The evening times., 1899-07-15
KILLED WHILE STEALING.
Fatnl Shots of a Farm Guard mt Ju
veniie MarauderS.

. VI
veniie MarauderS.
/ New York, July 15.-Stealing apples was
the crime for which John De Young paid
the death penalty in Paterson, N. j., last
night. De Young who was fifteen years
old and lived at No. 80 Twenty second
Avenue. went yesterday afternoon with
several boys of his own age to swim in
Passaic River at CedarIawn. They played
about the vicinity until evening, when they
decided to obtain a few apples at the ex-
pense of some farmer The farm on which
they chanced to trespass was leased and
managed by John G. Katge. 1t was nearly
s o'clock when the boys made their way
through the corn field and among the ap-
pie trees.
They did not know that Katge had been
much annoyed recently by depredations on
his farm, and that he had determined he
would put a stop to them at any cost. On
ly yesterday morning Garrett Katge, the
twenty-year- son of the farmer, had
purchased a revolver and last night he
was on guard in the rear of the house. AS
to what happened in the fields there is so
far but one story, that of Katge but the
circumstances do not fully agree with his
tale.
L. was nearly half past o'clock when
Katge. accompanied by his elder brother.
Frank, came to police headquarters and
gave himself up. He said that so many
marauders have recently visited the farm
in the early evenings that he purchased a
revolver and was on guard in the rear last
night. He saw the lads in the field and
fired, he says, TO scare them. He saw
two of the lads run away, and ran into the
field to see what had become of the third.
He found the De Young boy lying dead
among the corn. There were three wounds
in his head. showing that every shot fired
by Katge had taken effect.
He hurried back TO the house Mortified
at what he had done, and the family decid-
ed that the only proper course would be
to give himself up. Besides, news of the
occurrence had soon spread, and hundreds
of indignant persons gathering in the vi
cinity showed Katge that the wise way
would be for him to give himself up at
once so that he would be safe from any
possible vengeance which the crowd might
devise.
County Physician Mcbride visited the
cornfield where the body was as soon as
notified of the tragedy. By that time fully
a thousand persons had gathered in the
vicinity, and expressions of indignation
were 10 De ne2fu on every sue
The three bullet wounds in the boys
head did net furnish very good corrobora-
ton for the story told By Katge. They
looked much like the work of a good shot
at close quarters, and it seemed almost
an impossibility that man standing at a
distance and shooting TO frighten could
infiict a series of wounds with a revolver
Every effort to learn the identity of the
lads who accompanied De Young faile1
until late last evening when the police
learned who they were. Their names were
not divulged, however, as the police de-
sire to be the first to talk with them.
The elder brother of Katge said last
night that they had sustained great losses
lately from marauders who visit the farm
in the evening. Only few nights ago the
hay which they had stacked up was burn
ed, and many of their crops have been
greatly damaged.
He declared 1t certain that his brother
had merely shot for the purpose of soaring
the boys, but could not satisfactorily eX-
plain how he managed Ito give so accu-
rate an exhibition Of craftsmanship by
chance. -5a's''ff