The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-03-03
TRIAL OF THE BURGLARS.
sHEsaSDcAH RED AxD HIS PALS CONVICTED
or BrRsLARy-JoHs pUEsT SENT
uy FOR oSE YEAR


I or FBrRsLARy-JoHs pVEsT SENT
uF FOR osE YEAR
The trial u Timothy Burns. alias Shen-
sndoah Red John sIane. alias Sitter,
and Charles Gallagher, alias Laughing
I Charley the three notorious crooks who.
with Edward Button, alas q Dutchi broke
I into the Somerset and Cambria Railroad sta
ton house at this place on the night of the
25th of January. blew open the safe and n
: fed several trunks in the wareroom Of their
vaIuables attracted the large>; crowd Of
peopie TO town last week that has ben 10
attendance at our courts for MAJ -ars.
The prisoners were all indicted for. ~
under the statute. carrying eonoeaied seas'-
ons. and for felonious assault mAds upon
officer Stephen r. Warner, OF JOhnstown. by
shooting him in the arm when be and con-
stable Waters, of the same place. attempted
to arrest the party on Tyre Hill, the morn
ing after the burglary.
The first Of these cases. called for trial was
that against slane. on the charge of feloni-
Gus assault. TIE jury were out some time,
I v hen they returned with verdict OF guilty
of aggravated assault aud battery. The bur
glary case was called, and jury secured
Tuesday night. The commonwealth show
ed by its first witness that al haif-past nine
I o clock on the night osthe 18th of January,
Monday, the station house doors were Sc
cureIy locked. and everything was snug in
I its place. and that at O'Clock the following
/ morning when the agent entered the build
/ of the windows had been broken in, the safe
| blown open. its contents scattered about the
/ floor and that two trunks, one of them be-
/ longing to Thomas A. Shoemaker, had been
/ bursted and rifed. They followed this by
showing the defendants in the proximity of
the station house during the day Monday,
and al late hour Monday evening. They
next found them at Hiram Hoifmanis barn,
short distance west OF Bethel, at an early
I hour Tuesday morning. From there they
traced them to Tyre Hill where, when on
I the sled Of Mr.. Daniel Bowman, they were
met by the Johnstown officers and Shen-
andoah Red was captured. The other
I three were then traced to the barn near Gels
town, where they were captured by Mr..
I Jack Watkins The bundles found in their
/ possession were brought into court. and
when opened were found 10 contain faze,
drills, powder. etc, and a large lot OF jewel
~, haRdkerchiefs, a suit Of clothes, neck
ties, etc. etc. The major portion of these
90 is were identified by Mr.. Shoemaker as
/ his, and as having been stolen from his
trunk on the night Of the 25th of January.
The bundles also contained parcel of jew
( elry etc. that was not identified. and that
was PROBABLY a portion of the piunder of
former raid. This jewelry was taken charge
of by officer Harris, of Johnstown.
The defendants had no witnesses in their
behalf, but went on the stand and told a
well concocted story. 1t will be remember
ed that Datchy" was taken 70 New YORK
State on charge Of murder shortly after his
arrest Pie defense was that the prisoners
on trial, on the night of the 25th Of January,
were slunlbcring peacefully in the barn Of
one Hiram Hoffman, in Conemaugh town
lship, Somerset county, Pa. that at an early
hoar the following morning their quiet
lslnmbers were rudeiy broken by a son of the
said Hiram hoffman while in the act Of
getting hay from the NOW to feed cattle,
agging a pitchfork into the head Of one Of
the defendants, known as - Laughing Char
ley that upon their arising ii was discoy-
cred that during the darkness of the previ-
Gus night their number had been inereased
By one Edward Button, eiiGs l." Dutehy.'
joining them that on starting out on their
travels it WAS found that the said Darchy -
was encountered with three bundles resem-
sling in appearance those now on the e0un-
SCI table, and that he, the said Dutchy,
Was foot-sore aud weary filed with CON-
passion and desire TO assist fellow-mortal
in distress the defendants took charge Of the
bundles, thus accounting Tor having them in
their possession when me, by the officers on
Tyre Hill The defendants all told the same
story, rather long and interesting one. and
the most rigid and careful eross-examina-
ton failed TO elicit the slightest eontradic-
ton. The tria! was long and tedious one
The counsel for the defense made vigorous
and able effort to acquit theirelIents but the
Jury only took few moments 70 consider,
when they came into court with verdict Of
guilty in manner and form as the defend
ants stand indicted"
On the charge Of fellonious assault there
was no evidence against Gallagher and he
was acquitted, while Barns was convicted
of simple assault Sitter and Red y
both plead guiltp to carrying concealed
, weapons. and there not being suveient evi
dence TO convict Laughing Charley Of
having carried concealed weapons within
the jurisdiction OF this COURT be was &C.
Quilted on this charge, although he had q
revolver in his pocket when arrested.
The prisoners were brought into court tc
receive sentence Thursday night. Messrs
Coffroth and Hay made earnest and eloquent
appeals to the Court for mercy. especially in
the case of Burns, whose mother and broth
er were present with the strongest sort of
testimonials from leading citizens of Shen-
andoah, certifying that the prisoner has
heretofore born an irreproachable charac
ter. After listening patiently to the re
marks Of counsel, the court imposed the
: following g sentences
. John Slane, for participation in the bur
> glary, three years iu the penitentiary; 70
aggravated assault and battery, three years
and for carrying concealed weapons on
, year, making in all seven years il the peni
tentiary.
Charles Gallsgher, for participating in tn
. bur larry, was sentenced 10 four years in tn
. penitentiary.
Timothy Burns, for participating in tn
burglary, three years in the penitentiary
: for carrying concealed weapons une yeaI
6 and for assault one year, making in all fiy
= years il the pc nitentiary.
+ The sentence Of Burns for assault was tn
I full limit of the law, and was probably th
: most severe sentence ever imposed for lik
: offence in this Court During the three day
{ that were consumed in the trial of thes
! cases the court room was crowded. benches
e aisles and gallery by carious men and boy
= who never seemed to grow weary or lose in
terest until the sentences were imposed.
The only other crin.inal case tried tha
attracted much interest was that OF the Com
monwealth against John Durst, indicted 70
burglary under the same statute that Red
: and his companions were indicted. Tn
prosecution showed that on the night o