The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-06-05


James Nolan, of Carbondale was put
on trial before Judge II. Nj. Edwards.
in the main court room, yesterday
morning, charged with the murder of
his father, John Nolan.
The crime was committed at the
home of the Nolans, in the South Side
of Carbondale, on the night of We'd
nesday, April II, last. The weapon
used was a small axe, and the elder
Nolan died the next night in the Emer-
gency hospital at Carbondale. The blow
that caused death crushed in the skull.
The axe, with which It is alleged the
blow was struck, lay on the common
wealth's table yesterday. 1t is still
stained with blood.
There were no eye-witnesses to the
crime, which was committed in the
kitchen of the house, but when young
Nolan was arrested, an hour or so after
the terrible assault, he admitted strik-
ing his father, but said he did it in
self-defense and did not know the kind
| of a weapon he used.
He made no effort to escape, going to
Williams bottling works, where he was
blow was struck by Constable Edward
j. Neary, of Carbondale, who is the
prosecutor in the case. Young Nolan
and other young men he associated
with made Williams place a rendez-
vous and it is supposed he went there
| from force of habit. He was quiet, but
somewhat dazed, as well as somewhat
intoxicated when placed under arrest.
WOMAN IN THE CASE.
| A woman seems to have been the
cause of the trouble between Nolan
and his father.
She is Mrs. William Osborne, of Car
bondale, whose husband was sentenced
a year ago to term in the peniten-
tiary for seriously stabbing his brother
in-law, a man named Walsh.
| Nolan has been acquainted with Mrs.
| Osborne for several years, and both
before and since the arrest of her hus'
band was a frequent caller at her
home. His father did not like this and
frequently protested vigorously against
his sons attentions to Mrs. Osborne.
This caused bad blood between the
father and son and almost constant
friction and quarrels.
On the day of the crime they had
some difficulty and early in the even
ing, it is said, young Nolan was in the
central part of Carbondale looking for
his father. He made some remarks that
indicated an evil disposition toward
his parent When he arrived home
some time before 10 p. m, his father
was there and the fatal quarrel oc-
| Cured.
The prisoner is a quiet, serious look
ing man tWenty-four years of age He
Is almost bald, there being only a scant
covering of hair on the top of his head
His smooth face was cleanly shaved
and he was neatly, though not expen.
sively dressed. His eyes are mild and
deep-set, the nose straight and vel
formed, and one looks in vain for the
strong chin or firm-se jaw one expects
to find as a feature of such a man
Altogether he seems the antithesis OF
the physical peculiarities that are com
monty associated with men who com.
nit crimes, that are grave, desperat t
or unusual. He is q mine worker by
occupation and has the reputation o.
being peaceful but very quick tenn
pered. He is unmarried.
| HIS MOTHER IN COURT.
In the court room yesterday were
the mother, brother, two sisters anC
brother-in-law of the prisoner. Tn,
mother is a sad-faced little woman
whose pathetic features, framed by he
widows bonnet, showed evident trace
of the great sorrow that came into he
life when her husband was strucl
down by the son she looked forward t,
Mas the solace of her declining years
She sat three rows back from the ba
enclosure on the west side of the cour
room, from which position she coul,
not only watch the progress of tn
work of selecting a jury, but have he
son constantly before her eyes. Sh
gazed oftener and longer at that Sol
than she did at the jurors, the lawyer
or the court, and if one was to judg
from the expression of her face, he
boy was more of a mystery to her thai
the questions the lawyers and tn
Judge were propounding to the Jurors
She knew in hazy kind of a way tha
. these questions had something to d
with the safety of her son, but jus
what it all meant she could not quit
comprehend. During her quiet life sh
had been stranger to courts of jus
tce and she knew nothing of thei
procedure.
, Beside her sat her daughter, Mis-
, Mary Ann Nolan, and the adjoinin
, seats We're occupied by her othe
daughter and son-in-law, Mr.. and Mrs
Alexander Mcdonald. In the vow i
/, front sat another son, Patrick Nolar
and with him was the siX-year-old so
of the McDonalds. During the af'
noon, while there was a lull in tn
work Of selecting a jury, the little fel
l |