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r LUZERNE MURDER JURY FREES ANOTHER KILLER SUNDAY INDEPENDENT •LEASED WIRE TELEGRAPH REPORT TO 3 A.M. SUNDAY THE WEATHER Eastern Pennsylvania: Occasional rain and somewhat cooler Sun¬ day; Monday fair and cooler. ^ FIFTY-TWO PAGES Tb* Only Sunday Newspaper CoTcrlng the Wyomlnn Valley WILKES-BARRE, PA., SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1934 Kntcred it Wilkee-Barre. !»«., At Second ClnsB MaII Mntter PRICE TEN CENTS DISGRACE S&YS JUDGE DOUBTS ARISE EDWARDS > 8 SURPRISE IN TRIAL Defendant In Cavalier Case Is Given An Acquittal In The County Courts Multiple Death To Quadruplets New York, Sept- 29—UP—III and weakened by a year of wor'< as breadwinner for her family of four, Mrs- Joseph Splnelll, wife of an unemployed construc¬ tion foreman, gave birth t5 quadruplets- All died- Mrs. Spl¬ nelll, whose condition Is serious, had been receiving hosplta' treatment, but was unable to leave her job because ot the re¬ sponsibility of providing for her husband and three rhildren- Tho Splnellls previously had been ths parents of six chldren, three of whom are dead¬ er ROOSEVELT TALK ADMITTED SHOTS Judge Couglilin Angry As He Returns Carl Cessaro To His Cell At Prison LURID EVIDENCE \ Although he admitted he pumped eleven bullets into tho body of Harry Cavalier, a road house oper¬ ator, Carl Cessaro of Hazleton was acquitted of a murder charge by a Jury last night ut 7 oclock- The de¬ fendant based his plea to the court and Jury on sell-defenae- Judge Clarence D- Coughlin remanded the defendant to tlio county prison- Judge Coughlin declared: "Tho verdict Is a disgrace to the Com¬ monwealth of Pennsylvania and I disapprove it-" The Jurist further commented on the lack of courage made manifest by certain Jurymen- The acquittal last night was tho aecond In ten days In homicido cases, Albert Albergl of I'lains Township having been acquitted for the slaying ot (ieorge Hudock who was mowed down by shotgun bullets at a stripping operation in Jenkins Township- Albergl con¬ tended Hudock threatened his llfe- The Commonwealth charged that Cessaro took Cavalier "for a ride" and shot lilm down on a lonely road In Hazle Township- Tho case was prosecuted by Assistant Dis¬ trict Attorney Benjamin It- Jonea- The slain man operated a road house and on the night of the kill¬ ing Cessaro visited the place and later started for Shenandoah to visit a sick friend- He was ac¬ companied by Cavalier and Peter "Red" Hnatutiek, IC years old. While traveling on the lonely road In Hazle Township, the de¬ fendant testified, Cavalier whipped out a revolver nnd began to shoot «t him- In order to defend himself, Cessaro said, he emptied two re¬ volvers Bt Cavalier- Cessaro ab¬ solved Hnntutlck ot any connec¬ tion with the crime. The youth, however. Is held at tho county prison on an Indictment returned hy the recent grand Jurj-- Evidenca Damaging Cessaro has a wife and three cliildren. They attended the trial. ¦After the case was given to the Jury yesterday at noon the wom:in and her children left the court houso and marched up and down River atreet In pouring rain, anxiously awaiting the verdict- They were not present when the acquittal ver¬ dict was rendered last night. Damaging evidence was regis¬ tered against Cessaro by Joseph Reman, who said that on the night of the killing the defendant told him that ho intended to kill Cava¬ lier. A woman- reported to have been the common-law wife of the ¦Iain man,.testified for the prose¬ cution- The following served on the Jury that last night acquitted Cessaro: f^tephen Hydock, Edwardsvllle; (Continued on Page S, Section 1) EAGERLY SOUGHT No Salve To Big Business Expected As President Gives Public Message RELIEF GOES ON Washington, Sept- 29-—UP—The kind ot reassuring "message ot con¬ fidence", for which a large section ot Hlg Business and finance has been clamoring frotn President Roosevelt, probably will be conspic¬ uously absent from his fireside radio chat this Sunday night. This eleetlon-tlme broadcast will be the first personal statement by Jlr- Roosevelt to his constituency since his chat on the evening ot June 28, 1934- In thnt address Mr- Rooscvelt put to the men and women of the United States these ques¬ tions: "Are you better oft than last year —is your bank account more secure?" The President Is not prepared, however, to promise Big Business tomorrow nisht that emergency ex¬ penditures can be materially cur¬ tailed, or that New Deal experi¬ menting will be abandoned- He recognizes the fact that "the toes ot some peopio are being stepped on and aro going to be stepped on." He feels that these suffering toes belong to a comparative few per¬ .sons who exploit the weaker ma¬ jority to the harm ot the nation ns a w'hole. But in hla public utterances Mr- Roosevelt has consistently been optimistic regarding the accom- pli-shments and future ot hla Ad¬ ministration- He told Congress when it met In January that the nation was In the process of re¬ covery- Last June he reported "sub'stantlal gains-" At Green Bay, Wis., In August, he stressed thai theme- Business would welcome from Mr- Roosevelt announcement that relief expenditures would be cur¬ tailed or that the dollar would re¬ main where it is and that there would be no further monetary ex¬ perimentation. There have been no indications he contemplates such announcement- ¦ Mrs- Franklin D- Roosevelt, yes¬ terday, In a speech here, forecast continued large Federal relief ex¬ penditures when she lold a confer¬ ence ot welfare workers the govern¬ ment should assume much of the resiionslbllltles ot private charity- She said property rights could not be safe unless citizens were pro¬ tected ag.alnst starvation and the clements- Tlie President's speech Is expect¬ ed to deal largely with a report on the State of tho Nation nnd an ex¬ planation of the meaning of the new NRA machinery set up this week- Lindbergh Detective T^kes Safe Deposit Box Key On Search In Germany GETS BANK BOOK Effects Of Isador Fisch j A Friend Of Hauptmann For Use Ot Prosecutor I Police Of City Nab A Fugitive A fugitive from Justice since his Indictment on charges ot re¬ ceiving money under false pre¬ tense some time ago, W. S- Whltman, 44, of 825 South Main street, was taken Into custody last night by Detectives Thomas Nolan and Al B- Coyle. Whitman, according to police, was Indicted by a I-uzerne eounly grand jury several months back on charges of securing several Ihou-sand dollars from a lower Luzerne county resident whose name would not be divulged- Ho disappeared after his indictment and since then police have been watching for him- Wliitman was located last night at 10:30 oclock at hla South Main street home and wa-i locked up pending action of county authorities- Killed Father ' Gets 4 Years ^t STILL OUT Under Sentences Of Death When Flight To Liberty Follows A Bold Break DEFENSE ACTS Leipzig, Germany, Sept. 29-—UP— Arthur Johnson, New York detective Inquiring into the activities ot the late Isador Fisch, friend of Bruno Hauptmann, In connection with the Lindbergh case, tonight confiscated a safe deposit box key, a bank book on a New York bank and several letters pertaining to options on Long Island real estate, all property of tho dead man- Johnson, with the aid ot local police, had questioned members ot Fisch's family throughout the day- Tlie first to be questioned was Plnkus Fisch, brother ot Haupt¬ mann's friend. After this, Johnson announced he would continue his Investigation to¬ morrow and Monday- He was dispatched to Leipzig atter Hauptmann, under arrest in New York, had told officials he had received more than $14,000 of the Lindbergh ransom money trom Fisch, with whom he was associated In the fur business- New York offi¬ cials Indicated that Fisch, who died here last year, was with the kidnaplng- not connected ARRESTS MADE HERE IN BANDITRY SEARCH Wth three men In custody, ono a •••Ident of Hazleton and tho other two from Allentown, State Police laat night were reported to be near «h6 aolutlon of a number ot dar¬ ing robrrles of recent months In Liuerne and Lackawanna counties. Hope that the prisoners would be Identified as bandits, ¦Rho staged •everal daring holdups In Wilkes- Barre City, vanished when several robbi ry victims failed lo them Other victim* or Identify daylight and night holdups will faco the suspects thia week. Two of the prisoners ar* Anthony FischettI, 28, ot Allentown, and Johnny Montabalo, 25, also of Allen¬ town. The name of the third susr pect was