The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1898-04-27

ing herself internally. In TINS condltiOn
she dragged her body few yards from
the house, where she lay concealed be-
hind a fence until the next morning,
when she was found. She died ten days
later from the effects of the injuries.
Mr.. Berkey directed the men to his vest,
ia which they found a pOcketbook con-
tanning one hundred and forty dollars in
bills and silver. Among the money was
a Confederate ten dollar note, which after-
ward played an important part in ftsten-
ing the robbery and murder on the Roddy
boys. After the robbers had ransacked
the house from cellar to attic in search of
money they returned to the room in
which their victim was bound and gag
ged. One of the scOundrels struck the
defenseless old man a powerful blow on
the jaw, dislodging two Of his teeth, and
causing the blood to flow down over his
snow-white beard in a crimson stream.
They demanded of the old man in the
face of immediate death that he reveal
the hiding-plaee of his supposed wealth
and government bonds, and turned a deaf
ear to his protestations that they had Sc
cured all of the money concealed about
the house. The robbers declared that he
was lying to them. as they had personal
knowledge of his having recently sold
the coal underlying his farm, and of the
further fact that he had received some
fourteen hundred dollars only two days
before from the sale Of the coal. One of
them set fire 10 p newspaper and held the
flames to the soles of the old mans feet,
while the other lighted an oil lamp, and
as soon as the flame of the burning paper
was exhausted, replaced it with the flame
of the lamp. In the midst of this devil
ish performance the mask dropped from
the face of one of the men, and in the
glare of the light Mrs. Berkey caught a
full view of his countenance; so it hap
pened that when she testified in court she
was able to positively identify Jim
Roddy as one of her husbands murder
ers.
In spite Of his prayers that death might
come 10 his release, supplemented by the
pleas Of his wife that they refrain from
killing her aged husband, the robbers
continued with hellish malignity to tor
ture the old man for full hour and a
half
Finally firing of their fiendish work,
the robbers visited the cellar, where they
secured lot Of edibles which they car
ried into the presence Of their victims be-
fore eating. After subjeeting Mrs. Berkey
to unmentiOnable insults they took their
departure, but not until they had threat
ened 10 return and kill the aged couple in
alarm.
As soon as the robbers left, Mrs. Berkey
urged her husband to make IN attempt
to break the bonds fastening him. a pro-
longed effort IN this direction WAS finally
rewarded when Mr.. Berkey released his
right hand. andsecuring his pOcket-knife,
severed the straps. His blistered aud
eharred feet would not permit Of his
walking. but, with heroic courage, he
crawled on his hands and knees to where
his wife was bound and released her.
As soon as she was free to move, Mrs.
Berkey FASTENED 20 the home of her
daughter, Mrs. Knavel, a quarter Of a
mile distant, where she rang large din
ner-bell, and the neighbors within hear
ing Of its iron tongue. promptly respond
ed to the alarm.
\ physician was hurriedly summoned,
and he and three other physicians who
were afterwards called in consultation
testified on the trial of the Roddy boys
that the death Of David Berkey resulted
from burns ON his feet, their examination
having revealed that the flesh between
the victims toes was cooked to cinder,
while that about his ankles was broiled
to the bone, causing shock to his nerv-
Gus system from which there was no es-
cape save in death, and that death finally
came as a happy release from most in
tense and agonizing suffering.
1t developed that two horses had been
stolen from the barn of Berkey's nearest
neighbor, as were also the straps with
which the oil man was bound, and that
the horses had been tethered and fed only
a few rods from the house. The tracks
made by the horses were followed for a
distance of six miles before they were
lost, but in the dim gray OF the morning
light the horses were discovered in field
where they had been turned TO Craze
whiio the saddles and brides were found
slowed in convenient fence-corner. Il
was apparent that the robbers were three
in number, one of them having remained
outside of the house To guard the horses
and that they had abandoned the publ,
road at the approach of dawn.
News Of the robbery reached Somerse
the same morning, when the county com
missioners offered reward of two hun
dred dollars for the capture and eonvic-
ton of the robbers.
Before leaving the Berkey farmhouse
one Of the robbers, by a simple act Of con
descension, len mark which. as soon a
it became known in the north OF thu
county, where the Roddy family had fo
merly resided. was recognized as "Th'
Roddy Mark, !" and was the first clew the
led to James and John Roddy's being sur
pected of the crime. Detective John T
Harris, of Johnstown, was given charg'
of the case, and. with the suspicious Dir
ournSfanoa alova rafarrod 10 hef.nra him