Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-05-13
kilograms to The Star
A TRIPLE HANGING.
Raber Murderers Executed.
EX-SENATOR BAYARD DYING
EUROPEAN INTELLIGENCE
THREE MEN HANGED.
EXECUTION Of the Raher Murdererk,

Execution Of the Raber Murdcrers.
LEBANON, PA, May l3.-Very few people were
admitted to the jail yard this morning to wit
ness the execution OF Israel Brandt, Josiah
Hummell and Henry f. Wise, for the murder of
an Old wood cutter named Joseph, or Josiah
haoer at 1ndiantown Gap, In December. ISIS.
.e Inc entire morning was taken up with religious
Rev. j: F. J. shantz OF Myerstown, attended
upon Brandt and Hummell while the Revs
Israel Hay and Ezekiel Light gave spiritual
notice to the deputy sheriff that he was In readi-
ness to proceed TO the gallows. The solemnity
OF the scene was intense Wise left his cell
first preceded by Revs Hay and Light and as
cended the scaffold with firm step and smile
upon his countenance. He was allowed to
make the following statement: what l have
TO say is that all are guilty, as / testified IN
court and confessed all about it. and how Hum
NEIL got Id. That is all have TO say"
Rev. Mr.. Hay accompanied Wise to the scat
9 iGld; ana prayed and sang The familiar hymn In
Az the conclusion OF this hymn Brandt and
Hummel were brought out, accompanied by
the deputy sheriff and clergymen. The men
We're all clad in dark SUITS with a boutonierre
made OF smilax and lilies of the valley, which
had been presented early In the morning by
their friends. The men were swung off upon
the same galloNS upon which DrewS and Stick
ler net their death.
AN IMPRESSIVE SCENE
took place upon the galows previous TO the
execution. Deputy Sheriff Deininger, the clergy
upon the scaffold and shook hands with the
culprits- Each one OF them thanked Sher1r
Crall for his kindness and attention during
their Incarceration OF two years and EXPRESSED
the desire 10 meet him in the world TO come
Al NiseS special request he was allowed to
visit the cells OF all other prisoners In the iafl
and ana While While bidding them good bye impressed
upon them the necessity Of leading honest and
VlrtuOuS lives. At 11:15 a. m. Sheriff Grail
stepped upon the platform. and adjusted the
ropes around the necks of the three men. AT
hnr, ho,N
and loot and placed over their heads white
muslin caps. Both Brandt and Hummel were
asked II they had anything to say and they
replied in the negative.
THE TRIPLE HANGING.
All three men knelt upon the platform OF the
trap and engaged in prayer while the Rev. Mr..
Shantz read appropriate passages from the
the scaffold, Sherir Grail Sprung the trap an
| exactly II O'Clock and Is minutes. All three OF
| The men swung into the air without contor-
slight tremor was observable in Hunmels
| knees, but beyond tnat nothing Indicated but
| what death was sudden and easy. At 1880 Dr.
| Lineweaver examined the bodies and declared
| them dead.
HISTORY OF THE CRIME.
Lebanon county is SparSely settled, so much
| SO that in one OF the townships there are no
more than nye votes; the more settled districts
are lnhabited by poor and nliterate class OF
| people, among whom the dialect known as
pennsylvania Dutch is about the only language
III.
| one OF the wilder sections Of the county, is
| place known as 1ndiantown Gap. Among its
lnha6ltants few years ago were number OF
ig men having strong taste for speculation In life
| insurance risks. Some who could barely earn
lne necessary means TO sustain their families
| managed to find money enough to take sharsas in
| .hese insurance ventures which We're mostly
During January, 1879, r"imor became Current
| that an old man had Deen murdered In order TO
secure sec lne len thousand dollars for which his
| me was insured. This rumor gained credence,
ana lpTest1gat1on was made and the following
!acts elicited: On Sunday. December 9, 1S1S
Raber, better known as "Old Joe Raber," was
discovered lying dead In shallow stream near
| lence upon the body, however, and at the coro-
| ners investigation the jury found verdict OF
death from accidental drowning" No sus.
plclons were aroused until later, when proofs of
! Raber'S death were presented to the Home
| Mutual Life Insurance Company OF Pennsyl-
van1a. located at Lebanon. These proof were
| JOSIAH Hummel and George Zechman, who held
Jointly policy OF $4,000 upon deceaSed's life
Inc insurance people were suspicious,
ployed detectives to sft the facts i'm connection
| with the old mans death. AT this stage OF
affairs one Joseph Peters, soldier In the regu-
isL, lar army, & nome on furloqgh, made the aston
| ness TO the murder of .,Old Joen He stated
| that on the DAY Of the murder his at
tentlon tecame attracted by the strange
| FRANK Sticbler. He stationed himself In a small
grove and watched the two men whom he saw
accompany Raber down to the stream, which
was some eighteen inches deep and bridred
merely by plank. Drews took the lead FOL
lowed by Raber, while Stichler brought up the
rear, and when all had reached the mIdfle OF
sne plank the latter kicked the old wood-cutter
llto tne stream, Jumped after him immedl-
ately, and, assisted by Drews held his
head Under the water until death occurred. The
pody was LETT In the creek, where it lay from
Subsequent developments proved that BrandT.
wise, Hummel and Zechman had Originally
taken out policies for $4,000 upon RabeT's life;
that $4,000 OF this was dropped On account OF
their inability to keep up the premiums: and
that even the premiums upon the remaining
zoo grew SO burdenSome to them by reason
fofmed a conspiracy TO put their man out OF the
way before the next payment became due.
which would be about December s, 1873. Over
Stichler, an uncle of Frank Stichler. but he pos
1tively refused to embark In the undertaking.
Charles DreWs was not so tender heart
promise Of $500 to undertake the work and
Frank Sttchler was prevailed upon, by the
promise OF 500, to become his assistant. Drews
was man of 60 years OF age, while Stichler
crime. Peters, who was son I'm law of Drews
was the principal witness for the common
wealth against the criminals, and had II not
been for his testimony it is more than likely all
the accused would have escaped punishment.
Lena Peters, his wife, also gave some very d.
rect and damaging evidence against her father
The trial OF the six men commenced April IL
1919, and ended April 2th resulting In a YER
dict OF murder In the first degree against all
the defendants. An application for new
trial was denied, on August 4th following. by
Judge Henderson to five OF the convicted
men, while Zechman was fortunate to have his
petition granted, and upon his second trial
which took place November 18th, was acquitted
On the day following Zechman's acquittal No
vemDer 14th, 1S19 after confeSs1ng to the crime
Stichler and Drews paid the extreme penalty of
the law. Wise also confessed, and indeed has
made quite number OF statements as to his
connection with the deed, which greatly vary.
Brandt and Hummel succeeded I'm obtaining
stay OF proceedings In october and carried their
caSes before the board of pardons; but that
body refusing to act in their favor. the governor
appointed May 18th as the day upon which they,
together with Wise, were to be executed. A
week or so ago Brandt made q lengthy state
ment, which was published, in which he detailed
several insurance ventures In which he was at
various times engaged, but persisted In MAIN
tanning his innocence OF the crime laid at hfs
door. Interest In the case was still further
heightened on Thursday last, when q well laid
plan for the escape OF Brandt and Hummei was
discovered In time and frustrated by the keep
ers OF the Lebanon county jail
Railroad Travel stopped by a Fire.
POUGHKgbPs1E, N. Y. May l3, a. MA de-
sTuctive fire Is raging at Stuyvesant, on the