The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1924-12-18
~BITTINGER RAIDERS ARE
EACH GIVEN THREE YEARS
Pennsylvanians Who Robbed
Garrett County Farmers,
Were Found Guilty


Term of the Circuit Court for Gar.
rett county recessed from last Friday
afternoon until yesterday morning
when court re-opened for the purpose
of completing the criminal docket
trials and taking up the appealed
road cases growing out of the con,
domination proceedings instituted be,
fore the County Commissioners by
the Youghiogheny Hydro-Electri(
Corporation for the purpose of clos.
ing certain roads and changing the
location of others.
The court before recessing on Fri
day pronounced sentence upon quite
a number who had been convicted OF
various crimes during the preceding
days of the week,
The case that attracted the most at
tention during the term was that OF
the State VS.. W. j. Burkholder, w. H
Fidler and L. J. Fidler, of Somerset
county, Pa, who had been arrested
after a chase over the hills surround
ing Bittinger, Sunday evening
August oath, last, after they had rob
bed the cellar of Gilbert Green, far
mer residing along the Grantsville
road about two miles north of the
village. The three men were cap
tured by posse and brought to Oak
land and placed in jail after a prelim-
mary hearing before Justice Edward
1. West. Later bond for their APP
pearance at this term of court was
furnished and they were released.
The case against the three men was
taken up on Thursday morning be-
fore jury with Merton L. Raven
scroft, of near Frostburg as foreman
The case was prosecuted by States
Attorney William R. Offutt and the
defense was made by Attorney Julius
c. Renninger. Both lawyers showed
their ability in the handling of the
c@se5. Nj. Renninger, for the de-
,fense, was exceptionally strong in his
argument and in the manner of ex-
aiming the witnesses, while the rep
resentative Of the State left nothing
undone that would bring about a con-
viction of the parties. Witnesses de-
tailed the manner in which the men
were caught in field near the village
of Bittinger after they had eluded the
posse on their trail. There were fif-
teen witnesses summoned to testify
for the prosecution and ten for the
defense. All the evidence in the case
was placed before the court and Jury
Thursday morning and afternoon and
on Thursday evening the matter was
argued before the jury. A verdict of
guilty was rendered after a deliber-
alton of perhaps fifteen minutes.
Friday morning the Court SEN
fenced the three men to serve terms
Of three years each in the Maryland
Penitentiary.
Other sentences pronounced by the
Court on Friday were the following:
Walter A. Lewis, convicted on last
Tuesday on the charge of burglariz-
ing the restaurant of Fred P. Shep-
herd at Kitzmiller, three years in the
Maryland Penitentiary.
Nay Shockey and Gilbert Kitzmil-
Ter, when they were arraigned on the
indictment charging them with burg
larry, entered plea of guilty. Their
trials will be taken up some day the
latter part of the present week.
jerry Burkholder and George Fa-
zenbaker, indicted for larceny and re-
ceiving stolen goods, six months in
the Maryland House of correction.
George Beeman and Louis Fazen-
baker, charged in an indictment with
having forged the name of M. Nc
Kenzie, of near Frostburg, to a check
upon which they received the money,
were tried before the Court Thursday
and found guilty. They will serve
sentences Of one year in the House
of Correction.
William Poffenberger, of near Vim
dex, was tried before the Court Fri
day on an indictment charging him
with a statutory offense against Hen
rietta Davis. He was found guilty
of assault and fined S25 and costs.
John Menhorn, Jr., a youth Of Oak
land, convicted at the June Term of
the court on a charge of selling liquor
and parolled, was placed on trial be-
fore jury Friday following an in
dictment found against him for 2