not available last night. Since their capture yesterday the prisoners have been held at Wyo¬ ming Barracks of the .State I'ollce and Wllkea-Barre police head¬ quartera. Expert Defense New York, Sept- 29-—UP—Path¬ ologists, handwriting and finger¬ print experts will be called to testify for Bruno Richard Hauptmann when he Is tried for alleged extortion In Bronx county, the office of his counsel, James W- Fawcett, an¬ nounced tonlght- Fawcett's announcement, made through his aide, B- B - Melsels, vaguely indicated the line ot de¬ fense which will be put forward for Hauptmann, In the Lindbergh case- Tlie lawyer previously had hinted at an insanity defense- The plan to call fingerprint experts Indicated the defense had Information that fingerprints will be used as evldnce against Hauptmann—something not yet admitted hy the prosecution- Defense Investigators have found various persona In New York State who, they believe, will aid the de¬ fense case as witnesses- This an¬ nouncement wns not ampUtled- Fawcett has been studying quali¬ fications nf pathologists, finger¬ print and handwriting experts, and plans to confer with aome of them soon, Melsels said. The fingerprint angle aroused tho most Interest In the statement by Melsels- It has been said on good authority that New Jersey offlclnlg found the kidnaper's fingerprint— smuged—on the window sill ot the Lindbergh home nursery- Tho offi¬ cials have repeatedly denied thls- It It proved to be true, the finger¬ prints might be the strongest evidence In the case- WELL ARMED Franklin, Pa-, Sept- 29—UP— Russell A- Graham, 17, was sen¬ tenced to four to eight yeara la the penitentiary today when ho pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of his father, Alonzo A- Graham, 64- Graham killed his father last February 21 In a tit of rage during an argument over playing the family radio- L Three Men Suffer Wounds In Sensational Escape From A Virginia Prison QUESTION MOTHER Interior Of Hall Wrecked And Clubs Are Wielded Before Melee Is Ended Several Seriously Injured And Machijies Damaged In A Series Of Crashes DRIVERS HELD HEADS BATTERED W. A was in Urge Kidnap Trial Trenton, N, J-, Sept. 29-—UP— New Jersey authorities Indicated tonight that pl.ans to try Bruno Richard Hauptmann on kidnaping or murder charges In connection with the Lindbergh case would stand Independent ot developments In New York's case of extortion against the taciturn German car¬ penter- Col- H. Norman Schwartzkopf, superintendent ot State Police, who has been active In the kidnaping case since Ch.Trles A. Lindbergh Jr was abducted frnm his hnme March 1- 1932, gave the first hint that his State's evidence against the suspect did not depend upon evidence uii- (Contlnued on Page 3, Section 1) Finijliting that broke out In an Kast Knd boulevard night club early today turned a crowded benefit dance into a riot, sent two youths to General hospital and wrecked the interior of the establishment. Three of the participants, includ¬ ing the two injured youths, were placed under arrest as ring leaders in liie fracas which at its height Involved approximately 30 of the 200 men and women merrymakera- Tho Injured, both ot whom were battered over the head with a police club wielded by Constable William Lewis of Bear Creek Township, are Kenneth Fell. 20, who said he lives in tiie townsliip, but according to eyo witnesses of the battle resides at 498 Third avenue, Kingston, and James Hoyle. 21, who said he lives at 237 Kidder strcet- The constable declared that Fell hospital authorities refused to per¬ mit hiin to leiive the institution, while Hoyle was permitted to go home. Both youths suffered numer¬ ous deep gashes on the top of the head. The riot occurred as the climax to a benefit dance conducted under the auspices ot Bear Creek Protective Association in Dieter's Inn on the Kast Knd boulevard. Proceeds of the affair are to be donated to the widow and family of John Hayes jr., victim of a hit-and-run driver about a month ago- Fixes Riot Blame Constable Lewis told the Sunday Independent early today that Fell and a half dozen of his friends were responsible for the riot. He said that he would arrest Fell, Boylo and a North Pennsylvania avenuo youth named Craig for causing the fracas. Lewis