The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-02-13
HOLSTER PROVES AN ALIBI
NOT IN HOLLISTERTILLE on THE Date
or THE MASKED BURGLART

important fnrt In THIS curious Trial.
IIoNEsDA1E, Pa Feb. 12.--At II A. NJ yes
tcrday the prosecution in the trial Of L. b. Hol-
lister George Burns. William A. Myers. and
Fanny Van Gorder nil charged with conspring
to rob T. H. Baker, closed their case The
prosecution have introduced testimony TO- prove
that Baker held mortgage and Judgment
against HOLSTER for over s27O0. The money
was due about Aug l. 1878. HOLSTER volun-
torily offered to pay the debt 1--WE different times
although Baker had never said anything about
wanting it paid On Nov. g. 1878 J. ]. Curtis
took an assignment ot the mortgage. and paid
Hollistcr the amount. who pnii Il to Baker ut 3
o'clock tho same afternoon. Baker had insisted
TINT the amount should bd paid 10y check. but
HOLSTER paid 1t in currency Al o'clock in
the evening Baker secretly gave the pockethook
containing tho money to a ncighbor who took
it away. The peculiar nature Of the conspiracy
charged IL that one Of the men tMyers) was TO
set IRE to n barn near Bakers house on that
night and that when Baker had run out to the
IRE. another tBurnsl was to enter his house
masked. through the connivancc 81 Funny Van
Gordcr and take the money. The barn was
fred. as charged. and Baker was awak-
cncd by Fanny Van Gordcr. and he
ran out to the fire. While he was Como
n man. whom Mrs. Baker swcars was Burns.
| entered tho house. beat her so terribly
that she is yet an invalid. and also beat her
little son into insensibility. and thon ransneked
the house for tho money, taking pockotho'k
containing $3.50. which Baker gave to his wife
/ before he started for the FIRE.
Tho case for the defence was opened by G. s.
Purdy. Esq. Ho charged that the entire prose-
| cution in tho case is tho result ~ base con-
| spirncy. Baker. no said. conspircs to send
these parties to the pcnitentiary to satisfy
i II 4.ss = 81.
ncsscs. Stanton and Bailey. conspirc 20 mako
out tho case against the prisoners TO gain
paltry reward. Under the laws ~ PENNSYLVANIA
| defendants In criminal cases of the grade Of
this one IRE MT permitted t. testify in thsir
| three or four persons to .consplre 10 convict
| others 10y weaving about them chain Of rir-
| cumstnntinl evidence that no admissible tcsti-
| mony can explain away II the mouths Of those
| prisoners were opened they could give such
| explanations % ali thrdnmaging circumstances
| that have been proved 10y the pr lsc'ution rs
would mako thcir innocence apparent tu the
most prcludced. This beautiful defendnnt.
only l6 years Of age. IS dragged from her home
| ana lndlc,ed ns n Nlie criminal ,hcre-not h'-
/ cause the prosecution even had the slightest
that rs a witness she could destroy the entire
! conspiracy Hence they close her mouth with
| an Indictment We viii show the jury that the
| right parties To- the HoilisinrNilc crime have
| not yet been npprehended. When these prison
era are pcquitt%i. 4 they do ,n~t cauSIr ne AZ
The deiny Of Squire Hollistcr in pnyinr tho
| Baker claim. aitnr he Ind offered To mako The
| payment at different times. was one 90 the
| strong points of the prosecution against that
| defendant TOeXplain that delay. the Il fence
| called W. II. Ice. J. J. Curtis, and c. = Minor.
The facts we're most y sityrly brought on; IN
/ the examination OF Mr.. Curtis. Curtis Is the
man II whom o. II. Bunncll. the money lender
yesterday swurc that he gave S2.olI Tor Hollis
| ter N September last Curtis sworc That me
fault had been entirely his that tho money Ind
not been paid 20 HOLSTER before the I'm of No
MEMBER. There were some judgments on tho
record against HOLSTER" he said, ahead Of
tho one was 20 assume. Insisted that they
| should be disposed of. 50 that my claim would
DO the first on the record. This was not brought
about until Just before took the assignment OF
| the Bakcr judgments. l did not tell Squire
Hollistcr that | w.gs coming down t. fix ne
! requested me 10 bring currency. and not n
check. Hollistcr agreed 10 pay. mo goo for
getting tho money for him. 10 he had re-
| quested me to bring currency. and not cherg.
