Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1897-11-26
JOLLY JOE DISBERRY
CAREER OF A THIEF OF eevoLu-
TloNARY TIMES.

'S'SVsst stNU0Ss
Nothing Could Cure Him of His Pilfering
Propensity All His Property Confis-
Gated. His Ears Cut or AM. Imprison-
ment For FL Years Imposed Upon Him.
About the close of the Revolutionary
var q notorious character named Joe
Disberry lived about Selinsgrove and
Sunbury, on the Susquehanna. Whence
he came is unknown, but he is supposed
to have been of Connecticut origin. He
is reputed to have been possessed Of
great physical strength and powers of
endurance, could excel i'll running and
jumping, and i'll thieving and lying had
no equal along the river. He was of a
humorous disposition also and fire.
quently indulged i'll amusing pranks
while engaged i'll plying his avocation.
1t is related of him that on more than
II occasion he was known slyly to en-
ter the Kitchen of u family when all
We're i'll bed. start up the fire and cook
himself Il meal and leisurely eat it. If
discovered, he relied on his swiftness of
foot to escape. Finally his thefts be-
came so numerous that the whole neigh
borhood arose against him, and he was
arrested and confined in the rude Jail at
Sunbury, but as it was not very secure
he escaped, and Sheriff Antes offered IL
reward for his apprehension. Joe took
refuge on the isle of Que and concealed
himself i'll u dense thicket. He might
have eluded pursuit but for his inordi-
nate love for perpetrating jokes. While
lying i'll his place OF concealment near
the road which crossed the island Joe
heard the footstcpsof Il horse and, slyly
peeping from his covert, discovered the
sheriff's wife approaching on horseback
on her way to Selinsglove. Quickly
stepping into the road, he pulled off his
hat, made a polite bow and as quickly
disappeared i'll the bushes. The aston
ished lady. who knew him, hurried on
to Selinsgrove and gave the alarm.
A party headed by George Kremer,
afterward a member of congress-, was
hurriedly made up and went in pursuit
of the refugee. He was captured and re-
turned to the custody of Sheriff Antes
at the Jail i'll Sunbury. He was tried
and convicted, and his sentence is one
OF the strangest found i'll the annals of
criminal history i'll Pennsylvania. The
quarter sessions docket, still preserved
among the court records at Sunbury
(for September term, 1881, shows that
he was convicted OF felony, and the fol-
lowing sentence was imposed:
Judgment - that the said Joseph
hisborr,y vaonixo 90 1ochoc 1,o%r,oo,, xl,a
hours of = aud . O'Clock tomorrow; to
stand i'll the pillory one hour; to have
his ears cut off and nailed to the post;
to return the property stolen Dr. the
value thereof; remain in prison three
months: pay a fine of ESQ to the honor
able the president of this state for the
support OF the government aud stand
convicted until fine, fees. ETC., are
paid"
This remarkable sentence shows the
estimate that was put OIL Joe as Il GRIM
inal. The whipping post and pillory
stood i'll the public square i'll Sunbury,
and the spot can still be pointed out.
Colonel Henry Antes, the sheriff. di-
rected the whipping if he did not do it
himself. There is no record to show
who did the ear cropping. but as the
surgical operation fell to the sheriff it
is presumed that he did. Among the 12
men who composed the jury We're sew
eral noted Indian fighters and Revolu-
tionary soldiers. Peter Hosterman, fore
man,, was active as a militiaman and
had command at one time of IL company
to repel Indian attacks. Adam and Mi
chael Grove were famous as Indian
scouts and were engaged in several
bloody encounters with the savages.
This evere sentence did not cure Joe of
his thlevlng propensities, for the quar-
ter sessions docket for August term,
1898. shows that he was arraigned and
tried on three indictments for robbing
the houses of Philip Bower, Peter Jones
and Isaiah Willitts and convicted on
each. The Hon. Jacob Rush, president
judge Of the judicial district, was on
the bench and imposed the following
sentence:
THAT the prisoner, Joseph Disberry,
forfeit all and singular his goods and
chattels, land and tenements, to and
for the use of the commonwealth, and
undergo o servitude of v years for
the burglary committed in the house of
Philip Bower, and be committed to the
house of correction, pay the costs Of
prosecution, etc" The court then SEN
fenced HIM on the two other indictments,
seven years each. and continued: ''That
the defendant be conveyed to the Jail
and l%Nni,entiary house of Philadelphia
to undergo the servitude aforesaid for
the term Of 81 years. And that the said
Joseph Dlsberry be kept for the space
OF two years / the solitary cell out Of
the term OF 81 years.