The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1919-01-10
LIFE TERM FOR GOSNELL
FOUND GUILTY OF KILLING AUGUSTUS
DORSEY ARRESTED ATT HARRISBURG
19 MONTHS AFTER SHOOTING.

@UHG&i NHi@OlGU FI HHhhiS@ShS
19 MONTHS AFTER SHOOTING.
On the night of February 18th, 1917,
William F. Forthman, of Sykesville,
telephoned to States Attorney Sea-
| brook that murder had been COM
mitted in that town. Mr.. Seabrook
got into touch with Sheriff Stoner,
and in less than thirty minutes Mr..
William III. Bowers driving his high
power car had the States Attorney,
Sheriff and Deputy Sheriff Sullivan
NJ i'm Sykesville. It was there found
that Philip Gosnell had brutally shot
and fatally wounded Gus Dorsey. The
gentlemen from this city and num-
ber from Sykesville made thorough
search of every possible hiding place
in and around Sykesville and stopped
and searched every B. & o. freight
train passing that point during the
night. Gosnell escaped. Dorsey
died about $50 the following morn
ing. Gosnell eluded capture until a
few weeks ago. A number of arrests
of suspects were made in various
places, but always of the wrong man,
until Gosnell was recognized by Mr..
and Mrs. John O. Brown, of EllicOtt
City, as he walked on the platform
of the railway station at Harrisburg,
Pa They pointed him out to the Har-
risburg police, and Gosnell was ar
rested Sheriff jMellOr, accompanied
by William OurSler, made a night
drive to Harrisburg, identified Gosnell
and had him in Jail here within "a
hours after his arrest. Gosnell had
been indicted by the Grand Jury at
the May term, 1917. His trial was
fixed for December 10th, but an attack
of influenza developed into lpneu-
monia and the trial was postponed to
January 9Th, last Monday
Chief Judge William H. Thomas
and Associate Judge Forsythe sat in
the case. No trouble was had in OBJ
tanning jury from the regular
panel. States Attorney Seabrook re
presented the State and made the
opening statement to the jury. For
imer States Attorney Guy w. Steele,
appointed by the Court, represented
the accused After the beginning of
the testimony, former States At
torney Weant, by the courtesy of the
States Attorney, also entered his
appearance for the State. While the
general public, not having know
ledge of the facts in the case, was
doubtful Of the result of the trial,
the state having full knowledge,
felt that the crime was muir
der in the first degree, and asked a
conviction for the highest grade OF
murder. The defense contended that
r1Hy
that of manslaughter.
Frank D. Hobbs, Mantz Curley,
James Prettyman and NimrOd Nelson,
Y all testified to substantially the same
facts. Sheriff Mellor testified to hav-
ing seen Gosnell and Gus Dorsey
and heard them quarrelling about 10
minutes before the shooting. The
other witnesses related how they had
seen Gus Dorsey and Lewis Gosnell,
a brother of Philip, engage in a
quarrel. Gus Dorsey struck Lewis
Gosnell with his fist. Lewis seized
Gus by the shoulder, fell over back
ward, pulled Dorsey on top Of him
and clasped him in his arms. Dor
sey did not strike Lewis, when the
latter was on the ground. Phil
Gosnell, who had gone down a side
street, rushed up, seized Dorsey by
the neck with his right hand and with
the left fired three shots from a
38 calibre revolver into Dorsey 8
back Dorsey rose and staggered
down the street. Gosnell followed
and fired his fourth shot. DR.. D. B.
Sprecher produced three bullets
which he had extracted from the
body of Dorsey, and using the body
of States Attorney Seabrook, pointed
out to the jury the position OF four
wounds in and upon Dorsey's body.
Gosnell pursued Dorsey to the door
df the Hobbs pool room and barber
shop, and as Dorsey ran into the
pool room and fell on the floor, Cos
nell put his feet on the door sill, ex-
claiming "I got the S. that
time Hobbs slammed shut the door
i'm his face. The contention of the
defense was that Gosnell had killed
in defense cf his brother and sought
to introduce evidence that Dorsey
possibly had stone in his hand att
tacking Lewis. Lewis testified that
he was struck by Dorsey with a
stone and knocked down. All wit
nesses, who saw the affair testified
that Dorsey had no stone.
The trial began on Monday morn
ing and was concluded on Tuesday
afternoon at two o'clock The jury
after deliberating for an hour and a
half brought in a verdict Of murder
i'm the first degree without capital
punishment. The prisoner waived
the three day rule, and the Court
sentenced him to be confined in the
Maryland Penitentiary for the period
Of his natural life. Judge Thomas
in imposing the sentence reminded
the prisoner of the fact that several
years ago he was before the Court
on the charge df committing muir
derous assault on his wife; that at
that time, the prisoners wife having
refused to testify against him, and
because of other circumstances con-
nected with the case, he had been
punished BY the imposition Of q
heavy fine and costs, and admonished
that His attack On his wife showed
such a disposition that it was evi-
dent that III ne did not curb his tenn
per he would one day commit some
serious offense and receive the merit
ed punishment; that il he had heed
ed that admonition he would not now
stand convicted OF a capital OffenSe;