The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1905-09-14
Berwick Homicide Case
Naugle and BeIIas Found Guilty
Of Voluntary Manslaughter,
and Get Two Years.
Verdict Generally Approved.

On frluay morning tne Jury IN
the case of Naugle and Bellas, on
trial for shooting the Italian, Verdi,
returned verdict of guilty of
voluntary manslaughter, and ask
for the mercy of the court" In the
afternoon the prisoners were
brought up, and in passing sentence
Judge Staples said
This case has given the Court
considerable trouble in arriving at
just what its duty is in the pre-
misses. We are aware of the con
dition of affairs i'll West Berwick.
We know some of the people who
live there and what the people of
that eiehborhood have to co ltend
with but there are other questions
to be considered as we'll as what
might be classed the dangerous
element that is there, and that is
the fact that homicide is growing
more and more prevalent each year
not only in your own community
but in every part of the United
States and any reasonable man who
has at heart the welfare of his
country must look with horror upon
the present condition of affairs in
that regard.
1T seems there is a large class OF
people in the United States who
have no regard whatever for human
life. They forget that the same
blood which courses through their
veins courses through the veins of
all others of the human race and
that their lives are as dear to them
and their families as the lives of the
people who commit the homicide
and if we permit cases Of this kind
to go without any punishment what
ever it is simply saying to the peo-
pie that if good excuse is offered
for the commission cf manslaughter
or homicide they can easily Get off
and it adds to that alarming condi.
ton of affairs in our country.
"There is another reason in con-
nection with this case and that is
that while officers of the law are
clothed with authority yet for that
very reason the Commonwealth de-
mands of them that they shall use
that authority with which they are
clothed with the greatest caution.
This case is an evidence of the want
of that caution OH the part of you
two M. II in the use Of firearms and
the exercise of your authority.
1T is not the purpose of the
Court to go into details and recite
the facts of this case, but there
evidently was something wrong in
your actions upon that day in which
Verdi was killed. In addition to
that there was something wrong in
this Court. In our experience there
never has been a case tried before
the court in which there was more
falsehood from start to finish on
both sides of the case than there
was in this. 1t is the opinion of the
Court that there was false testimony
on both sides-hard to get at it is
true but from our experience in
the trial of cases we feel sure that
neither side were telling the exact
truth in relation to this matter.
"The jury evidently gave this
case very careful consideration.
The Court defined to the jury, it
thinks, in specific terms and in
plain terms the different degrees
and the different penalties if the
evidence of them was established
and that they, giving the whole
case careful consideration, taking
hours to do it, arrived at what was
probably just -onclusion in the
matter.
"Officers Of the law in the case
of misdemeanor have no right to
use deadly weapons in attempting