Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-05-07
A MURDERERS PLOT
Unearthed in Somerset County by a
Pittsburg Detective.
$4,000 In TWO OLD POCKET-BOOKS.
ESuccessful Ruse Adopted to Get Into Old
Umberger's House.
FOOTPRINTS IN THE MOUNTAIN SNOW

Detective c. C. Howard, of the Gilken-
son Detective Agency, arrived in the city
yesterday from Somerset county, where he
unearthed plot which, had it worked
successfully, might have resulted in the
Imprisonment or hanging of an innocent
man, who was to have been charged with
murder. The alleged murderers, whom the
detective succeeded In running down, would
probably have been released from Jail, ow-
ing to the strong circumstantial evidence
against the man upon whom the crime was
to have been fastened.
On the night of February q Joseph and
David Nicely, two Somerset county char
acters, drove up in buggy to the house of
Herman Umberger. near Jennerstown, that
county. They claimed they were detectives
in search Of stolen box of jewelry, which,
they said, was taken from Hebrew peddler
who had been murdered. One of the men,
who was afterward identified as Joseph
Nicely, wore gray wig, and his brother
had handkerchief tied about his face. The
first named claimed his partner had fallen
out of a buggy, fracturing his jaw, and it
had been necessary to keep his face tied up.
THE RUsE WORKED.
As they claimed to be officers in search of
robbers, and stated that they had been in
structed to search every house between Jen-
nerstown and Johnstown, the old man gave
them the privilege Of his house, and said he
would only be too glad to aid them. he &C.
the men all over the house, and at
Iast hi TJa tn
a bureau drawer and took out two pocket
books, which he placed in his vest pocket. As
he did so he walked into the sitting-room,
where his wife and a domestic were sitting.
The two men followed him. Joseph it is al
legged, pulled a revolver, and, placing
it to the old mans head, said: ''Give
US those pocketbooks, or we will take them and
your life" at the same time pulling back the
hammer of the weapon. The old man refused,
and turned to run, when the robber fired upon |
him. The first shot did not take effect, and the |
man fired again. The second bullet pierced his |
heart, and in few moments the old man, fall |
ing upon the floor. expired.
The two women were spectators of the ter |
rible tragedy. and, upon seeing the old man
fall, they rushed out of the house. One of them |
seized an old-fashioned country alarm bell, |
which was on the porch, and rang it furiously, |
hoping to bring some of the neighbors, who did |
his, stopped over the old man, and, extracting
The two pocketbooks from the inside of his vest
,ook to flight across the county.
Mrs. Umberger came to town the day follow /
ng, and secured the services of Detective
Howard The latter went to work and sue
seeded in running down the two men, whom he
placed in the Somerset County Jail, March T.
The detective tracked their footprints in the |
'now, down the mountain side, until within
about 150 yards of the house of a man named
Collins Hamilton. man whose place was
Known as Burnt Cabin" On account OF the
lere, and the detective arrested Mr.. Hamilton
IN suspicion. The latter succeeded in estab-
ishing his innocence and was released from
all.
HOW HE TRACED THEM.
In the meantime the detective had heard
stories of the Nicely boys, and succeeded in
,etting description of them. This he gave to
Mrs. Umberger and the domestic who said
hey were undoubtedly the men who had COM
nitted the deed. After tracking them around
he county, the detective concluded to arrest |
he men, which he did on March 4, only few
lays after the murder had been committed.
one of which was identified by the
women as having been worn on his face the
light of the murder. 1t was a red one,
ut Ssn asn spots ar0~na otva fne .Sagg sSog and
Identification of both men. Upon the person
f the other man was found the gray wig The
woman said this was the man who had done the
hooting. Upon the person of his father,
Anthony Nicely, who was also arrested, was
ound one of old man Umberger's pocketbooks
obtaining only 500, which was, it is alleged,
ent to hun by David in the care of a hack
river.
The total amount of money in both pocket
ooks was $l3 900 of which only 500 has been
THE PLOT IN DETAIL.
The plot the detective unearthed was one to
ct the Nicely boys out of jail and fasten the
rime on the alleged ex-convict Hamilton. It
7as found that relatives of the two NiceIys
Tere going to have two men of about the same
ize and appearance as the real murderers ar
ested the day before the trial-May q. They
7ere to confess that Hamilton committed
be murder. One of the pocket
ooks, containing Sll.00O, was to be found
ecreted in the house of one of the men. In
he house of the other man was to be found the |
ray wig supposed to have been worn by David
Iicely. Two men, Joseph Huffman and John
1ountz, were to be the men arrested. Charles
eugle, of Bedford county, who holds detec-
ives commission. was to search the houses
nd make the arrests, On account of his rec
rd, 1t was supposed that it would not take
luch evidence to fasten the crime on Hamil-
IN.
The reason the old man lad the money in
he house was that only two years before he
ad lost large sum in the Ligonier Bank,
hich closed its doors.