The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1896-07-15
"REMINISCENCES.

pers of recent date. Mr.. Walker is
remembered as jolly, good-natured,
big-hearted man, by those who knew
him forty years ago and more. A
good many years ago, when Squire
Roddy's hair began to change from
glossy black To silver gray, he was in
the habit of choring it and his rather
long whiskers with some sort of
patent preparation, prepared and rec
commended for the purpose, as being
"strictly vegetable" containing no
mineral substance whatever. This
was when the Squire was compara-
lively young man, and before his
marriage rather late in life. On one
occasion the Squire was in Somerset,
when Mr.. Walker came up to him,
and taking hold of the 'Squire's beard,
said, ''Bill, why you not put little
ticker on dat hair dye?n This expressive
question became "by-wOrd" in this
country, as long as Squire Roddy liv-
ed. Mr.. Walker, outside of his extern
sive acquaintanceship through the
county, in consequence of his political
canvass, was known for his connection
with the hanging of Pritts, for the de-
liberate murder of Weimer.
This murder was premeditated, and,
as has been the case often before and
since, there was "a woman i'm the case"
Pritts was man well up in years,
while Weimer was young.
Some years ago some one wrote
communication in Somerset paper in
regard to the murders i'm Somerset
county, and among the rest the
Huguel murder was mentioned. The
account there, as later on, one that was
written after the Nicely execution, by
Mr.. f. III. Werner, was erroneous in
some particulars, and the writer cor
rected it, TO some eXtent,at the time, ia
a long communication in a Somerset
paper. As most people think, and as
Mr.. Werner had it, the victim of the
Huguel murder was drover, who was
killed for his money. The writer's
great-grandfather, Squire MeLane,
was among the first, if not the very
first surveyors, in Somerset county,
and after the new county was formed,
he removed to the neighborhood of
Somerset, in order to he nearer the
county seat.
The writer's grandmother, from
whom he obtained the facts, which
she, in her turn, had from her father,
was well acquainted with all the cir
cumstances. The two Huguel brothers
were French Canadians whose parents
came originally to Fort DuQuesne,
with the French army of occupation,
and remained there, and who, being
rather shiftless fellows, but apparently
harmless withal, by some mysterious
providence, drifted into Somerset
county. They had been here and
there, in the neighborhood of Somerset,
for some little time, with no occupa-
ton or profession to make their ends
meet. They had become entirely pen
niless, and were in desperate straits,
wandering around the country, wher-
ever they could have accommodation.
They saw the drover, Pollock, if that
was his name, in tavern, displaying
considerable quantity of money,
and, after they had learned, by some
means, the direction he intended to 90,
they left, and the larger of the two
suggested the idea of numbering the
man for his money; the smaller man
demurred, but his scruples were over
come, and they bid themselves in a
secluded place to await the coming of
the drOver. They had not waited
long until the man they were looking
for. as they supposed, came along, and
they murdered him, in what manner
the writer can not now recall; the
presumption is by shooting. The large
man did the deed, the other man be-
ing only an accessory; they hid the
body behind "A log, and gathered all
the blood they could out of the snow,
and put it in the murdered mans nit
tens, which they secreted with his
dead body. However, when they
searched the dead man, after they kill
ed him, they found no money at all,
or, at most, very small sum. The
sequel showed that they had killed the
wrong man, the drover going by an
other road than the one he had intend
ed to go by, and which they were
watching, thereby, evidently, saving
his life The murdered man was only
an innocent youth on his way to see
his best girl, to whom he was shortly
TO be married. The Frenehmen erased
all traces of the tragedy, as they
thought, and made haste to get out of
the country. OF course their method
of travelling was on foot, and their
progress was slow. If they had been
as smart rs they should have been,
they would have taken the murdered
mans horse; but they allowed it to get
away, and as they failed to get any
money, their terrible crime had been
committed for very little compensation.
In walking through the snow the larger
man stepped in the smaller mans
tracks, for quite distance. Then
they tried walking backwards, the
large man still walking in the others
tracks to make it appear rs if there
was only one man, and he going
contrary way. They stopped at a
house in the country to stay all night;
but by this time, the alarm had been
made, and pursuers were OH their
track. Their device of walking back
wards had deceived no one, and their
place of stopping was soon discovered.
The house was surrounded and their
surrender demanded. The large man
sprang from an upper window, and
made desperate attempt 10 escape,
but, as he ran through the garden, he
was fired upon and killed by one of the
pursuing party. The small man was
captured without difficulty, and made
full confession of the whole affair.
He claimed that he did not want to
commit the murder, but that his broth
er, who was older, stronger and of SUI
perior intelligence and experience,
compelled him to assist. This was
,nost likely trup rs from the hest in