The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-05-09
THE REICK MURDER.
New Surprises Follow Each Day in This
Remarkable Case.

Remarkable Case.
In the entire history of the criminal
courts of Luzerne county there never
has appeared a case quite so remark
able and inexplicable as the trial of the
man Hendricks now in progress. Ono
not acquainted with the details of the
case might sit in the court room all day,
listen patiently to the evidence as it is
elected. and at the close of the day
leave the court house without having
learned even so much as TO who is being
tried. AS the readers of The Tribune
are aware, four mcn-Hendricks, Fish
er. Kearney and Robinson-were ar
rested for the murder of Barney Reick.
These arrests were made more than fif-
teen months after the crime was com.
mitted. The case had been placed in
the hands of the Barring & McSweeney
detective agency. Keen detectives were
put on the case and after much work
evidence was secured which seemed
clearly to point to the four men above
named. True bills were found against
them and the cases were called for trial
at the present term of court. The pris-
oners elected to be tried singly and Hen
witness against the accused are the de-
tectives, who have testified that Hen
bricks again and again confessed his
active participation in the murder. A
woman at whose house Hendricks lived
at the time of the murder, swears that
he confessed himself guilty of the kill
ing of Reick, and also that the money
taken from the dead man was divided
in her presence. The defense have
from the first apparently taken very
little interest in the case of Hendricks,
the man actually on trial, but have de-
voted themselves to proving alibis for
the other three accused, who are not yet
on trial. No attempt has thus far been
made to establish an alibi for Hen
bricks, counsel for the defense evidently
believing that If they prove the inno-
cence of Fisher, Robinson and Kearney
the case against Hendricks will also
fall to the ground.
Fisher was the first witness placed
upon the stand for the defense and n
fairly strong case was made out, his
evidence being in nearly every particu-
lar corroborated by reputable witnesses.
There is. however. discrepancy that
leaves some doubt as to the where
abouts of Fisher at the exact hour when
the murder was committed. The father
and other members of Kearney's family
have appeared on the stand and sworn
that Kearney was at his home in Par
sons at the time Reick was killed. Yes
terday the wife of Robinson was placed
on the stand and according to her testi-
mony her husband could not possibly
have been in Wilkes-iiarre at the time
of the murder.
One of the most remarkable features
Of yesterdays proceedings was the
placing on the witness stand of a num-
ber of prisoners confined in the county
Jail. 1t will be remembered that De-
tective Simpson was confined in cell
in the county Jail (as an alleged crimi-
nab for the purpose of gaining the con-
fidence of Hendricks with view to
getting a confession from him. Simp-
son testified that Hendricks made a
full confession to him. Counsel for de-
fense in opening the case declared they
would prove that Hendricks knew
Simpson was a detective and that he
was only fooling the latter. The object
III iHc uoWH iioiH
the Jail was to discredit Simpsons tes-
timony by proving that Hendricks
knew Simpson to be a detective at the
time he made the alleged confession to
him. Great surprise was occassioned
when he warned Hendricks that
Simpson was detective. Hendricks
only laughed and said he knew all
about 1t. that the warden the Jail
(the late c. c. jones' had already
warned him against Simpson and tell
ing him his real character and object in
being in the Jail.
Taking this case all in all 1t certainly
is a very remarkable one, and few
people now look for conviction, al
though there Is widespread belief
that at least some, II not all of the ac-
cused had a hand in the death Of Bar
ney Reick.