Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1893-06-30
The Wyckoff Trial.

On Thursday of last week the sensation
al features of the day before, when Spay-
the made his confession were surpassed by
the confessions of both Rhine and Spaythe.
Both prisoners went on the stand and made
full confessions, and Rhine's story was as
follows:
az am 20 years old; my home is in og-
deusburg, y. Y, and I've known Wyckof
a year.
Wvckoff, who had been harmless look
ing object of shamed despair, brsced up
when Rhine began, and his manifest anger
and resentment seemed to inspire hlm
with a notion that life was worth living fol
the sake of heartily hating the witness, II
for nothing else. Rhine exchanged IooA
or two with the malevolent looking doctor
and continued:
seWhen met Wyckoff at Mike Frey's
saloon in Pittsburg he proposed that we rot
the bank at LeechDurg, and asked me TO
come up and look the place over. Gallagh-
er was at the conference. We planned TO
hold up Hill and make him open the safe
at the N uzzle of our revolvers. Wyekoli
said to US: Put your gun to his head ana
he'll fall into your arms Alter the poker
game at Wyckof7s he and l walked up the
street and split the money we'd won from
the barber, Kerr. Wyckotf met US IN Pitts
burp on the morning of February q. The
night of the Job, when we started for the
bank, Wyckoff particularly asked US II we
were all armed Sullivan was too drunk
to do anything on such job and we Ieit
him at Wyckoffs house."
After detailing their movements until
the alarm was raised at the bank, Rhine
went on: Before l started l heard the
shooting and saw Shaffer fall against the
Gall /
as to who shot Shaffer, but it was not
Spaythe nor myself What shooting was
done on our side was done by Gallagher.
| Jumped into a hallway, raced TO the
street and got clean start on the road;
| ran about ten miles down towpath ana
up along railroad. Yes this is my hat;
the one / wore L threw the revolver away
while traYersing the towpath."
Spaythes evidence was about the same
as the day before.
WyckofFs father, an aged physician OF
Buffalo, n. Y, testified to the educating
his son for physician, and his wife testl-
fed to their marriage at Meadville, and to
his being at home the evening OF the burg
larry and murder.
Some other witnesses were examined
and the defense closed; after which Spay-
the was sentenced for seven years on his
Rhine for three years for burglary, which
with his other sentence makes fifteen year,
for him.
Friday the case was argued and at
o'clock the jury returned.
During the day Wyckoff sent for one oi
the reporters in town and made a comics
sion as follows:
'I am a dipsomaniac. Calm yourself my
dear: | want to tell this man my story
They never would get it out ofme In co1rt
but the world shall know it through the
Times. | had been drink ing heavily, anc
had lost much money at cards. Ihls thlne
came into my mind, and what SpGytne
told on the stand about the plans to exc
cute it was true, except that Spaythe Il
the man who killed Shatfer. de has Doast
ed of this in jail to me. He said alter he
Jumped over the fence he rested the reyOl
yer on top of board, took deliberate aim,
and fired. Shaffer dropped and he ran
His own words are: ii brought the -
- down and they don't know who did
it,"
Sullivan and O'Keefe, who was called
Gallagher, stayed at my house after the
murder, and without the knowledge of my
wife, for if she n ad suspected what was GO
ing on she would have saved me from this
disgrace, for she is as good woman ai
man was ever blessed with"
He also told of plot to escape.
The jury was out for sixteen hours and
came in with second degree verdict.
On Monday, Judge Rayburn sentenced
Wyckof to twelve years in the penitenti-
ary on his conviction for murder and
burglary and four years in the workhouse
for keeping gambling house.
When Wyckoff was brought in for sen
tence, c. A. Sullivan, Esq, formerly OF
Butler, made an eloquent plea for mercy
and when Judge Ray bull asked DR. Wyck-
off what he had to say why sentence should
not be imposed on him, and he said:
have nothing to say, l only want to
say that Spaythe and Rhine did not tell
the truth. | am not guilty of perjury and
| would have taken the stand aud denied
half of what they said only my attorneys
told me that | would be looked upon as a
perjurer.
Judge Rayburn said:
Your counsel, Mr.. Sullivan, has made a
most eloquent appeal for mercy, and your
wife asks it too. 1t must not be forgotten
that mercy is one Of the attributes of JUS
aice. You lived in Leechburg and plotted
against , ouI IIeishbo bors. rhat sensPiracy
you entered led to the death OF William
Shaffer. Your wife pleads for mercy, but
Shaffer's widow and her three fatherless
children plead for Justice.