The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-12-05

-Four suspicious characters answering
the general description of the quar-
tette that committed the Corcoran
murder and burglary at Duryea fur
nished an exciting chase for the Scran-
ton police last night.
Joseph Rosch. watchman for the
pennsylvania Coal company on their
timber land near Austin Heights, is
the man who gave the alarm. one of
his children, it will be remembered
was poisoned, supposedly, by the thugs
of that region, and he himself gained
some notoriety while employed as a
Lehigh Valley watchman by his rum
ming down of Red Nosed Mike.
He went to Justice of the Peace
Foley, of Old Forge, yesterday after
noon and reported that four men whom
he had noticed frequently of late pass
ing UP and down the mountain and
who had fired at him on several occa"
sions when he accidentally encountered
them, had arrived at Austin Heights in
a wagon at 11.30 o'clock Saturday night
and were stopping at Powell Pemer-
ick's Hungarian hotel. Their descrip-
tion, he claimed, tailed with that of
the men concerned in the Corcoran out
rage and their suspicious actions made
him strongly believe they were the
parties.
ALL LOCAL MEN.
They are local men he affirmed and
Nnl- d., ,,1.H
They generally travel together and
very frequently make trips between
Austin Heights and Smithvile, where
Pemerick has a brother who keeps a
boarding house.
This information was telephoned to
Chief of Police Gurrell, and accom-
panied by Lieutenant Williams, Pa
trolmen McColligan, Saltry, Feeney and
Tom Evans and a Tribune reporter.
he fastened down to the perturbed re-
gion to investigate.
Arrived at Rendham the party was
met by Squire Foley and William Har-
mon. assistant manager of Jermyn &
Co.'S store. They had carriages in
readiness and, after picking up Rosch,
started at o'clock in the fierce storm
that was on at that time, up the noun
tain to the heights.
Arrived at the Sibley mule barn, the
carriages We're left behind and the
party proceeded afoot carefully towards
their goal. Cautiously approaching the
hotel, Patrolmen Evans and Feeney
were stationed at the front and rear,
respectively, while the remainder of the
party. with drawn revolvers, pushed on
into the house.
The proprietor and two or three
loungers about the bar room were
greatly surprised when a squad of Off
GERS suddenly burst upon them. No re-
sistance being met with, the officers
hastily ran through the house and then
searched it more thoroughly from cell
lar to garrct. but to their great dismay
the men whom Rosch was waiting to
identify could not be found.
The proprietor denied that any such
men had been at his place. and the
circumstance that there We're no indi-
cations about the barn-yard Of a wagon
having recently arrived there tended to
support his statement.
STORY WE'LL FOUNDED.
Inquiries among the people living
near by brought conflicting stories, but
from all that was gathered the police
were satisfied that Rosch's story was
we'll founded and that the quartette in
question had been at the hotel during
the morning and early part of the af-
ternoon. One man who was interview
ed said the party in question had come
to the hotel during the night and re-
mained there until $50 o'clock in the
afternoon. They went away together,
driving down the mountain III wagon.
He says three of them spoke English
and the other a Polander.
The officers after being satisfied that
their game was rot there any longer
started for home. They could not get
any farther than Rendham owing to
| the street cars being unable to get
| through and at | o'clock this morning