The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1903-09-24
ALIBI FOR RUANE.
Will he Able to Prove That he
Was in Berwick at Time
of Murder.
With Murdoch it is Different.

Notwithstanding that the Luzerne
county authorities are working
strenuously to fasteu the murder of
William Baltis at Wilkes Barre in
the early morning of June 9th last
OH William Murdoch and Patrick
Ruane, or Roam, the two men who
were convicted at this session of
criminal court here for highway
robbery and sentenced to the
Eastern Penitentiary, there will be
evidence, and it seems conclusive
too, to prove that Ruane was work
ing for the American Car & Foundry
Company at Berwick at the time,
and was there on the very morning
the crime was committed. Muir
dock too was employed at the shops
but his whereabouts from June 9th
to 18th are not known. Both men
worked up to June 9th. They left
on that date but Ruane returned on
the evening of the Sth ard resumed
work on the morning of the 9th.
Merdock did not return until the
18th. 1t is absolutely impossible
for Ruane to have been at the scene
of the murder unless he could have
gone there between the time he
was at Berwick on the evening Of
the Sth and the time he went to
work on the morning of the 9th.
An alibi for Murdock, however,
can not be proven and he will have
to re.y on some other way to clear
himself.
Chief of Police jones of Wilkes
Barre together with county detec-
tive Richard Jones, city detective
Michael Brown, Constable Zelan-
der, OF Hazeton and three witnesses,
one of whom is employed at the
Achison Bakery, on South Main
street, Wilkes Barre, and the
others cab drivers in that city came
to Bloomsbury on Thursday for the
purpose of tervi wing the
prisoners and if possible get from
them an discriminating statement
They were taken to the Jail, but
learned nothing from the sus cects
that would in any way strengthen
the claim of circumstantial evidence
that they have thus far succeeded
in weaving about them. Even
when chief of police Jones confront
ed Ruane with the statement that
he had been positively identified
as one of the murderers, he didn' t
understand what the chief was
trying to get at. There was not
so much as trace of emotion in
his manner and he finally fatty
denied any knowledge of the crime,
and said that he didn't even know
a crime had been committed until
Murdock came to Berwick on the
18th of June and told him of an
account Of it in the paper.
Murdock was then ushered in.
Murdock at once said: What 5
upa'' The chief told him he ought
to know what was up, when he
said, 81 don't know anything
about it," The chief then asked
him what he meant. He replied
by saying, "Yes, / saw something
in the papers, but there's nothing
in it, see" And then he closed
NJ as tigth as an oyster, and moth
ing more could be gotten out o.
him.
The party then left the Jail and
returned to Wilkes-B Barre. The
chief and county detective. seemed
much put out, as they expected the
men to make a statement. They
said they did not know any OF the
witnesses present, but both the cat
drivera are we'll acquainted with
Murdock.
The two Altoona men who were
with Baltis at the time of the muir
der made an appointment to be a
Bloomsburg to try and identify the
men, but they fail - 10 be here
The pictures of the n ~, however
were sent to Altoona and the tive
men identified the pictures as the
men whom they thought did the
shooting. The chief telegraphec
the chief of Altoona to Learn
whether or not the two men hac
left Altoona to keep the appoint
ment, but no answer was received
CHARTER GRANTED,