The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1894-08-18
IS LORBER INNOCENT 2
The witness Upon Whose Testimony He
Was convicted OF Arson at Eikton
swears She Perjured Herself.

ne case ti S'ie lfuHl ts'bthchb VI al
iuuocent man upon the false testimony
ni d witness, has been revealed at the
Maryland State Peniteutiary, aud efforts
are being put forth to obtain the victim i
release at the hands Of Governor Brown.
The man Is George Lorber, who was con
yicted of arson at Elkton.
The crime for which George Lorber
has served five years and half, aud still
looks forward to twelve long years to
come, was that of burning TIC barn aid
dwelling house OF Jesse Burbank, near
Churchviile, Hartford county, on tie
night of September %, 1888. lie was
employed at the place with fifty or sixty
other men and women during the eau
ming season. Lorber left the premises
u lew hours before the ire started and
reyer returned to the Burbank place.
Suspicion fell upon him aud he was
arrested il Baltimore and taken to Bel
dir and indicted by the Grand Jury.
His attorney, A. 2. Jump, had the case
removed to Cecil county, and occasioned
considerable excitement here. Trial
followed and conviction resulted upon
circumstantial evidence, the woman
with whom he kept company swearing
that he threatened to burn the place
Down. The jury recommended mercy
and the court imposed sentence OF IS
years in tbs penitentiaTy.
Judge Stump presided at the trial, aud
Lorber's fate was entrusted to the follow
lug jury: Jefferson Ferguson, w. H. Shell
ton, j. Z. Ferguson, w. T. Clark, and
Thomas P. Jones, Jr., of Ceoiltou; James
Warner, of S.. Augustine; w {, Bou
chelle, of Chesapeake City; Frank Nc
Certney, of Appleton; Thomas W. Now
land, of Port Deposit: B. B. Dunbar and
". Scott Price, of Elkton, and J. X
Shippers, OF Mechanics Valley.
The evidence submitted at the trial was
entirely circuu stantia!, auC there was
little upon which Lorber could be con.
victed until his former sweetheart, who
had SO suddenly turned against him
presence to commit the crime with " hich
he was then charged. This testimony oi
the woman made Lorber's guilt reason
ably sure in the minds of the jurymen,
and they rendered verdict of guilty,
recommending him to the mercy of the
court. The sentence was imposed and
on January rs, 1899, the condemned man
passed into the Ponitentiary gate 10 be
GIN his long term of servitude.
Calling as his fate was he resolutely
determined 10 make the best Of it, and
to establish his innocence il possible in
the eyes of those with whom he came in
to contact within the narrow confines oil
his prison home. He was a mode
prisoner and soon earned the respect and
confidence of the warden and his de
puties.
When he first told his story to Warden
John f. Weyler, that official was hardly
inclined to credit it. But SO earnestly
did the convict argue his case and sc
persistently did he stand by the facts
he told, that finally tie warden con
cluded that the story was either clever
invention or the mau was innocent.
From the moment Mr.. Weyler reached
that conclusion he was anxious to see
Lorber prove his innocence in the face oil
the world.
The convict asked that his case be
called to tie attention OF some sattorney
but it was some time before any one
would volunteer to unravel the mystery.
Finally Messrs. Fuld and Winternit2
generously came to the aid Of the man.
Six weeks ago they took up the case,
and. in their little Office in tie Vansant
Building, set to work to obtain evidence
that Lorber was innocent OF the crime
charged against him.
Their chief hope was il getting Mary
Ward to acknowledge that she lied when
she said that Lorber had threatened to
burn the Burbank place. After finding
the woman they had II talk with
her.
Every detail OF her participation in
the arson trial was told by her, and at
the conclusion of her story she was asked
that question, which she answered in
the affirmative ut the trial: 'D id
Lorber tell you be was going to burn
Burbank houses?"
'No, she replied, with emotion.
"Why did you swear that he did?'
Only sister Katie made me do So, she
answered.
Continuing she said remorse had
troubled her ever since that eventful
day when she swore to q falsehood that
sent her sweetheart to prison She had
been afraid to speak OUT, as she believed
she would be punished.
The lawyers impressed her with the
seriousness CT her statement, and told
her it might lead to complications which
might cause her trouble, but she insisted
on the truthlulness of her denial. They
asked if she would swear to the facts in
the above conversation, and she acqui j.
esced. Before she was allowed to do SO
every effort was made to impress her
with the dangerous character OF the
position in which she would DO plac5d.
Justice P. d. Shea also explained 10 her
carefully the purport Of the step she was
taking She declared she would not be
easy until she had relieved her mind.
An affidavit was then drawn up and
she sworo to its truthfulness. This
paper declares in Il legal form that Mary
l.. Ward makes oath to having falsely
sworn that George Lober told her of his
intention to burn the property of Jesse
Burbank a day or two before the said
property was consumed by fire, and
further that she had given her false
testimony at the prompting of her sister
Katie Arch. now Mrs Meeks.
This affidavit, with long petition for
Lorbor's pardon, was on Friday presented
to Governor Brown by AIessrs Fud and
How am | to believe Mary Wards
sta tement" Asked the Governor. She
may be lying now wnen she says she
was lying five years ago.
True" was the response, but the
fact is self evident that she has lied
under oath, either at tho trial as ElkJon
or now in this affidavit, for she has