said the riot broke out shortly after midnight when Fell at¬ tacked Reese Lewis, his brother- Reese called to the constable to come to Ills assistance In a booth where Fell was allegedly breaking glasses and upsetting tables- Be¬ tore Constable Lewis arrived at the point of trouble other guests bad started fighting and Fell was knocked down twice, defense- I don't know how Boyle "mado for me witli threats that he was going to get me and when he attacked mo 1 used my club in self Fell was so badly injured that got hurt, but I believe ho Just walked into trouble when the riot started," Lewis declared that on August 25 last when the association was con¬ ducting a danco at Dieter's Inn, Fell led a gang ot trouble makers and that when tbo constable quelled the troublo Fell and his friends threat¬ ened to "get" him- Midnight Fight Lewla said be was collcctln-i tickets as a member ot the danco committee until midnight and it was shortly after that tbe flghtlng started. In the melee tables wero overturned, glass showcases wei# shattered and general destruction to tho roadhouse interior wa;i caused. Women screamed and ran from the place, a number placing telephone calls to Wilkes-Barre and State pollco and asking that riot squads be sent tbeie- Wllkes-Barre police sent Mooncy'a ambulance to the Inn to bring the Injured to General hospital- Frank Oliver, proprietor of the Kast Knd garage, also went to the scene and brought Boyle to the hospital, the (Continued on I'age 3, Section 1) Richmond. Va-, Sept- 29.—UP— Two notorious trl-State gangsters under death sentences shot their way out of Jail today, comrnendeer- ed a mail truck and, after a bold switch of a private automobile, aped away from pursuing officials in the general direction of Washington- Three men were shot in the sen¬ sational escape ot Robert Mais and Walter Legenza- Policeman Toot, wounded in the chest a serious condition. Federal authorities may institute a probe into the escape it was re¬ ported tonight, because they w-ere convicted ot killing a Federal Re¬ serve mall truck driver- « An Investigation was made by authorities In an eftort to determine how Legenza and Mais obtained '''jlrs^' Elizabeth JIais of Philadel¬ phia, gray-haired mother ot Robert Mais, who had visited the prison¬ ers just before the break, could ahed no light on the Investigation. Anticipating just such a break as occurred today. Detective O. D- Gaston went to court this morning to urge their removal to a peniten¬ tiary- He failed to locate Judge John L. Ingram, from whom the order was to be obtalned- Members ot the police force, who trailed Mais and Legenza, returned tonight from North Virginia. They believed they headed oft the fugi¬ tives by blocking their crossing of the river into Maryland at the Potomac landing- The two are be¬ lieved to have passed through War¬ saw, Va. A Sudden Break The break came without warning and was executed with the boldness of men who knew that death awaited them In prison. Mais and Legenza, convicted a month ago ot the murder of K- M- Huband In a Federal Reserve mall truck holdup, were sentenced to die •in the electric chair November 1 and October 22 respectively. Both were dressed in blue pants and shirts vhen, after being vis¬ ited by Mrs- Mais, they went to an ante-room for a conference with Charles W. Moss, their attorney- It was during the time they were out of their cells for the visit with Moss that they made their break tor freedom- Suddenly producing pistols—the origin of which Jiiilers could not guess—they dashed for the Jail door- In the ensuing battle Toot w.as shot so seriously that a blood transfusion was performed later; another policeman, W. A- Moore, was wounded In tho leg; John A- Selph, civilian guard, suf¬ fered a slight abdominal wound- Outside the Jail, the fugitives seized a mail truck which they drove to the eastern section of the city. There they met Knnis T. Carpenter, railroad engineer, in hla automoblle- They stopped Carpenter at gun point, but he tossed the keys to his car acrosa the street- The two men quickly found them and turned on Cirpenter. forcing him out and ordering: "Beat it-" In Carpenter's automobile, they sped toward Washington while Capt- H- E- Nicholas, superintend¬ ent ot State