The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1896-12-23

The jury as selected is as follows:
Francis Suhrie. of Allegheny township;
f. NJ. Fryburg, Quemahoning township ;
NJ. NJ. Knepper. jefferson township; j.
G. Gnagey, Somerset township; Josiah
Bridigum, Fairhope township; James
*. Hnemsn. Addison township; Charles
Baldwin. Summit township; Josiah
! Coughenour, Middlecreek township; r.
w. Dali. Ursina Borough; Geo. l.. Dob
son, Qaemahoning township.
SATURDAY MORNING SESSION.
The two jurors who failed TO respond
when their names were called Friday
evening were in attendance Saturday
morning. One was stood aside and the
other was challenged by the defense.
/ This exhausted the venire and Judge
I Longenecker at once issued "A praecipe
! for a new venire directing the Sheriff 10
summon twelve additional talesmen.
4 Before the Sheriff had completed his task
counsel fer defendants filed motion
electing 10 try John and James Roddy
with the first jury empaneled and
| Richard Jackson with the jury then be-
| ing empaneled.
Jonas L. Baer and solomon Shoemaker,
both of Somerset borough, were accepted
by counsel on both sides and completed
the Jury to sit in the case OF Richard
Jackson.
WIFE OF THE MURDERED MAN TEsTIFIEs.
POSITIVELY IDENTIFIES JAMES ROD
DY A. ONE OF THE ROBBERS.
Mrs. Caroline Berkey, the aged wife of
the murdered man, was the first witness
called. Mrs. Berkey is a modest looking
woman, a little under medium height
and of solid physique. She was unable
to testify in English and Valentine Hay,
Esq, was sworn as interpreter. Mr.. Hay
propounded the iEterrogatories of coun-
sci and received the answers of witness
in Pennsylvania Dutch, which he trans
lated into English for the benefit of the
Court and jury. The witness told the
story of the robbery minutely and with
out hesitation. and when she pointed
towards James Roddy, and said that he
was one of the men that tortured her hus-
band, the defendants hands and lips
moved convulsive!y. The scene in court
was one never to be forgotten. The large
crowd of spectators was apparently
breathless throughout the time Mrs. Ber-
| key was on the stand, and when she
leaned forward in the witness chair and
peered around the corner of the Judges
/ bench 30 where James Roddy was sitting,
and solemnly nOdding her head at
I the defendant said "He is the man who
| lost the handkerchief from his face"
every person who heard the evidence
looked unconsciously into his neighbor's
! face as if 10 see what impression the testi-
mony had made on him.
Examination conducted by i. J. Koos-
er. Esq.
The witness said: l am the wife of
David Berkey and on the 2d of June last
was at home with my husband and
daughter Lucy; nobody else was in the
| house when we retired about 9 T. NJ; it
was Tuesday night, between the
| hours of u and /, when two men broke
into the house through the front door. 1
/ heard a matcn crack and then saw light.
/ My husband and I occupied separate
| beds and the robbers came into the room
/ in which We were sleeping; both men
| had revolyers in their hands. The old
man sat up and asked them what they
wanted; they answered, money, by
| Cd: and we're going 10 get it," Ber-
/ key didn't say where the money was or
/ how much; they bound him with straps.
! He told them his money was in his vest;
they got the money and put it into their
/ pockets. and tnen carried him into the
sitting room and bound him fa & in a
rocking chair. Returning to the bed
/ room they found some more money in
/ the bed-tick and began to swear; coming
to my bed they tied my hands and feet
and carried me to my husbands bed;
they tore up a sheet and bound me with
the strips and then secured me TO the
bed-post with a lounge spread, which
they had torn up. l could see where my
husband was sitting; the robbers burned
the soles of his feet with a candle and
with pieces of paper and with an oil
lamp; then they cholred him and tied his
| him, but they struck him on the mouth
until the blood came and dislodged one
of his teeth ! told them that my daUgh-
ter had little money up stairs and the
old man told them that he thought they
would not find any mere money about
the house; they found some money, how
ever, in hat box, and coming down
stairs they shook it at him and said, ,''You
! lied" Then they burned the old mans
feet until they never healed, and tried to
make him give up more money and gov
ernment bonds; they took the chimney
from the lamp and put the fame to the
old mans feet. After they had searched
all over the house they left us lied. The
men wore haudkerchiefs over their faces
from the nose down. One of the men lost
his mask and / saw that he was fnan
| had seen before. He did not replace
the mask, and | afterwards picked it up.
had seen the man about noon few
days before. He came to our house and
asked for something to eat. / was sick a
the time and did not give him anything
They burned the old man at intervals
and when they were through asked fpi
sweet oil. saying that they wanted to doc.
tor his feet After they had LEFT thg
house | told my husband to try and gel
his knife from his pocket; he released
one of MS hands and got the knife and
cut the straps that bound him and after
wards released me. ] can't say how
much money they got, but there were
more than 10 pieces of silver and several
bills. Witness identified handkerchief
brown slouch hat, straps and piece o
wood, which had been used as a gag.
Court adjourned until 7:l5 p. y.
| defense objected to testimony relative
10 the daughter. Objection snstained.)
The,door was locked; heard it crash
when broken; the keeper of the bolt was
broken. the screws being forced out
That is one of the men, pointing oui
James Roddy.
Cross Examination. conducted by Gen
COarofh.
II was a dirty wet handkerchief, had .
knot tied in it, which united. Two men
were at our house on May 2Sth; witness
fixed the day because IL was her birth
day. Had never seen the men before
there were only two men in the house
saw ones face. il being uncovered,
Redirect Ex.-The other man did moi
have his mask of; he was a little taller
aud heavier than the other.
Re-Cross Ex.-Witness pointed tow
ards James Ro9dy as the man she had