The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1892-06-01
Guilty as Indicted.
THE VERDICT A RIGHTEOUS
ONE.
William Boyer will be Given a Long
Term In the PenItentiary for
Criminal Assault.


Criminal Assault.
William Boyer, Of Summit township, was
convicted by jury Monday evening, on the
first count Of the bill Of indictment charging
him with rape.
The Commonwealth was represented by
District Attorney ColbOrn, assisted by F. J..
Kooser, Esq, while the prisoner was defend
ed by General CofTroth and Scott & ogle.
Judge Longenecker finished charging the
jury al O'Clock Monday afternoon. The
jury remained out until O'Clock when
they returned verdict Of guilty in man
ner and form as indicted" Boyer received
the verdict without changing feature, but
bis wife. who was waiting in the library
room, holding her two months old baby in
her arms, broke down completely when the
verdict was made known TO her
The maximum penalty provided for such
crimes as Boyer's is fifteen years in the per.
itentisry and If is believed that the Court
viii give him the full limit.
Fortunately II is not often that the courts
Of this county have to deal with cases Of this
character. It consumed the time Of the
Court, Friday. Saturday and Monday, and
fortunate it is for the defendant that his Of
fense was committed in Pennsylvania, for
had II been committed in any of 8 majority
Of the States OF the Union, he would not
have been conceded the formality Of q trial
BY jury bat would have been strung up on
the nearest tree
On the morning Of the 18th Of March last
Katy Herwig, the I5-year-old daughter Of
Henry Herwigs reputable and highly-es-
teemed citizen OF Summit township, Eas
sent to store in Meyersdale with basket
filed with butter. The young girl reached
Neyensdale about O'Clock in the morning
and after delivering the butter and visiting
the pOst0ffce started 10 return home. She
was walking, and when she crossed the Elk
Lick bridge, adjoining the borough OF Aey-
ersdale, she passed William Boyer, who was
travelling on foot in the same direction and
towards his home on the farm Of Jacob Peck,
one mile distant from Meyersdale.
Boyer, who was q brakesman on coal train
making nightly trips between Meyersdale
and Cumberland, was dressed in his work
| ing clothes and carried dinner pail in his
! hand. His face and hands were begrimed
with coal dust and SCOT. He soon overlook
Miss Herwig and passing her without
speaking, continued ahead Of her IN =
til be reached Mr.. Pecks sugar or
chard. at which point there is gate on the
road, through which he had TO pass 70 reach
his home, a quarter Of a mile distant. Miss
Herwig observed Boyer drinking sugar wa
ter from q keller in the orchard as she went
by. She continued on the way towards
home. still three miles distant, and had
barely entered a strip OF woods one mile
from the sugar orchard when she was con-
fronted by a man with red handkerchief
tied over his face, carrying dinner pail in
on. hand and club in the other, who made
an improper proposition 10 her. The brute
said that there were three more men in the
woods and that if she made any Outcry he
would kill her, and grasping the now thor
oughly terrified girl by the throat he drag
ged her from the road into the woods.
Miss Herwig, who is tall for her yeArs snc
very pretty, told the story Of the assault
when placed upon the stand, with all the
innocence and modesty OF childhood and
her narration Of the horrible facts made s
profound impression upon all who heard
her story. She positively identified the de-
fendant by his size, hair and voice, and iden
tilted the clothing he wore when she passed
him on the bridge at Meyersdale and the
clothing he wore when he accostea her in
the woods. The witness was subjected t
/ an exhaustive cross Oss-eIsminstion but did no
diverge IN the slightest particular from he
original story.
The defendant was traced by large mum
Der Of witnesses from the time he quit worl
at O'Clock that morning at the Meyersdal'
station, passing along the road to Pesk's su-
gar camp. Other witnesses testified 10 hsY
ing seen man running through the fields
from the direction Of the woods where
the assault took place towards Boy
er's home, about the hour named, Il
O'Clock g. m, while Mr.. Peck testified that
Boyer arrived at his home about % minute.
after 10 q. m. but he was unable TO tell from
which direction be came. All Of the wit.
nesses identified the clothing worn by Boy
er on that day.
The theory of the prosecution was that
Boyer had removed his overalls and blouse
and concealed them in Peck's sugar camp
and then took short cut through the fields
to the point in the woods where he met
Miss HerEig.
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