The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1896-10-07

the Court that the prosecutor was IN
very critical condition, but it is not like
ly that he was aware that death was so
near at hand to the venerable victim of
the robbers fiendish assault. Saturday
afternoon Mr.. Colhorn was notified 10y
telephone that Mr.. Berkey was dead.
The District Attorney will now draw
a bill of indictment against the three
prisoners charging them with homicide,
in addition 10 the other charges on which
they are held in custody, and on which
grand jury.
When Deputy-Sheriff Baker informed
the prisoners Saturday evening that Mr..
Berkey was dead James Roddy's face
flushed crimson, but he refused to ex-
press himself further than TO say: I'VE
can't help it," John Roddy and Richard
Jackson appeared quite Indifferent when
told of the death of the man they are ac-
cused of having robbed and tortured un-
Ill his death resulted.
David Berkey was o. years old at the
time of his death. He was one of the
most highly respected citizens in
Paint township and was reputed 10 be
worth large sum of money, most of
which it was said he kept concealed
about his house.
While he and the other members of his
family were in their beds on Wednes-
day morning, June 2d, the old gentleman
was aroused about o'clock by so,ne one
in his chamber. The next moment a
masked robber thrust a revolver into his
face and demanded that he tell where his
money was concealed. Mr.. Berkey
pointed TO his vest, hanging on post of
the bed. in one OF the pockets of which
the robber found about Si00 in paper mon
ey By this time second masked bur
glar appeared, when the old man was
lifted from his bed and strapped fast in a
rocking chair. His aged wife was secur-
ed TO bed post with ropes, her hands be-
irg tied above her head and her feet to
the foot of the post. Then the robbers
turned over the bed clothes and found
small amount of silver concealed in the
bed tick. Not satisfied with the amount
OF money they had secured, the burglars
tried TO extori from him the hiding place
of his supposed large amount of money
| by burning the sOles of his feet with the
4 flame OF 4 candle. Mr.. Berkey contin-
ued TO insist that they had secured all of
the money he had hidden in the house.
| but his protestations seemed To only in
cite the tends to further devilment.
They lighted pieces of paper and held
them between the old mans toes until
| his feet were literally roasted 10 the bone.
| A large hole was burned in the ball of
/ mis- left foot, and the back part OF the heel
up to the ankle joint was roasted until
the flesh cracked. When the victim cried
ont with pain one Of the fiends struck
! him on the mouth knocking out several
Of his teeth. and choked him until his
! face turned black. As a last effort to
compel their aged victim TO reveal the
supposed hiding place of his money, one
/ of the foul fiends, with devilish delight,
threw several cups Of cold water in the
face of the now completely exhausted
man. Mrs. Berkey was an unwilling
witness 10 the barbarities inflicted upon
/ her husband. but when the mask fell
| from the face OF one of the robbers the
features Of his c0untenance were so in
delibly stamped upon her mind that she
! will carry the impression then made with
| her to the grave. When she was con-
fronted by James Roddy, who had been
arrested and charged with participation
in the robbery, at her home, she instantly
identified him as one Of the robbers, and
| later, when the prisoners were given a
babeas corpus hearing before Judges
Bieseclzer and Horner, the venerable la
dy was altogether positive in her idead-
iication OF him.
While the fiends were engaged in tor
turing their victim, Miss Lucy Berkey, a
daughter Of Mr.. and Mrs. David Berkey,
! hearing the confusion down stairs and re-
alizing that burglars were in the hoase,
attempted to escape by way Of second
story window in order to arouse the
neighbors. BY misstep she fell 10 the
ground. distance Of % feet, sustaining a
broken ankle. With the bones of her leg
pro;ruding through the flesh and imbed-
ded in the ground, she still possessed suf-
fcient strength TO drag herself into the
garden, where she laid on the damp
ground for three hours, when she was
found and carried TO the house by her
aged mother. Miss Berkey died on the
18th day of June as a result of her injuF-
les.
The robbers were frightened from the
house 10y the screams Of Miss Berkey
when she fell, evidently thinking that
help Was coming. As the ground after
ward indicated, horses were i'm waiting
for them a short distance from the house.
The SAME night two horses were stolen
from the barn of VIM. J. Horner, a ten
ant on the Rsrkey farm. Mr.. Horner
tracked them from his barn to BeFkey!s
the following morning and later in the
day recovered them near Scalp Level,
where they had been abandoned.
After the robbers had fled from the
house Mr.. Berkey managed to release
himself from the rocking chair in which
he had been tied and crawling across the
acor 10 where his wife was secured, cut
the cord thar bound her - the bed post
Mrs Berkey then rang the dinner bell in
order To arouse the neighbors.
4 physician was summoned to dress
the wounds Of Mr.. Berkey and his
daughter, and, Notwithstanding every
remedy known to medical SCIENCE was
resorted to in an effort tosave their lives
Miss Berkey expired as stated above and
her venerable father followed her TO the
grave on Saturday.
From the night Of the robbery until
the hour Of his death Mr. Berkey suffer
ed upspeakable agony from his burned
feet, never being able IS rest them upon
the floor. Death was a welcome relief to
him.
Suspicion was directed towards Jane.
and John T,oddy and Richard jackson
the morning following the crime. II i
. alleged that all of the three prisoners
named were seen in the neighbOrhood
Immediately preceding the robbery. Al
the habeas corpus bearing on August
l2th, il was developed by the testimony
OF number of witnesses that James and
; John Roddy and Richard Jackson wers
seen travelling in the direction of tbs