The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1879-01-25
From the County Sent.

set the second Monday in March as the day
on which an extra term of these Courts will
be commenced. There are twenty or more
cases which are dooketed to this extra term,
and the court will issue uenire for a special
petit jury. The reason why so few trials
were had, lies in the fact that Tuesday and
Wednesday were wholly consumed in wrang
ling over the misnomcr issue in the libel
case. The Penn Forest rape case, which was
brought up at the Thursday evening session,
consumed that and the whole of naxt day
and evening sessions. This was by far the
most enhancing indictment on the docket,
and the auditorium was crowded with both
sexes during its progress. The prosecutrix,
favorable circumstances, handsome little
brunette, whose face indicates that she is
not ever eighteen. She was married to
Brown, her husband, who sat by her side
during the trial, when she was only fifteen
years old, and, if appearances are not decep-
tive, he is three times her own age. For
counsel, to assist District Attorney Siewers,
she had engaged Hon. W. NJ. Rapsher. The
defendant, Reuben Serfass, is probably forty
five, has a family, and, besides being mixed
up in the recent railroad robberies, is also
bald-headed (not an nconvenient defect for
a man who contemplates rebelling against
"home rule" as Reuben is alleged to have
done in this case.) AS counsel, the services
of Gen. Charles Albright and Hon. A. Craig
had been secured by the defendant. 1t be-
ing case of Oyer and Termncr, defend
ants mouth was closed, but the only wit
ness who knew the whole truth against him
was the prosecutriX, and she was a novice
in making herself understood in English /;
and when she went on the stand, it bacame
necessary for the court to have an interpret
er, and for this duty, the court commission
ed the well-known Pennsylvania Dutch
author, Pit Swiflebrenner and, if digres-
sion is permissible, we would say that the
way that Pit can sling court English into
Pine Swamp Dutch, and then snatch said
Dutch back into court English is q caution.
The facts in the case in brief are, that last
June, Reuben Serfass engaged Mrs. Brown
to assist his wife in her household duties. A
few days after, he sent his wife on visit to
her father, where she remained one night ;
and it was during this night that the rape
was alleged to have been committed. When
the wife returned next day, she brought
with her two female friends, who found the
quondum assistant housekeeper engaged in
making bread and other household affairs
But Mrs. Serlass, having an inkling that
some "crookedness" had been going on dur
ing her absence, Immediately switched the
little brunette off the Serfass track in most
summary manner, who at once caused the
husbands arrest on a charge of rape, as one
witness testified she said, " not because she
had anything against Reuben, but to spite
Mrs. Serioss for chasing her away from the
house." The defense put on the stand num-
erous witnesses to prove that the prosecuting
was immensely peculiar I" for ways that are
dark and for tricks that are vain" and after
defendants counsel had stripped her of every
vestge of those charms which lure the i'm
agnation of man into pleasant dreams about
" fair woman" the case was given to the
jury, who returned a verdict of " not guilty"
But the evidence was quite conclusive that
Mrs Serfass' head, when she concluded to
dispense with the further services of her as
Gis hou -ol H. -,
spirit level.
The libel case, which had been set for Fri
day afternoon, was not reached until Satur-
day afternoon, when Hon. Lin Bartholomew,
of Pottsvil!e, oflicated for the defense, There
were three separate indictments pending
against Josephus Lynn. Mr.. Bartholomew,
desired to have the cases continued, as he
was pat prepared on such short notice to do
justice to his client Commonwealth argued
that, Major Klotz had been falsely accused
by the defendant of robbing Catholic
church while an officer in the U. S. Army,
in Mexico; that the charge hung over his
head in public opinion, and that the Court
should give him the earliest opportunity to
vindicate himself 1t was decided that the
case should be at once proceeded with, when
counsel for defense made motion toquash the
indictment on the grounds dsofiniormalties of in
issuing, signing, and serving the ucnirc for
the grand and petit jurors, and further set
ting forth that as the panel of petit jurors
had been exhausted, the Court could by law,
neither carry over the panel to Monday,
nor try case in the quarter sessions
Court with traverse jury. The entire after
noon was taken up by counsel in arguing,
and these abstract issues; and at its conclus-
ion, Judge Dreher decided not to quash the
warrants for the cause set forth, but to con-
tinue the case to the extra term in March,
this decision gave entire satisfaction to the
defense.
SCARGE.-Material out of which interest
ing news items can be made is exceedingly
scarce and precious just nov. The local
papers sadly feel this paucity of live topics.
notwithstanding the hanging and the
courts last week, the Coal Gazette, probably
for lack Of a better topic, devoted its second
editorial to the discussion of Kidney DIFF
ficulties," have really not had time to
read the article, but it no doubt contains
some sound advice TO men who are short in
the element of" backbone"
NIXON ToPIcs.-Capt. Smilhars, son-in'
law to Col, Amos Stroh, took the train on
Saturday afternoon for New Bedford, Mass,
where he will ship for another whaling
voyage in the North Pacific. He returned
some weeks ago from two-years voyage to
the same quarter.
Thermometer from IL to l6 below zero on
Tuesday morning.
The County Commissioners, on Tuesday,
diseharfed from the county Jail Michael
Boyle, who was indicted, pleaded guilty and
sentenced to pay cost for assualting his sis
ter, at the late term of court.
Paul Black, young man, who was con-
victed at the instigation of Polly Kemerer,
at the Oct term. of fornication and bastardy,