The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1893-07-05
namand Prltta. Arrest.

| One OF the Oldest and We2lfhiest farmers
living in the vicinity Of Trent, came to SOM
erset Thursday for the purpose Of demand
ing that Sheriff Good raise posse and cap
ture Murderer "Bnln Priits. He claims the
people residing in the neighboorhood Of
Pitts homo are taxpayers and entitled to
the protection Of the law. According 10 his
story, and il is confirmed by other farmers
from that neighborhOod. bad state Of affairs
has existed in the mOonshine country ever
since the murder Of old ''Yonyr Hochstetler
and the subsequent trial and conviction of
General seigle"
The HOchstetier boys il appears were very
much aggravated when ''Seigie7 escaped with
a second degree verdict and ten years SEN
teuce to the penitentiary, and they resolved
to be avenged on his accomplice, Pritis For
the last fiftsen months they have been
bounding Pritts, and when they learned last
/ Sunday that he had returned to his home
they went to Constable Forespring and de-
manded that he arrest him, at the same time
volunteering to assist in making the arrest
Roll" Hochstetler says he could easily
have dropped" Pritts with his rifle, but that
when be got into position to shoot the sec
ond time a sudden twInge of fconscience com
! PEELED him to abandoned the idea Since
Monday night Constable Forespring, the two
Hochs,etler boys, and Willis Singo, the
quariette who captured Priits and were after
wards driven from his home, are reported
to be stopping at Roll Hochsietler's They
are afraid to leave the house for fear Of being
asssssinated by the adherents OF Prit;s.
joe Pritts, the moonshiner's nephew,
who drove Constable Forespring from the
house, has sworn to kill all of his unele's
eaptors on sight, and it is the fear that be
will put his threat into practice that has
alarmed the neighborhood.
Sheriff Good is anxious to arrest Priits. but
feels it would be useless for him to make the
attempt unless he has the assistance of a
posse; but this the county commissioners
refuse to grant him they insist that they
will give only so for Pritts in case he is
captured and lodged in Jail.
\ report from Trent says that Pritts has
been removed to the home Of doctor at
Indian Head, Faye.te county, and that he
can be found there in case the sheriff gees
after him. Constable Forepring is reported
to have said that he viii make no further
attempts to capture Pritts unless he has the
assistance Of the sheriff.
Two of Pritts' nearest neighbors who were
in Somerset during the week. said that they
had not seen the old moonshiner since be
fore the murder of Hochstetler, fifteen
months ago, although they believe that he
has never been further away from his home
than Mt. Pleasant. They seem to think that
Pritts is still in the Illicit whiskey business
and that he is being protected by persons on
the Fayette county side of the mountain.
After FprespFing and the Hochsteiler boys
were driven away from Pitts house last
Monday these men claim TO have seen
a number Of persons about the house, but
since then they have seen only the persons
they have been accustomed TO seeing in the
neighbOrhood. Their impression is that
Pritts was removed to point somewhere
near Indian Head, Feyette county, and that
il will be hard task TO find him.
Ii all ACCOUNTS are true the people in that
neighborhoOd 90 as well armed as Indian
scouts. Every farmer is provided with re-
peating Fife and variety OF side arms, and
all of them are accustomed 10 using them
and are good shots. Certain il is that a bad
state Of affairs exists in the mountain above
Trent and the sooner the lawless element
is driven out Of that section the better it will
be for all.
Pritts. is not deserving of the sympathy of
anybody. He is charged with the gravest
oiense known to the law and the safety OF
society demands that be be arrested and
tried This is the feeling entertained by a
great majority of the people of thar neigh
borhood and they are anxious that the blot
that has been cast upon their good name be
erased as speedily as possible.
WILLING To SURRENDER.
Monday morning Sheriff Good received in
formation from a source that he deemed re-
liable to the effect that Pritts was al bis
home and had expressed willingness 70
surrender in case the Sheriff came for him
in person. Shortly sfter receiving the infor-
nation the Sheriff left town drivinga pair
of horses headed for Trent On his way to
the mountain he met parties from the
neighbOrhood of Trent who told him that the
report had reached that place the preceding
night that Pritts had died from the effects Of
a surgical operation he had undergone Sun
day. when Fayette county physician had
amputated his arm and had been unable 10
stop the How of blood. The Sheriff contin-
ued on his way to Pntts' to verify the truth
Of this story as well as Of the one he had
learned earlier in the day in regard to Pritts'
willingness TO surrender.
The Sheriff had not returned up to the
hour Of our going to press. but the opinion
prevails that be is on will goose chase
4 report was brought TO town on Mon
day that Pritts had died sometime during
Sunday night, but it could not be traced to
a reliable source. The story is that Consta-
bic Ddpont and two gentlemen had gone to
Pritts' home Sunday night and was sur
prised to find that the old outlaw had
expired few hours before their arrival.
Many persons were disposed to receive this
story as reliable, but there is no doubl about
its being bald fake.