HISTORY OF THE CASE,
CONFESSION
OF
Patrick TuZ1y.

In the yard of the Jail of Columbia county,
las expiated this day on the gallows, for
he first time since Bloomsburg has been the
ounty seat, the crime of murder. Nine
ears ago on Sunday the 18th day of October
SOS the dead body Of Alexander w. Rea, a
itizen of Centralia in this county, and
gent Of the Locust Mountain Coal and Iron
Company and the Coal Ridge Improvement
company, was found lying in the bushes
-ildled with bullets, near the water barre!
IN the road from Centrala to Mount Car
mel. He was last seen near that point on
preceding. On the 18th of No
yember 1868, on the testimony of one Thom-
AS Doorley, John Duffy, Michael Prior and
Thomas Donohue were arrested for the MUIR
der, and lodged in the Pottsville Jail. After
n HaJeas Corpus hearing the prisoners were |
sent to this county for trial. About the time |
of Donohue's arrest, Patrick Hester went to |
Illinois where he had brother aud sister |
living. Suspicion had already fastened upon
him. In the early part of January 1869
Hester returned, went to Bloomsbury and
delivered himself up for trial. AT the De-
cember sessions 1868 bill of Indictment was
found against Donohue, Duffy and Prior.
and at. February 1869 bill was returned
against, Hester, Donohue and Duffy.
The case was called by the District Attor-
ney on February I'd, 1869. the prisoners
were arraigned and pleaded severally not
guilty. On motion Of counsel, separate
trials were. granted, and the Commonwealth
elected to proceed against Thomas Donohue.
On the morning of the Sd jury was en-
panelled, aud the trial proceeded with. Dis
trict Attorney E. R. Ikeler, Linn Bartholo-
new, Robert +. Clark, Edward IL. Baldy
and NJ. NJ. L'Velle represented the Common
wealth, while John w. Ryan, John g.
Freeze, Myer Strouse, s. P. Wolverton and
w. A. Marr defended the prisoner.
The theory of the Commonwealth was, as
this Saturday was the general pay day in the
coal regions, a party of assassins had con-
cealed themselves at this point for the pur'
pose of securing the money Mr. Rea was 60
ing to pay the hands at the colliery. 1t was
his custom to pay the men at the colliery on
Friday, and had been for long time. This
fact was known to every person in the re-
gion. 1t was done for the purpose OF ena-
bling the person bringing the money from
Philadelphia to return home on Saturday
He had been to the colliery and paid the
men. So it would seem pretty certain that
the perpetrators of the crime must have
been ignorant of the time of payment at the
Coal ridge Colliery. On the 1lth of Febru
ary verdict OF not guilty was rendered in
the case of Donohue, and the prisoner wa.
discharged.
At the May Term 1869 the case of Duffy
was tried and resulted in the acquittal OF thu
defendant oni the l1th of May. On thu
same day, the evidence against Heste
at that time being insufficient to convict, I
aoHe prosequi was entered and he was dis
charged. Prior was tried and acquitted
Seven years passed by, and no further clu
was discovered as to the murderers OF Kea
There was at this time confined in tn
Schuylkill county Jail, on the charge of lar
ceny man named Manus Gull, alias DAME
Kelly, one of the most abandoned criminals
Learning that there were suspicious of hi
having some knowledge Of the Rea murde
this man who had been guilty of almost ev
cry crime on the calendar, concluded to tnrl
states evidence and thus save his own neck
Accordingly, on his testimony in the fall o
1876, Peter McHugh, aud Patrick Tull.
were arrested as participants in the murder
and Patrick Hester was rearrested as an &C
cessory before the fact. They were frs
lodged in the Pottsville Jail, and on Janua
ry3l, 1877 brought to this county for trial
On Wednesday February 7th the trial be
gan. Messrs Hughes, Buckalew and Distrc
Attorney Clark were for the Commonwealth
and Messrs Ryon, Wolverton, Freeze
Brockway, Mahan and Elwell for the pris
oners. The prisoners were formally arraign
ed, Tully and McIiugh answering enc
guilty" and n special plea was put in io
Hester to the effect tina: he had once bee
arrested and discharged for the same ofenc,
The court overruled the special plea, an
Hester plead mot guilty" and the three d.
cided to be tried together.
The principal witness against them vi
Manus Gull alias Daniel Kelly who hi
been made competent witness by pardC
from the Governor. The substance of b
testimony is contained in portion Of Jud
Elwells charge to the jury which we cop,
"Daniel Kelly, an accomplice in the mi
der of Alexander w. Rea, has testified
facts, which if believed to be true, esti
lish the guilt of all the prisoners. He 81
that the robbery and murder Of Mr.. i
was'planned on the night of the l6th,of DC
Der 1868, at the saloon OF Thomas Donol
in Ashland, at the suggestion of Patr
Hester; that there were present at the C
spiracy ten persons viz; Patrick Hes
Peter McHugh, Patrick Tully, Ned 81
ington, Bryan Campbell, james Brad
William Muldowney, Roger Laife
Jack Dalton and himself that its OBJ
WAS money. Hester informed the otl
that Rea would go to Bells Tunnel the I
day, and that there was money in it
them-lS or 10 thousand dollars that
whole band had pistols; that it was ag
to rob, but not to kill Mr.. Rea; that
all stayed in Donohue's saloon drinking
night until nearly daylight, when all &C
Lafierty started out to meet Mr.. Rea on
Mt. Carmel road between Centralia
MtCnmel; that Muldowpey left then
ing he was lame that above the toll
Hester and Skivington left, Skiyington
ing that be would go to work in orde
ward off suspicion, and Hester that he "
90 to Shamokin to buy hair to put in
for plastering; that he there handed
pistol TO Kelly saying, 'your pistol Is