The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1902-12-04

was corroborative of that of the
constable.
DR.. Coffman a veterinary surgeon
! OF Shamokin, was in Ashland on
Sept 4th. He testified that in the
evening Of that day he was called
on by Katz and Berger to doctor a
horse at Aris,es.
Katz then took the stand in his
own behalf. He tried 10 impress
the jury ,ha; he had no connection
! with the crime. That be was only
employed by Berger to assis; him
III bringing several horses from the
country, and for which he was TO
receive S.. He said Berger had
told him tha; he had purchased the
Rari9 mare for $500. When they
were within a half mile of the
Rarig home Berger instructed him
10 wait until he went and got the
horse which he did.
In the cross examination. con-
Quoted by District Attorney Har-
man, the witness, developed a bad
memory. He was very careful not
TO let 60 anything that be thought
would connect him.
Berger followed Katz and testi-
fed that he had hired Katz for the
trip and had offered to pay him S.
for the work.
William Crawford and James
Barrett, who We're in the county
jail at the time, testified to a con-
versation they had overheard be-
tween Katz and Berger in which
the latter threatened TO testify that
he had not hired Katz unles. he
would swear that Berger had paid
SOS for the horse.
Argument was made by District
Attorney Harman and Ralph Kis-
ner. Then came the trial of the
chief offender, Berger, for the
larceny OF Daniel Levan's horse.
George Honaberger testified to
having seen Berger near Levan's
the day before the horse was stolen.
John Ross, OF Trevorton, testified
to having purchased the Levan
horse from Berger, and P. H. Dal-
bert. OF Snydertown, the buggy.
Constable Morgan, of Mt. Carmel,
further testified that Berger had
told him he could tell them where
the Levan horse could be found; in
fact, subsequently directed Sheriff
Knorr, to the place.
On the stand in his own behalf
Berger related a very flimsy story.
A fellow he said, Lewis Cotrell, by
name. had given him Levan' 5 horse
and buggy to sell. He wasn't
aware that the horse had been
stolen. His memory, too, like that
OF his partner in crime, was faulty.
However, it would not have avail
ed him much had it been retentive.
His guilt was firmly established,
before his own defense was at
tempted.
The sentences imposed by Judge
Little are very severe, and should
serve as a warning to criminals of
this sort who may come before him
in the future. The maximum sem
tences for the various offenses for
which the men were indicted, is
thirty-seven years. Had they been
given the limit, it is doubtful if
either OF them would have sur
vived it.
Rerger's punishment is seventeen
years at hard labor at separate and
solitary confinement in the Eastern
Penitentiary, fine of 81 900 and
the costs of prosecution.
Katz Jared somewhat better. He
was sentenced to ten years i'm
prisonment at hard labor at separate
and solitary confinement in the
Eastern Penitentiary, pay fine OF
| $500 and costs of prosecution.
berger, while the sentence was
being pronounced, maintained the
same tacit indifference that ha:
characterized his demeanor during
the whole trial. He chatted with
Sheriff Knorr in a manner thai
would indicate that nothing hac
happened.
With Katz it was different. HI
was greatly distressed and coulC
scarcely make his way to his seat
His eyes, which had probably no
known tears since boyhood, were
wet and he displayed other evidenc'
Of misery.