Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1893-03-24
The Kittanning Murder Trial.

of last week, when jury had been secured
at Kittanning TO try Rhine, the first of the
Leechburg bank robbers and murderers to,
be placed on trial. Then District Attorney
Snyder opened for the Commonwealth, and
related the circumstances OF the attempted
burglary, and nurder, as they have already
been printed. He accused Rhine OF firing
the shot that killed Shaffer, said the revol-
yer was found where Rhine Jumped over
the fence, and that the prosecution would
conclusively prove Rhine's guilt.
J.G. Beal, president Of the bank, w.
Hill, cashier, and several other unknown
were heard that afternoon and evening
On Friday, six witnesses said they be-
lieved Rhine to be the man who killed : par
fer. Rhine testified on his own behalf, apd
his story was as follows:
"I am 26 years old; was born in Ogdens-
burg, N. Y, and was in Leechburg on the
night of the Goth of February. was al
the house of DR.. Wycof. where l met
man named Kerr. We had q game OF caios
and won some money. We quit playing
ahont 10 o'clock and all the visitors went
home leaving myself and DR.. Wycoff alone.
We had a drink and then went out togeth.
ar on the street. Wycof and / talked
over the matter of playing cards together
and splitting up" the profits. About Ii
o'clock boarded q freight train bound TO-
wards Pittsburg and went down: Tne
trainmen objected, but / fixed" them
with some money. Got to Pittsburg about
daylight and went to the Diamond restaur.
ami tn get breakfast. In the evening
came to the conclusion to 60 back to
I,eechburg. Nv reason for this was tnal
had had sssnap" the night before and
wanted to work it again. / took the
O'Clock train from Allegheny and got .o
Leechburg few minutes before O'Clock;
+ walked up the street LOOKING lnto al
barber shops, as / was looking for my
friend Kerr, who played with us the nign'
before and from whom we had won money;
AS got near the bank | saw croWo
gathering in front of it and went over ana
asked what was the matter; cIo"o
was pouring into the bank ana l went ~
with Them. ran through the hall and saw
man in the ward shooting at one another.
T was a stranger and thought they might
take me for one of the disturbers, and turn
"a and ran out of the bank. As l went
down the steps someone yelled: Tnere's
ons of them. shoot him ~ ran down the
street and got on the railroad track, think
r vonld walk to the next sthtion and get 9
train 10 Pittsburg. / didn't find any tram,
and / kept on walking until came to q
iunction. and thinking was going toward
Pittsburr turned up the track and got
into a country I did not know.
AT walked MP the road until l was over
taken nv some men. I didn't want to see
them and went up on the bank, but they
followed me up and one of them stuck q
run in INV face and said surrender, l told
him I had done nothing, but some otner
men came up and they searched me, and
found nothing. They pulled me down
over the bank and someone called; BRING
o rope and we will hang him to tne nrsl
tel egraph pole | made no confession 70
anyone, as / had done nothing: L was va
broueht'to Kittanning Jail on February p,
and have been there ever since.
But few questions were asked by the
prosecution. Among them were: "When
ala Won first meet Mr.. Wycoffp "At
Jamestown, n. Y, last spring" lyon
travel much, don't you 7" "Yes, good
deal "Are you employed by any firm !"
ssNo." "Wbat do you dor Il play
cards."
Attorney Gleason then lifted an overcoat
and approaching the prisoner, said; is
this your oyercoat ~ Eyes sir" did
you wear it the night of the 2lst OF
February \" eyes"
Nh. Gleason then opened the coat and
showed the white lining. This coat has
white lining; liz it yoursr Yes"
The prosecution here closed and expected
to make point of the lined coat as one OF
the witnesses swore that the man VINO
sprang over the fence from the BANK lot
after Mr.. Shaffer was shot had white hning
in his overcoat. When Attorney Uleason
said to Rhine, THAT is all' the defense al
most fell from their chairs, but Mr: wal
laca hurried the prisoner from the Dox as
quickly as possible, fearing the prosecution
W ould reconsider, and come back at MIN
again, c,..
asked Rhine if he saw KRONER in Leech-
burg on the night of the tragedy, but the
defense objected and fully an half hour.was
wasted in arguing the matter, and at last
Judge Rayburn decided TO overrule the OBJ
lection. The defense intended putting
Wycof. Kroner and Sprague on the stand
to rebut the testimony OF Collier. After Rhine
had come off the stand they consulted
about the advirability of doing this but
were 80 well pleased with their showing
that they decided to 90 no further, but
rested their case.
The Court room was again crowded
Saturday by people who wanted to hear
the arguments and the Courts to charge the
Jury. A Findlsy, o., lawyer for the de-
fense, q personal friend of Rhine was very
abusive Of everybody connected with the
prosecution.
Judge Rayburn's ch arge was very fair
one, and affirmed all the points present
ed by the defense among which was the
following:
at number of persons, detected while
in the act oflcommitting felony, start to
run in opposite directions and one OF them,
in order to escape. commits o murder, the
others are no accessories"
The jury retired, were out all night.
At 9:55, Monday morning, after having
been ont for 80 hours, the jury came IN
with verdict of guilty of murder in the
second degree.
Late that night Judge Rayburn SEN
fenced Rhine to II years in the peniten-
tiary.