Danville intelligencer. [volume] (Danville, Pa.) 1859-1907, 1905-06-30
HELD FOR COURT
ON MURDER CHARGE.

".
victim, according to the allegation,
was his twelve day .old infant and the
testimony adduced was the ante NOR.
tenn statement of his young nineteen
year.old wife now on her dying bed.
All the circumstances attending the
case are pathetic in the extreme. The
defendant is only some twenty. three
years of age and present at the hear
ing was his father as we'll as the par
ents of his wife. Mr.. and Mrs. Dallas
Sechler of Limestone township, at
whose home the young wife is now ly-
ing.
The information was made before
Justice Oglesby by Dallas Sechler
Saturday afternoon Constable W. K.
Young accompanied by Chief Mince.
moyer drove out to Limestone town
ship and made the arrest Sees was
committed to Jail pending a hearing.
which took place at 3 O'Clock yester-
day afternoon.
On being arraigned the defendant
entered plea of not guilty.
The first witness examined was DIR.
o. L. Muffly of Turbotville. who rem
dered surgical assistance in the family
in the autumn of 1908. when the child
was born whose death the young hus-
band is held accountable for. 1t was
a male child, healthy and we'll de-
veloped, the physician testified. and
was thriving finely until the tenth or
eleventh day. when after his visits had
practically discontinued he was in.
formed that commissions had set in
He was positive that there was moth.
ing connected with the birth OF the
child that could result in its sudden
death
DR.. g. r. Rothrock of Milton, who
has been attending the wife in her
present Illness. was the next witness.
He is wellknown physician of
twenty years practice. He has bee q
attending Mrs. Sees off and on for sew
eral years. The family we're poor, he
said, but he had given them the same
attention that he would have given
millionaires. OF the young vile he
spoke in terms of highest praise aud
said that she was as bright and sweet
woman as lives in the township.
On May 26 he was called and found
her in an exceedingly bad condition as
result of a criminal operation. which
happens to have nothing to do with
this case. He did for her what was
possible, but the case was beset with
unfavorable conditions and she gradu-
ally grew worse. Today she is still
living, but there are no hopes for her
recovery aud she is near her end.
Last week he informed her of the
gravity of her case. Learning that she
had to die she told her physician that
there was something that worried her
very much ; she then proceeded to tell
f her little baby boy, born in 1908,
accusing her husband of causing It's
death.
The child, she said, was strong and
well nourished. On October 81, 1908,
when the baby was nine days old. her
husband compelled her to take some
salt to neighbors s house, which had
been borrowed When she left the
child was we'll and when she returned
it was vomiting long strings of saliva.
Her mother was called and they work
ed with the child two hours, when 1t
seemed to improve.
She said her husband was rough an
brutal to herself and children. lie said
he did not want the baby to get we'll
and once threatened to kill it with q
poker. On the night Of the day of its
mysterious illness he would not per-
NIT the mother to have the child in
bed with her. Monday his cruel treat
ment continued. On that day he pick
ed up the baby and threw it several
feet onto lounge, causing it to lose
its breath. When the mother few to
It's rescue he forbid her to pick it up.
Later he took the mother and child
and forced them into a room where
there was no fire nor light and CON-
PEELED them to remain there an hour.
Again he took the child between his
knees and with his hands pressed on
its SKULL. The next day the baby died
and after death the finger marks were
visible on the back of the child's head.
DR.. Rothrock stated that the woman
when she made the statement was per.
fectly rational. He saw her again yes
terday when although very low she
was still rational
John M. Reber of Milton. an attor.
ney, who was called to take the ante
mortem statement on Saturday last,
was the next witness. He stated that
he fully explained to the woman the
awful import of the statement she was
about to make and apprised her fully
of the effect it would have upon her
husband. Notwithstanding she vol
UNFAIRLY made the statement and in
full consciousness that she has but q
few days to live.
In her statement, which was read
before the Justice. the woman says
that her name is Eva May Sees and
that she is nineteen years old. All the
facts narrated coincide with the ver-
bal statement made to DR.. Rothrook.
Mr.. Reber testified that the woman
when she made the statement was per-
fectly rational.
W. r. Galbraith of Milton, a witness
to the ante mortem statement oorrobo.
rated Mr.. Reber as to Mrs. See's sound
mental condition.
Mrs. Colder of Limestone township
was sworn. 1t was she who laid the
little child out after death. Blood
oozed out of its mouth, she said, and
the back of its head was soft and dis.
colored The mother, she said. told
her the story of the defendants 8 abuse
Mrs. Colder swore there we're no
marks on the chill d when born.
At this point the District Attorney,
who had the hearing 10 charge, rested,
declaring that there was prima faoie