The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1904-02-24
cRoArlANs ON TRIAL.
Attorneys For the Defense Try to
Ouash the indictment.

The trial of Patrovick and Kovo-
wick for the murder and robbery of
Samuel 7. Ferguson, September 25th
last, began at Washington. Pa, on the
18th. An attempt to squash the indlct-
ment was overruled by Judge J. Frank
/ Taylor. The first day was consumed
in arguments and the selection of
jury.
Attorney John Marion, of Pittsburg.
opened the case for the commonwealth
| by reading the Indictment. He de-
scribed the murder, the securing of
passage for Croatia by NJ 5ovick and
Patrovich and the changing of their
money at the First National bank In
PIttsburg, the capture in England, etc,
all details published recently and well
known to the public. He concluded as
follows:
I'VE will show that on the morn
ing of the 25th of September Kovovlch
and his companion were met at a spot
near the place where the murder was
committed by a man familiar to both
of them. Kovovick stopped the man,
rolled cigarette cigarette paper was
found near the scene of the crlme)
and asked for a light. We will prove
that Kovovich owned the gun found
by the battery and that 1t was last
seen in his possession or that Oh his
confederate. Kovovick had no money
when he left the camp about a month
previous and had given the gun in part
payment of his board to his host"
George Thomas, one of the bosses
on the Wabash work, said Kovovich
had worked under him in dynamite
work. He testified that. he saw Ko-
vovlck the day before the murder was
committed, as well as his partner.
Patrovck. He also identified the wire
found with the battery as part of a
quantity stolen from the Ferguson
company.
Richard Winller of First National
bank of Plttsburg identified Kovovich
as one of the two men who had had
money changed through him on Octo-
Der ~. He said the men came at an
unusual hour, secured passage on the
first vessel at high rate and seemed
anxious to get out of the country.
Detective McQualde told of securing
Kovovick and Patrovick in England
and he identified money taken from
them A bloody hat. a pair of shoes
and grip, all identified as Kovovick's
were displayed also. He told of the
conversation he had with the two men
on board ship and gave the details
in connection with their return to
America.
The prosecution succeeded in locat-
ing Milovar Kovovick on the road
where the explosion took place. on
September %, when Samuel 7. Fer
guson was killed, but they feiled to
connect him directly with the owner
ship of the gun which was found on
the hillside near the battery. 1t was
claimed by the attorneys for the Com
monwealth that the failure of the wit
nesses called to testify to the owner
ship of the gun was a surprise to them,
and that they had every reason to be-
iieve that they would testify other
wise.
Michael Rabbick. boss at the Fer
guson work. testified to seeing Kovo-
wick in the camp on the morning of
September "a, but had not seen him on
September 25. He heard Kovovick and
another man talking in front of his
shanty and the man asked Kovovick
II he was going to treat and Kovovlck
replied that he had no money.
George KuZmark said that he had
been working at the Ferguson camp at
the time Mr.. Ferguson was killed. He
knew Kovovick there and had seen
him around the camp. He Identified
the gun as having belonged to Ko-
vovick and said the prisoner had
bought II from another man In the
camp for So. When he left the camp
the gun was still there. He was at
the Ferguson camp when the prisoner
came back and took the gun away.
This was about a month before the
time that Mr.. Ferguson was killed and
he had not seen the gun since. He
said the gun in court looked like the
one but would not say positively.
All the witnesses for the defense tes-
tilted to seeing Kovovick in Steuben-
Vile, o.. on the afternoon of Septem-
ber 25, at the time the crime was sup
posed to have been committed. The
aliDl, as outlined by the witnesses who
testified, was a very pretty one; the
Commonwealth attorneys say 1t Is too
pretty to be true. 1t started with a
man on the South Side. in Pittsburg,
who had been in Steubenville trying to
rent house. and was carried along
by three men from Steubenville. An
alleged gambler also testified at the
afternoon session and said he had lost
a lot of money to Kovovick.
Milovar Pattrovick Will not be tried
for his alleged part in the killing of
Samuel T. Ferguson until the May
term of court in Washington county.
1t was found impossible to finish the
trial of Kovovick in time to commence
the other trial in the limits of time
set out by the statute and for this rea-
son the case went over.