Police, quickly organ¬ ized a large posso for pursuit- WIRE IGNITES POLE A slight blazo was extinguished last night at 6 oclock by employee.! of Pennsylvania I'ower and I.lgh' Company on .New Bennett street when an electric wire Ignited u pole. Flre Company .N'o. 2 re¬ sponded but the fire was uut when they arrived. State highway patrolmen,'Wilkes- Barre city police and municipal authorities throughout the entire valley reported thiit driving condi¬ tions last night were imusually hazardous because of the storm nnd directly responsible for most ot tho motor misliaps recorded- Mra. Kdlth Sieber, 33, ot 72 Mof¬ fett street. Plains, was seriously In¬ jured shortly before 11 oclock hut night when struck by an automo¬ bile in front of Irving theatre on South Main street- Slie had Just como out of the theatre and was starling across the street to Join her husband who was waiting In his nutomobile- A machine driven by William II- Lewis, 39, ot 92 Third avenue, Kingston, going north on .South Main street, struck Mr-^. .Sieber- Her husband rushed her to General hosplt.al wiiere it was found she suffered a possible frac¬ ture ot the skull and severe shock- Lewis was taken to police head¬ quarters by OfTicer Thomas Cava¬ naugh, to be held pending the out¬ come nf Mrs- Sleber's injuries- Stanley Chlmmell, 38, ot 841 N'orth I'ennsylvania avenue, waa held last night on a charge of reck¬ less driving as the result ot an ac¬ cident yesterday on Miner Road, Hudson, In which a woman occu¬ pant of one of the m.achines w.as injured- The Injured woman, Mrs. Anna Sweeda, 34, of West Stanton street, Hudson, suffered a fracture of the left leg- She was riding with her brother, Joseph Novack, 34, of 9 Burke street, Hudson, when Chimmcll's car is said by police to have crashed Into Novack's car headon- Chlmmell, police said, was driving recklessly and on the left side of the road. Triple Collision Three automobiles figured In a collision last night on North Frank¬ lin street above West Market street- Charles H- Lorenzlne of 99 Darling street was coming out of Hotel Sterling driveway when his auto¬ mobile was struck by a machine go¬ ing north on Franklin street, driven by Robert McLaughlin of 435 Wyoming avenue, Kingston- Police said McLaughlin lost control ot his automobile and crashed Into a third car, driven by John Barilla, 42. ot 348 Charles street, Luzerne, who was also coming out of the drive¬ way- Officer Arthur Harkins or¬ dered the drivers to appear in police court this morning- An automobile driven by Thomas J- George of 13 -Madison street prac¬ tically climbed over a parked car on South Washington street last night at 7 oclock- George was driv¬ ing north on Washington street when his machine struck the park¬ ed automobile ot John F. McNam¬ ara, 45, of 838 Monroe avenue, Scranton- Office]^ Rymond ordered tho drivers to appear In police court- The parked automobile of Rev- Fred W. Trumhoro, 29, ot 107 Han¬ over street, was damaged yesterday when struck by a machine operated by Alan L- Almqulst, 62, ot 273 Kast Front street, Berwick- Rev. Trum- hore's car was parked on South Franklin at West Northampton street and Almqulst was driving north- riiomas Carr, SO, of 908 South Franklin street, reported to police last night at 10 oclock that an un¬ known driver crashed into the rear ot his automobile while he was waiting tor a traffic light change on South Main street near Roas- Other Mishaps Carl SahutskI, 10, of 20 Bowman street. Kingston, was seriously In- (Contlnued on I'age 3, Section I) TEST OF JUSTICE KEENLY AWAITED' IN LAKEJKILLING Bobby Edwards And His Attorneys\ Refuse To Comment As 3 Judges\ Denounce Weak Verdicts In List Of Homicides That Cheat State Of Penalty Sought By Prosecutor READY TO SPEED TRIAL It jurors to be selected tomorrow tor the murder trial ot Robert Allan Kdwards, accused as killer of Freda McKechnie, his sweet¬ heart and an expectant mother at the time of death, parallel the con¬ duct of three other murder juries during the present term ot crimi¬ nal court, the West Sido mine sur¬ veyor will not only escape death in the electric chair, but likely will walk out of Luzerne's Temple of Justice a free man. Basis for thU observation hinges on the acquittal last night of a third killer