Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1883-12-12
THE WESTMORELAND RIOT
CASE

GREENsBURG. Dee. With the
final decision of his Honor Judge Hur.
ter, this morning, the Murraysville
murder and riot cases have been settled
until they come up in the Court OF
Over and Terminer at next February
/ term. Contrary to expectation, all
prisoners except Bowser We're permit,
ted to he released on bail When the
Judge read his decision some of the
prisoners showed s:sds If reii AM
gratili-;. On. Others were Indifferent
while Bowser sat restlessly on his chair
with the prevailing expression of wick
ed snllenness The attorneys on both
sides say that if each Of these men are
tried separately in Criminal Court it
will take six months, and, at all events,
it will take three months before all
haye had a trial by jury. Ia the mean
time the score and more of equity and
civil cases pending as to the title and
ownership Of the various Murraysville
properties will be coming up for trial,
and with the opposing forces in the
field now restrained by the hand of the
Sheriff, it would seem that the day Of
final settlement and quietudc is indeed
Gfar Off
JUDGE HUNTERS REMARKS.
The prisoners in the Murraysyille
case being brought in, Judge Hunter
said:
We have endeavored to give that at
tention to these habeas corpus cases
now before US that the gravity of the
charges demand, and that We may un-
dersta1d their nature clearly. This,
perhaps, is one of the most unpleasant
cases that has come before myself since
l had the honor to preside in these
courts The position Of the counsel for
the defense is that the defendants were
acting in self-defense. We do not
think the position taken is good one.
1t is true that nearly one hundred OF
the Pew Il Emerson men had come to
where the defendants were at the we'll,
but they went no farther than to Oc-
cupy the bourd pile owned by Pew,
Emerson & Co. There is some ques
tion about the property, but the time
is not at hand when titles must be de- |
Tended and enforced at the point of the |
hayonet. We have not yet in West
County arrived at the day Of |
as it once prevailed in
Paris. The learned argument by the !
counsel Tor the Commonwealth, and,
indeed, by the counsel on both sides,
asks that all such difficulty should be
settled according to the law Of the
land, and that the recent occurrence at
was against the peace of
1t was insisted upon by Mr.. Moor
head, for the Commonwealth, that
where parties assemble for the purpose
of doing an unlawful act, and murder
is coma.itted, all are guilty. Such is
the English law, but not the law of
Gentlemen, it is the
opinion of the Court that all these men
are bailable except Mr.. Bowser The
reasons for holding Bowser are that he
was backed up by number Of armed
men. He is a strong man, as was
Haymaker. He was not in danger of
his life Hence there was no necessity
of taking life. The number of fatal
wounds are against the prisoner. The
bullet wound is not imputed to Bow
ser, because it was by buckshot.
But the bayonet thrusts in the abdo-
men at the hands of Bowser were
fatal.
BOWsER's BAYONET THRUsTS.
Was it willful and deliberate act?
Counsel did not touch on this question
which has annoyed the Court not 6 lit
tie. If it had been only shot among
a crowd of men it could only be muf-
der in the second degree. But these
bayonet thrusts are the essence OF MUIR
der in the first degree, with specific
intent to kill, and there is no doubt |
about the killing. Hence, however,
unpleasant the duty may be, | am un-
willing to release Mr. Bowser on bail
The other men will be admitted to bail
on giving good and sufficient security
in the following amounts;
Milton Weston, $4,000; Colonel
Archibald Blakeley, $4,000; DR.. j. L.
Crawford, $4,000; Henry Remaley,
S., coo; VIM Johnston, $4,000; Lewis
Hahn, $4,000; Moses Hahn, $4,000;
Wm. Long, $4,000; Amos Kiehl, 3d.
600; Henry Earnest, $4,000; Cyrus
$4,000; George Long, $3,-
coo; Henry McFarlan, $4,000; Joseph
Crookston, $4,000; Job Jones, $4,000;
King Lewis, $4,000; Richard Carter,
SO, 600; John Hirsh, $1,000; +. l..
McGar, $1,000; James Sloan, $1,000;
w. F. Miller; 81 900; Sherman kelso,
81 600.