The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1892-04-13


Hoehsfe;le- was making whisky AZ his
siiE tie day ofthe raid, but he wasn't dis
tuIhed. snd that gees tc show that he is be-
ing protected by the government. Alter the
raid they reported that vas to be arrested,
and after being tied hand and foot was to be
made crawl on my hands and knees to Pitts
sargh, receiving a kick at every jump.
Now don't want TO say anything about
the killing Of Hochstetler, but it was done in
self defense. Pritts and arranged 10 cap
tuTe Old Yoney, tie him and turn him over
to the authorities. / was afraid to make any
information against him for fear be would
burn my house or shoot me. When l halt
ed him on the road he didn't see Pr,ts or
Bob. he picked upa stone and said Now
! have yon where want you He threw
the stone at me. but bit the gun. He then
picked up another stone and came towards
me in 3 threatening manner struck him
with the gun, bat had no idea ofkilling him,
and am sorry that did
The last saw Of Pdtts was -FTidsy
morning. don't know where he is, bet my
brother Levi viii hunt him up and bring
him here 10 jail. He didn't strike Hochstet-
Ter, but Will be an important witness for me.
/ didn't leave my own land after Friday
morning was in sight ofthe house nearly
all the time. sew the officers hunting for
me, but I knew they would mske big
splurge about i, ifthey caught me. 50 I con-
cluded to &c to town and give myself up to
the sheriff
REyESUE AGESrs MAKE A RAID.
At 10 O'Clock Monday night a posse Of
twenty men left Somerset for Trent for the
Purpose of rAiding all the Illicit stills in the
Laurel Hill Mountain and capturing Bill
Pritis if possible In the posse were four or
five prominent officials Of the Internal Revs-
nue Department, Sheriff Good and Chief
OF Police Gilbert. At Trent they were in
ed by detective Fisher, constable Du Poat,
Squire Gildaer and Others from Redwood,
Special Revenue Agent Cal5eEtson, under
who's direction the raid Is being made, ex-
poets 10 capture lot less than SIX Illicit stills
before returning 10 town.
The murder Of Hochstetier was not
great surprise 10 me, said Mr. Culbestson
10 HERALD reporter. Il knew him well
and al that I have to say IS that il was 3
fortunate thing FOR Miller and Pritts tha: he
was rot armed. ! can 4 understand how be
came TO be without gun. De always car
ried one and lie knew that his life was in
danger. He mailed . letter to NE the after
noon lie IVES murdered that | have in my
pocket now. HochsietIer vas IN the noon
shine business As deep As any Of those people
Up there. l visited his place about three
weeks ego. At that time / told him be n4us
quit he moonshine business or l would
have 10 arrest him. Take my advice
"Yony," I said and cut your still into as
many pieces as possible and scatter the pie. Is
over the mountain, because if 6nd il your
e goner sure enough. The old fellow laugh
ed and pointing 10 pie Of mash in the cor
uer Of the room said, what VII do with
that" Feed it to your hogs, l replied.
That's wasting it, said ''Yonny" and I'll
run il OF snd then follow your advice lie
bad given me much valuable information
in regard to Miller's band and for that rea-
son didn't care about Erresiing him until
We made raid On the entire band.
"Hochs:etler was as courageous ~ any
man / ever knew and l believe be Eouli
have killed the three men Ehohalted him on
the road had hs been armed
TIE {. : AUTHORITIES NOT BLAMELE1.
United States Marshall Harrah has had
warrants in his hands since the 18th day OF
January for The arres. OF William c. Miller
sad six or seven members Of his moonshine
band Presumably the reason why he did
not have the men arrested was because there
was little or ne money in the job for him.
Had lie performed his duties the murder OF
Hochsteter would probably have been pre-
vented. 1t certainly would not have occur
red al this time"
THE X0CNsHIsE DISTRICT.
The "mOonshine district is in the extreme
western part of the eeounty, where the bound
aries Of Fayette and WestmoFeland counties
meet on the border line Of Middle creek town
ship. There has probably been no moon
shine whisky made nearer than three miles
byond Trent, but after Trent is passed
change Is Pcrcep,ible in the character Of the
Inhabitants and the country people, where
there are no General Seigels, so hospiiable and
obliging, become a Sc, ofchurls. Ifs strang-
er wants a meal they have just enough IN
the house for the family, and sell it, If at al
about as grudgingly as they would part with
their mountain farms for nothing. Horse
fed IS next TO impossible to get, and there
are fnll grown men and women within five
miles Of Trent who will say they do not
know the way there. Ofcourse, there are
few people who have no friendship for Miller
but their number is extremely small and
they are disposed to attend strictly to their
own business, if he will let them. 1t is not
70 be wondered at ifeven they refuse aid to
revenue officers. But the ordeTloving people
in he terTOrized district see in the murder OF
old .Yoney Hochs:etlerr the means Of their
deliyersnce and believe hat when his slayers
have been punished tie business of making
whisky without the sanction Of the Govern
msnt will have been disposed OF al least for
years to come.
The GENERAL GOVERNMENT Refused 70 N
TERFERE.
Wednesday noon Special Agent Cuibert-
son Of the Internal Revenue Department 81
rived in Somerset Sheriff Good was at
Centreville holding sale. Mr.. Culbertson
st once drove to that place and held an in
terview with him. Sheriff Good had tele-
graphed the Commissioner OF Internal Reve-
nue. that morning asking for the assistance
Of go-ernment Detectives in r4nning the
murderers down. At the close Of the inter
view Special Revenue Agent Culbertson
wrote letter TO com missioner Mason
ssking for instructions. He then returned
TO Somerset.
WANTED PRICE SKI on TIE GENERALS
HEAD.
Alto o'clock Wednesday night detective
Fisher called Special Agent Culbertson on;
Of the Sheriff Office and submitted propo-
silion. He agree FOR 500 to hand over Nil
Ter and Pritts to the United States Marshall
This proposition was submitted to commis-
sioner Mason By telegraph. The commis-
sioner replied early Thursday morning that
the Federal authorities could not offer re-
ward for commonwealth prisoners. In the
afternoon Mr. Cuibertson went before the
county commissioners and told that body
that he knew man who would agree to de-
liver Pritts over to the Sheriff OF the county,
IL a. 4,