Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1879-11-12

LAST week the Raber murder case
Was again before the Lebanon county
court, George Hechinan being the man
on trlal. Witness, Henry L. Wise,
testified as follows:
| had several conversations about
iEsurIng old Joe Raber witt Zechman
Hummel and Brandt. Zechman spoke
to me in the first place about iusuring
man for FIVE or six thousand dollars
and :hea having him worked out of the
way for $500. | told him l did not
wsnt TO do that kind OF work, and Gid
not want TO take any ones lite. He
says: Why You don't take bis life !:
you are always talking of not being
aale to pay your debts; if you do this
ycu can tren pay them and have money
10 60 OUT u est" l said that would
be all well enough If they could not do
anything With US. Zecaman said the
Law would not affect Us. but only the
ole WHO did the killing. lie then as ked
NE If / had any money, and re, lied
mad about one hundred and fifty dollars.
tie then said, :. We viii! insure Raber
for five or SIX thousand dollars il the
United Brethren Company, of Lebanon,
aud Charles Drews will work him out
e: tLe way to raise some money" Zech-
nan pat ncte IL the Jamestown Bank
on which be got twenty FIVE dollars.
Rs5eT was insured through DR.. Shuey,
n the latter part of July, 1873. Zech-
man SAID he also heard that be had Ra
Ger insured in the Hartford Company
fol $1,000. | said .sGeorge, what do
you mean - He replied &" | want to
yHr hin ~ riEAt now" also, that he
bad tried TO have him insured in Bal
tlDoTe company, but they would not
pass him. Was also insured in the New
Era, OF Philadelphia IN Westerville.
Ohio, company Hume, of Lebanon,
and Mutual, of Reading. Ii was ar
ranged to drown old Raber IN Katz-
miller's dam. ZechEan, Brandt and
myself met at Brandt's house and we're
talking as TO getting Raber to 90 fish
ing with Us. We dad not know how 10
get the Old fellow along. Zeehman said,
u bsye old Joe IN a good tune now
and when We get ready | can easy get
him along. III just tell him my wife
is hungry for fish and he will go along,
but we must be careful that be does
n0s get any marks on him" Brandt
said 'sWe can easily catch him by the
trousers and throw him in the water
and hold him there until be is drowned,
aud when he is dead 0ne of US can no
ufy the Coroner" Brandt suggested
that Squire Shuey be the man to hoiG
tie inquest, but | said that was not
necessary, as the Coroner was the sworn
law Cffcer Some time after Raber
vas insured We went to Lebanon ard
had The jItferent policies assigned be-
tween Aummel, Brandt, Zechman and
myself. At another meeting at Brandt's
house. when Brandt, Hummel, Zech-
man aad l were present, told them |
waG-d to 90 West aud Raber was to
be Drowned whiis. | was there. Raber
-Tss 20 be drowned and Zechman was TO
telegraph me when 1t was done, after
which | was to go to the Insurance
Office Of the " estervi!le, Ohio, COM
pany and notify them and draw my
money. and throw off two hundred dol
lars in order to get my money sooner.
Charles Drews was the man hired to do
the work, the figure being five hundred
dollars in the first place, but after
ward it was arranged that he should
come II as partner in the insurance
money. Zechman, on the Sunday be-
fore Raber was drowned, said to the
that [ should tell Drews TO work old
Raber out of the way before the COM
ing SATURDAY of that week, OF be would
sell MS reading policy 70 Dave Ham
mel, as be was not able to pay his as
sessmen;s any longer.
This ended the direct examination,
aud tie .itness was handed over to
P--nes for cross examination. 1t wes
7erv severe, but the witness stuck to
his original story with great perilnaclty
Wise was n the witness stand during
the entire dav. He denied having had
conversations with certain prisoners IN
iail that be expected to receive par
der If be testified against IechnIan, and
said tha: the o-'y person be ever had
insured SIZE Raber was bis mother.-
Ptttqdelphia Sunddy Times.