The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1885-10-31


One ofths Supposed slayers Of the Ksster
Brothers in Jail at Wiikesbarre.
A Wilkesbarre despatch Of the 26h
inst, gives the following: .Abram
Christman was arrested this morning z bS
Detective Smith, Of Allentown, charged
with the murder Of John ami William
Kester, the bachelor brothers, who, on
October 16, were found dead In their
cabin In the forest near Seybertsville,
nine miles from Hazleton. Christman
was brought up to this city and lodged
In Jail /, lie is noted desperate AMI
has served o term In Luzerne county
fail for aggravated assault and battery,
and slso a term In the Eastern Pebi.
,ehtiary for burglary. The detective.
claim that he Is the man who arranged
the. whole schema His accomplices,
four In number Ets known TO the de
,ctives, and viii be'trTessed In q dag
Or two. Christman win be given 9
hearing tomorrow. .-
Since the above paragraph was put in
type, we CLEAN the following further
particulars of the arrest from the
columns Of the Hazleton Pluta Spedkey
/ Of the 2Sth inst, from which 1t appears
that at this time there are great doubts
as to Christman being implicated in the
I Kester murder: g..
In order to obtain an expression Of
OF inion from the coal AMI iron police
relative to matter. Officer Han0toIl was
In viewed nd sts ted that Christman
r ,siIe during he summer near Sey-
bertyille. AMI wa, well aquaintei with
tie Ike ter brothers. A few days prioi
B, the murder he disappeared from that
sj,tiOu anl nothing further was heard
Until Stigfried ma lie the confession
inpI at ng him In the murder. Monday
the Jth inst, four days after the crime
was committed, Officers Hampton and
| Grim took the train for Lerlgh Water
GAP AMI walked over the mountain to
Millport and founl Christman employed
in corn field and engaged in an hours
conversation with him relative 10 the
murder. He stoutly denied any COM
| plicity in the act. but stated that party
had approached him and asked him 10
take part in robbery Of the Kester
brothers during his stay in Seybertsville.
He and his wife, neighbors and several
others stated that he was home several
days prior to and on the 10Th inst. The
next morning he visited the hotel where
| the officers we're AMI conversed for three
hours about the time he reside In the
Conyngham valley. Officer Hampton
| described him as a man about twenty
nine years of age. powerfully built, with
black pair of bright eyes, and from
appearance the last one to commit q
murder. He was married about five
weeks ago. His wife resided at Mill
port. Unless some new evidence Is
obtained, which Is unknown TO the
| officers in this section, he cannot be
held on The charge of being a principal
| in the proceedings, as a numt er oi
witnesses can be procured to prove that
| he was home when the murder was
committed.
1he Latest Phase.-No new develop
ments presented themselves yesteaday
| in the Kester murder case. Christman
is still in the Wllke ibarre Jail, and has
not been given a hearing yet. To a
newspaper reporter he stated that Sieg-
fried planned the murder. hut refused Q
give any further information. A gentle
man yesterday informed a representative
of this paper that Detective Smith. of
Allentown, feels confident that the evil
lence he will Nroduce against Christman
will be sufficient to hold him for trial as
one of the murlerers of the Kester
bro hers. A young man told Fred.
Horlacker of Stating on, that ChriStman
had solicited his assistance TO rob the
brothers last Summer. Mr. Horlacker
Immediately wrote TO the Kesters and
put them on their guard,-Hazleton
Plain Speaker, 20th.