The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1880-04-22
Defying the Law.

shot and killed Frank Wernith. con.
stable of Benzinger township and
wounded Philip Vollmer, constable of
st. Mary's borough, while these Of
ficers were endeavoring to arrest
him.
Z Three or four weeks ago detectives
from Bradford. in company with
Frank Wernith, constable of Benzin-
ger township, Elk county, tracked
Harry English to the house Of A. j.
RUNNER, his father-in-law, in Jay
! township, where they arrested him
on charge of forgery, when he asked
permission to go into another room oil
some trivial pretext, and succeeded in
making good his escape, Constable
Wernith sending several shots after
the escaping prisoner but without
effect.
Constable Vollmer had received
notice on Thursday last that English
was again at the house of RUNNER.
District Attorney G. w. Wur2ell,
Thos. j. Burke and Constable Voll-
mer, were taken to Caledonia by
young Kreig. stopping at Spring Run
where Constable Wernith was work
ing and took him in. The party
reached their destination late at night,
and lay in barn until just before day
light Oh Friday morning, when ar
rangements were made for the capture
of English. Wurzell and Burke took
positions where they could cover the
rear of the house, while the two CON
stables approached from the front
and entered the house by two front
doors. In about fifteen minutes
English made his appearance, and Oh
discovering the constables commenced
to yell and ran up the stairs. Wernith
followed in hot haste but, was met mt
near the top with kick which landed
him at the foot again. On recovering
himself he fired at English hitting
him in the left leg, the ball going
through the fleshy part of the leg and
landing in the dress pf Mrs. RUNNER
which hung on the wall. deputy
Sheriff Wensel secured the bullet and
carries it as n souvenir of the sad af.
fair) English ran into a bed room
and snatching up siXteen-shOoter
Spencer rifle, and asked, where is
that man?' The door was partly open
as Wernith reached the upper floor
the second time when English threw
the door wide open and shot him
through the body. After shooting the
Benzinger constable English walked
across the room and fired at Volmer
who was some sixty or seventy feet
from the house the shot taking effect |
in the lower portion of the body |
accounts the man was doing as well as
could be expected under the cir
Mr.. RUNNER, who was
asleep at the commencement of the
iracas, soon got out of bed and just in
time to throw up the Spencer rifle
which was aimed at District Attorney
Wurzell. Three times did the desper-
ate man attempt to kill the latter, and
.hree times was he foilel by the
prompt action of the father-iu law.
No doubt but for the interference of
Mr.. RUNNER another murder would
nave been added TO the list of the
iesperado's crimes.
Constable Wernith, after receiving
he fatal shot, ran down stairs, out
}oors and several feet from the house
when he fell. Being assisted to his
FEET he walked nearly to the Caledonia
house, some ten or twelve rods, when
lv again sank to the earth and was
,arried into the hotel. The shooting
ook place at . o'clock in the morning,
be wounded officer breathing his last
It 42 O'Clock in the afternoon.
English came down shortly after the
murder, his wound being dressed by
lis wife and Mrs. RUNNER The Wo.
nen asked him If the wound hurt,
n reply he assured them that he never
elt better in his life at the same time
lancing a jig. He declared that, "Tom
5urke would be a corpse before the
un went down that evening"" An
lour or two thereafter he departed by
he back door going through an adjoin-
ng held, several shots were sent after
nm, none, however, taking effect. At
ONE fifteen or twenty rods from the
louse he dropped on the ground be-
lind a log deliberately firing three fare
veil shots at the District ATTORNEY,
he distance and lay of the ground
lvoring that officer and saving his
aeon.
At 3 O'Clock p. NJ. coroners jury
'as empaneied by Justice Burke,
citing coroner, with Armel Turley
brennan, a verdict being found that
he deceased came to his death at the
ands of Harry English. The jury
lso implicated A. J. RUNNER and
fife.
We are informed that Mr.. RUNNER
wore before the coroner's inquest that G
c did not know that English was in ;
le house, admitting afterwards that
e had been there since the fourth of
ne present month.
Friday afternoon Deputy Sheriff