tried in as many weeks in local courts. The man acquitted last night Is Carl Cessaro, 30 years old, ot Hazleton. He told the court and jury during his trial he pumped eleven bullets Into the body of Harry Cavalier, 40, a former road¬ house proprietor in Hazleton. The Commonwealth contended Cavalier was "taken for a ride" and mur¬ dered on a lonely highway In Hazle Township- Cessaro said he ahot In self-defense as Cavalier attacked hlm- "The verdict Is a disgrace to the Commonwealth ot Pennsylvania," Judge Cli.rence D- Coughlin sail shortly after the report of the Jury was presented to him- He added: "I disapprove the verdict-" Jud:,-? Coughlin remanded Cessaro to tho county prison- Informed of the verdict in the Hazleton murder case, Attorney Frank A- McGuigan, chlet counsel for the defense In tlie Kdwards case, would not comment relative to any bearing last night's verdict might have on the homicide case of his cllent- On Thursday Judge John S. Fine criticised and condemned the con¬ duct ot the Jury in the John Slayo and John Domico arson case, the defendants having been tried for burning a house In Wyoming, own¬ ed by Domico, In order to secure $7,000 Insurance- In this case the Jury disagreed- Judge Fine discus¬ sed the case Individually with the Jurors and he probably will issue a statement- On Thursday he refer¬ red to ccrt.iln Jurors as being weak- kneed in their duties- In the arson case it was reported the jury stood eleven to one for conviction- Judge W. A- Valentine, who will preside tomorrow at the Edwarda trial, recently criticised the conduct of Juries In a manner similar to the condemnation by Judge Fine and Judge Coughlln- New Hops for Edwarda The acquittal verdict last night gave Robert Edwards exalted belief that his attorneys are correct in their decision to fight tbe State's accusation that names him as killer of the McKechnie giri, whose body was found in Harvey's T.ake on the morning ot July 31- The prosecu¬ tion contends Edwards struck the girl with a blackjack and then al¬ lowed her body to sink to the lake bed- Other murder verdicts rendered during the September term of crim¬ inal court and which doubtlessly will serve to encourage Edwards and his lawyers, Involved Albert Albergl of I'lains Township. Carl Kivler and Robert Klley of Nantl¬ coke. Albergl, accused of the murdei ot Oeorge Hudock ot Jenkln» Township, was acquitted ten daya ago, claiming the killing was dona In self-defense. Albergl admitted he used a shotgun In the slaying and that he killed Hudock because the latter had threatened his life- Both men were engaged as stripping con¬ tractors In Jenkins Township. Kivler was found guilty of first degree murder for the slaying of Nicholas Bottno, sexton, of Bt. Francia church, Nantlcoke- He es¬ caped the electric chair and waa given life In Jail- Hia companion, Robert Kiley, admitted his guilt and hurled himself on the mercy of the court- See Precedent Established With two acquittals and one first degree verdict In which the de¬ fendant escapes the death chair, counsel for Kdwards will begin the latter's case with more than or¬ dinary confidence tomorrow when the trial Is called by Judge W. A. Valentlne- ••X hit her- I hit her with the blackjack and then I left her there In the water- "Freda was one of the best mixers I ever went out with, but she wasn't the kind ot girl a fellow marries. I can't understand about the baby, but 1 know It wasn't any otiier fel¬ low's- I was willing to accept re¬ sponsibility-" The afore-sald statements were re¬ ported from the lips ot I^dwardi soon after his arrest on July 31, ac¬ cording to police. It will be these damaging statements that Edwards' counsel will have to beat down if they desire to convince a Jury the young defendant should escape the electric chair- But, it is likely the accused will deny making any con¬ fessions- Pressed last night to declare the nature ot defense. Chlet Counsel McGuii-'an said: "We will not re¬ lease the nature of the defense until after the Commonwealth presents Its case." Mr. McGuigan declared: "We In¬ tend to place Kdwarda on the stand and allow him to tell his story In his own way." Will your client admit or deny his reported confessions to atl- thorities? the lawyer waa asked- "I have