Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1901-05-02
STEPHEN MOSER
HELD FOR COURT
He is Charged With a Murderous Assault
Upon Frank Taylor

murderous assault upon Franklin Nj.
Taylor of Liberty township. The
'Squire's Office was crowded with attor-
neys and witnesses while the pavement
outside was nearly blocked with curious
spectators.
Moser handcuffed to Officer voris was
brought into the room at 2:3O o'clock
and assigned to a seat in one corner. lie
complained very much of the heat, but
betrayed little embarrassment or worry,
although he was the cynosure OF all eyes
and the evidence from beginning to
end was uniformly damaging to his
case.
Ex-senator W. HI. Hackenberg of Mil.
ton with District Attorney Thomas C.
Welsh represented the prosecution. r.
S. zimmerman and Ralph Kisner appear
ed for the defendant.
The hearing was continued from Fri
day last, when Moser went on record as
having nothing to say as to whether he
was guilty or not guilty. The hearing
therefore yesterday proceeded at once
with the taking Of testimony, Attorney
Hackenburg examining the witnesses.
Franklin NJ. Taylor was sworn. He
related the story of the shooting, which
agreed with the facts as set forth in
these columns at the time of the event.
He was certain, he said. that the shot
was fired by someone standing close to
the window, as the fash showed inside
for at least foot or more. The ball,
which broke piece out of the glass a
couple of inches in diameter, passed be-
tween Mr.. Taylor and his wife, the shat
tered fragments of glass striking both
husband and wife. The shot struck the
window three feet from the ground,
fact taken to indicate that the person
firing the shot was in crouching posi-
tion. The footprints leading to the
spot discovered the next morning, meas
ured lls inches, and correspondent pre-
cisely with the shoe of Stephen Mos
er who in charge of an officer was
brought to the premises during the day
In attempting to account for his where
abouts the evening before, Moser stated
that he had taken the mare Alice from
Alex. Billmeyer's stable and ridden to
the home of his father at Strawberry
Ridge. The horse tied near the barn was
not attached to wagon and left at
least one clearly defined print of hoof in
themud
With reference to his revolver Moser
said he had not had occasion to use it
since some time before April lst. Moser
was taken to his residence before he was
brought to Danville on the evening of
April 10Th. In the party were Mr.. Tay-
lor and attorney Hackenburg. Moser's
revolver, which was then produced,
showed that one cartridge was empty,
and the chamber powder burnt, present
ing the appearance of having been re-
Gently used. Mr.. Taylor said that after
being committed Moser sent for him
that he paid him visit in the Jail when
the defendant made statement con
tanning certain admissions. The ad-
mittance of this as evidence, which it
will be remembered implicated another
party, was strenuously objected to by
the defendants counsel. The point was
waived by the prosecution as unimport.
ant. The bullet-a 80 calibre one-con-
siderably tiattened by its contact with
the wall, was admitted in evidence.
Alex. Billmeyer next testified. He
described the condition that he found
the mare Alice in on the morning after
| the shooting. He had granted no one
permission to use her the night before,
If she had been ridden or driven by any
one they had stolen her from the stable
The horses exhausted condition was
| apparent during the afternoon when she
wanted to lie down while harnessed to
| the harrow. Moser's father, he said
lives only three miles away and had he
ridden the horse there, as he insisted he
did, the animal would have shown nc
bad effects. On the other hand had be
ridden to Taylor's farm and back he
would have had a ride of IA or 10 miles
| quite sufficient to tire any horse under
such heavy rider, while had he gone
| ,xorrI ,,Ao
covered would not have been less than
| twenty some miles.
| Andrew Kelly sworn. He was pres.
ent at Taylor's house the day after the
shooting. 1t was he who measured
| Moser's shoes and took the dimensions
of the imprints left by the horses hoofs
The horse ridden, he said, was shod with
corks worn round at the corners. He
examined the shoes worn by the mare
Alice owned by Mr.. Billmeyer and found
| she was shod with shoes of the same
make and popularity, the hoofs also
| corresponding in dimensions with the
! imprints.
Philip Boyer farm hand in the EN-
| ploy of Alex. Billmeyer, was the next
witness. While the horses hoofs were
being measured, he said, Moser called
him aside and whispered the request
that he Immediately go up to his (Mos
er's) father and state that he had "got
home there early in the evening"
William Auten and Roy Shultz both
saw man on horseback near the Chill
| lisquaque church about 10 O'Clock on
the night Of the shooting. Auten met
the man 600 yards west of Taylor's resi-.
dence; he spoke to him but received nc
answer. Shultz met him at another
point, riding "at gallop, as hard as the
horse could rum" Both Auten and
Shultz were impressed with the general
resemblance that the man on horseback
bore to Moser, so that he was the first
person that arose in their mind the next
day when they heard OF the attempted
murder. He was short heavy set man
although his features were not recogniz
able in the darkness, while the horse he
was riding corresponded in color and
size to the one taken from Mr.. Billmey
er's stable.
On the strength of the evidence ad
| duced Moser was held for Court il