| my money would never have gone to HOLSTER
1t was established by four GOOD Witnesses
| that squire HOLSTER was not in iiolusi'r' llo
| ncr on "a" i"nnsyNann ,oh 'munf gray
| ity road. swpre thut squire He.l-t"r rode on
ms train on ~, 9iiern1on OF Noy. : from H.
| station nearest lio'li -terNiN" 10 lluumorr three
miles from Scranton. Spencer Rood wealthy
citizen Of scranton. testified T. ''ins tn Hollis
ter's company ut the Forest House IN that ciy
until late ON tho night of Nov. : and -uw hm az
| man nj Plano No 6 on tho gravity road n"ar
Duumorr. swure that hc saw Hual-fer got on a
coal train going toward HoilistcrNiur On The
morning Of the 9th. Wheeler told HOLSTER u
! the IRE. The latter expressed surprise. an 4
said he had heard nothing ~ H. Henry Vaughn.
a runner. swgre That he saw liolist'y az ihr
head OF Plane No. Is the same morning. Vaughn
SAID; ,SlmlrS' What was gglqt "n 81 your pnr"
last night" " That's what III like o. KNOW
replied the Squire; " Eye. Just hoard Of il NJ
the foot ot tho plane. aud I'd like 10 know the
| particulars
At to-dny, session Of court Fanny Van Cor
der's switch and George Burn-'- snore We're
| introduced into the trial. AMI are likely TO play
important pnrt- in saving the fair defendant
and the accused masked roDhcr from couvle-
ton. r. II. Baker and las wlie hntn testified
the other day that when Fanny Van Gurlrr
berry she was dressed az she was Wl'n She Poe
tired in the evening. even to hrr sWIt"n. IhiS
~ one Of the Prosecutions stronL ~ points
ROBBED and gone 10 bed, she might HAY" thrown
her dress on before coming down stairs. ut
that she would hardly have stopped 10 ias'"n On
her braid Of false hair To sA'w inc custom
OF the Hol-t'ryille young ladies IN rctriug.
the defence called a. a witness Ml-s Ada l,!p".
another very pretty girl from That iha''. VI ~
Pope described the manner ul dish. 'lus IN tlHt
part Of the country One oi th"iuniyrr~ul GUS
toms on the part of those indies who ~ 90
| switches. according to the witness. il Co leave
that appendage Of tho toilet attached o. lho
head when they ~ 10 bed. Miss T. poe sand Fio
could swear that Miss Van Gordcr did not re-
move hers. rs she had slept with her many
times.
Georec Burns hopes u acqnittal lie entirely
in the proving 81 an Hllh lii- brother Augi
lives at Dunulng's =, sryou miles from Hollistrr-
!
| his brothers house Cu the Nil Of November
70 prove this Misses Minnie and Adeiln Burns
| daughters II AMI, testified this afternoon that
Mrs. George Burns was NJ their house on tho
day Of the robbery: that George Burns cnmC
there between and O'Clock IA the afternoon
Of thnt day; that he and his vito wont NJ stairs
To- 20 10 bed at 90 in the evening; thar the tw,
| witnesses heard them talking together unit
nearly II O'Clock and that Burns WAS ~ Oh,
breakfast table in the morning. AMI Eurns'-
sworn story is that his wife Ind % s0re throa
that night. aud in dootoriug il they were koli
NJ until about IL O'Clock. Later the witness
was requested by his wife 10 20 up 10 Goorg'
Burns's room 10 got bottle OF clWphlr hi.
wife had. Witness went up. George Burn,
brought the camphor 10 the door himself. Wit
ness went out in the Kitchen o. got his wiio
drink. BY tho clock 1t WIS ton minutes o. -
lie swore that he knew George Burn. did uu
10 out OF the house aftcrwnrd for b. lwl'u"-s
woke M at "a o'clock, and hoard his brother
snoring loudly up stairs, MIR. Burns sand DO
knew II was his brother who snorcd, for wheI
tho lattcrs wife slept there alone there hal
been no snoring in the room.
Agame Of euchre and It's players have dovel
opcd into u matter Of greut Importance 10 The
prisoner. Willie Myers. Th"pro-eruuon allrs'
that to be- able to make out an nllhl in case De
came to grlef after the fire and r1hherY. Myrr
rot up n euchre party for the evening 81 th'
9Th OF November Forencn Spangcuhcrg
Charley Mitchell Hewitt Mitchell and h.mAol