Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1906-03-01
FEBRUARY COURT
PROCEEDING
TContinued from First Page


the case of Commonwealth vs.. Peter
Dietrich, charging murder.
District Attorney Gearhart explain
ed TO the court that he had a bill
against Edward Burns charging him
with aggravated assault and battery,
but that the prosecutriX in the case
had failed to appear nasmuch as
there were two other witnesses the
court ordered that the bill be sent to
the grand jury and directed that body
to act upon it and Immediately after
wards to examine the public buildings
returning to the court room with their
finding in the bill and their regular
report at 4 o'clock.
At 1 O'Clock the grand jury return
ed true bill in the case of Cmmon-
wealth VS.. Edward Burns and present
ed its report as TO the condition of the
public buildings. After this the grand
jury was discharged and court adjourn
ed to resonvene at 10 O'Clock this
morning, when the case against Diet
rich was to have gone on trial.
Soon after adjournment the news
reached Danville that Judge Little was
dead This threw all plans into con-
fusion and it was hard TO tell what
effect it might have on the further
conduct of court. Judge Staples in
formed News representative that at
| 10 o'clock this morning out of respect
to the memory of Judge Little court
would adjourn. Meanwhile the Sheriff
was instructed to notify as many of
the traverse jurors as he could reach
of what had occurred and request them
not to appear this morning. Those
who can not be reached by telephone
| or otherwise and come into town eX-
pect1ng to serve will receive their pay
for the day What further p an may
be adopted in the premises will be
| made known this morning, but there
seems to be little doubt but that court
will be called off indefinitely, pend
ing the appointment of new Judge.
! February court adjourned Tuesday
morning and the trial of the Dietrich
case and all matters pertaining to the
regular term goes over until May.
Court convened at 10 o'clock a. m.
with His Honor Judge Staples, and
Associates Blee and Wagner on the
| bench.
Court sat but few minutes, mere
ly long enough for Judge Staples to
make the following announcement:
1T becomes our painful duty to an
nounce the death of Hon Robert r.
Little, President Judge of this dis
trict.
God in His infinite wisdom has
seen fit to end his labors in this world
and to take him to that bourne from
which no traveller ever returns. Out
of respect to his memory this court
stands adjourned. -
On Thursday of next week, March
Sth, the rule to show cause why re-
ceiver should not be appointed in the
case of the Danville & Sunbury Street
Railway Company will be argued be-
fore Judge Staples at this city. Be-
yond this, it seems, no provision can
be made for disposing of any of the
important matters before court and all
ha Of a
Judge to succeed Hon. r. r. Little III
this district. District Attorney G. p.
| GeaThart yesterday stated that the two
| ses-Commonwealth VS.. Peter Diet
rich and Commonwealth VS.. Edward
Burns-in which true bills have been
found, cannot come up for trial before
the next regular term, which is in
May.
1t was quite O'Clock Monday even
ing before Sheriff George Maiers was
apprised of Judge Little's death-that
owing TO this fact court would adjourn
and that it would devolve upon him to
get word to the traverse jurors'in ord
er to prevent them from coming i'll to
| court yesterday. That he must have
done some lively hustling is attested
by the noteworthy fact that of the
sixty jurors drawn he reached all but
seven and these appeared at the court
house yesterday morning and were
paid for the day. When it is explain
ed that the jurors receive two dollars
per day and mileage the considerable
| item saved TO the county by the Sher-
ifs quick action in serving notice at
once becomes apparent He had prac
tically the whole county to cover and
/ only few hours time in which to ac
complish his task. 1t was another fine
illustration showing the usefulness
and the efficacy of the rural telephone,
which aided very much in getting the
| news abroad