Connecticut western news., 1879-05-07
4 Singular Case.
BAoKwooDsMEN KEEPING BEGGAR's LIFE
 HEAVILY INSURED AND FINALLY DROWN ING HIM,

ING HIM.
 The trial of six men for the murder of another, an aged beggar on whose life they had obtained insurances amounting to $50, 900, was concluded at Lebanon, Pa., and the accused, all but one of them wood-choppers and grossly ignorant men, were convicted of murder in the first degree.
 The scene of the murder was Indian town Gap, in the backwoods country at the foot of the Blue Hills. It is wild and barren forest country, inhabited by wood-choE pers, backwoodsmen, and ig- norant laborers, who burn charcoal for living. Near the mountains runs public road, and by this stands log cabin, over whose door are the words, lest. Joseph's Hotel" Israel Brandt was the proprietor. He is one-armed man, with a shrewd face and sharp eyes, tall and portly. Three hundred yards further on in the forest stands the cabin that, up to Dec. 8 of last year, was the rade home of Joseph Raber, the man | who was murdered.
 Joseph Raber was about 60 years of age, Ee was penniless and without friends. He did what work he could at coal burning and wood chopping, but most of his time was spent tramp ing from place to place, begging and ln | idleness. The instigation to the murder of such man was this: All about here prevailed reckless mania for life in- surance speculation. Everybody seemed to be going wild on the subject. Young men invested their surplus earnings in insuring the lives of old people. And it happened once that a number of men ! came together and selected old Joseph Raber as desirable man to insure for | their benefit.
 In the rude inn known as St. Joseph's Hotel, four persons living in the | neighborhood decided to insure the old mans life. A number of mutual con- panies were found to take the various risks, and at one time policies were held by the four amounting to $50, l These men had the policies assigned to them, they paying the premiums, and promising old Raber that when he died they would provide him decent burial.
 On the afternoon of Dec. 8 of last year, the dead body of the old man was found lying in the Indiantown Creek, near a small foot bridge, about 125 yards from St. Joseph's We'll. It was given out that while the old man was crossing the bridge he was seized with @ fit of vertigo, fell into the shallow water of the creek, and was drowned.
 1t soon became evident that Raber was murdered. Charles Drews, Frank Stechler, Weise, Brandt, Hummel, and Techman were arrested and lodged in Lebanon jail. Drews and Stechler were charged with having committed the mur-
 der direct, and the other four (who held
 the life insurance policies) were arrested
 as conspirators and accessories before
 and after. the fact.
 The testimony on trial developed the
 facts that when $50, 900 of insurance was
 effected on the old mans life, the holders of the policies could not hire man tc , put an end to him. On several occa.
 sions they planned to have the old man pass over a lonely road at night; but this he did not do. Finally, they were unable to pay the premiums on so large 3 an amount, and, about $20, ,OOO dropped through by default of making up tn, interest. The men became desperate v as they saw fortune quickly slipping
 from their grasp. All their money hat @ been paid over for premiums, and stil 1 old Raber was alive. Mrs. Peters testi
 fled that Brandt accused her that it wa |. her fault that the old man had not bee killed that the murder must be don
 by Friday or Saturday, Dec. s or 9, o
 all the policies would certainly fall a Other witnesses told, plainly and fore ;, bly,, of offers made to kill the old mar
 The plot was no secret in the Drew n family, and was freely spoken of befor
 the children; but they were all under
 tn1sat of instant death If they breathe
 8 word about it to any one.
 |" Drews is the oldest man of the pri '' oners. His head and face are nearl
 perfect fac-simile of the famous phys
 ognomy of G. l.. Fox as clown, in flu
 clown make up. Drews is yellow, hoy " ever, instead of white. He is near B. hairless, has very small blue eyes, lare y, nose and mouth, round chin, and vel A round and smooth head. He is abo1 ". sixty-two years of age. His companie ~ ~ in the direct murder, Frank Stechler, ~ the youngest of the six, and is the on 'o unmarried man among them. He
 about twenty-one. His uncle testif' 6 that the young man was induced to he LII Drews to do the deed under promi o0 of $2OO.
 f. There are in the same region of Pen - sylvania hundreds of cases where old a ~ decrepit poor persons have been
 duced to have their lives insured, und u promise that they would be decent
 buried and have a nice gravestone. T
 policies are at once assigned to the D.
 son who pays the premiums, and W ,oc subsequently waits with an anxio ,nt heart for the death of the person avs sured. All the temptations for fe be play can be readily imagined, especia rol in this wild backwoods country. ny, In School Books. ned