nothing to say in that connection." he said- Will the defense be foreign ta any'contentions so far advanced hy the prosecution? was the next question, "There Is nothing tn say from that anile," Mr. McGuigan replled- Edwards Meets Lawyers McGuigan and Attorney John P. Phillips will visit the defendant to¬ day at the county prison to com¬ plete a review ot the rase- Both lawyers spent more than an hour yesterday morning with Edwarda and drafted plans for the trial- Dur¬ ing the visit by his lawyers and fol¬ lowing their departure the young prisoner did not show any emotion. He has maintained the aame de- (Contlnued on I'age 5, Section 2) FEARS MISSING MAN MET WITH ACCIDENT Burlington, Vt., Sept- 29.—UP— Fear that William Abercromblc, about 49, of Essex Junction, met with a fatal automobile accident, waa' expressed by authorities to¬ night after he had been missing for nearly 24 houra. Last night Abercromblo drove his wife to the home here of Pro¬ fessor Charles Kern, where she Is employed aa a nurse. When Mrs. Abercrorable returned home thia morning, she found her husband was missing and notified Sheriff Paul Dlmlck- Abercrombie was a man ot good habits and apparently had no ene¬ mies, his wife said- Search along the I'oad the missing man might have taken was made without sue- cess- Sheriff Dlmlck said he be¬ lieved Abercromble'a father waj dead- » ) u
Object Description
Title | Wilkes-Barre Sunday Independent |
Masthead | Wilkes-Barre Sunday Independent |
Subject |
Wilkes-Barre (Pa.) - Newspapers Luzerne County (Pa.) - Newspapers |
Description | An archive of the Wilkes-Barre Sunday Independent newspaper. |
Creator | Wilkes-Barre Independent Company |
Publisher | Wilkes-Barre Independent Company |
Place of Publication | Wilkes-Barre (Pa.) |
Date | 1934-09-30 |
Location Covered | Pennsylvania - Luzerne County |
Type | Text |
Original Format | Newspapers |
Digital Format | image/tiff |
Source | Microfilm |
Language | English |
Rights | http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/ |
Contact | For more information, please contact the Osterhout Free Library, Attn: Information Services, 71 S. Franklin Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701. Phone: (570) 823-0156. |
Contributing Institution | Osterhout Free Library |
Sponsorship | This Digital Object is provided in a collection that is included in POWER LIBRARY: Pennsylvania Photos and Documents, which is funded by the Office of Commonwealth Libraries of Pennsylvania/Pennsylvania Department of Education. |
Month | 09 |
Day | 30 |
Year | 1934 |
Description
Title | Wilkes-Barre Sunday Independent |
Masthead | Wilkes-Barre Sunday Independent |
Subject |
Wilkes-Barre (Pa.) - Newspapers Luzerne County (Pa.) - Newspapers |
Description | An archive of the Wilkes-Barre Sunday Independent newspaper. |
Creator | Wilkes-Barre Independent Company |
Publisher | Wilkes-Barre Independent Company |
Place of Publication | Wilkes-Barre (Pa.) |
Date | 1934-09-30 |
Date Digital | 2009-09-25 |
Location Covered | Pennsylvania - Luzerne County |
Type | Text |
Original Format | Newspapers |
Digital Format | image/tiff |
Digital Specifications | Image was scanned by OCLC at the Preservation Service Center in Bethlehem, PA. Archival Image is an 8-bit greyscale tiff that was scanned from film at 300 dpi. The original file size was 31803 kilobytes. |
Source | Microfilm |
Language | English |
Rights | http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/ |
Contact | For more information, please contact the Osterhout Free Library, Attn: Information Services, 71 S. Franklin Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701. Phone: (570) 823-0156. |
Contributing Institution | Osterhout Free Library |
Sponsorship | This Digital Object is provided in a collection that is included in POWER LIBRARY: Pennsylvania Photos and Documents, which is funded by the Office of Commonwealth Libraries of Pennsylvania/Pennsylvania Department of Education. |
Full Text | r LUZERNE MURDER JURY FREES ANOTHER KILLER SUNDAY INDEPENDENT •LEASED WIRE TELEGRAPH REPORT TO 3 A.M. SUNDAY THE WEATHER Eastern Pennsylvania: Occasional rain and somewhat cooler Sun¬ day; Monday fair and cooler. ^ FIFTY-TWO PAGES Tb* Only Sunday Newspaper CoTcrlng the Wyomlnn Valley WILKES-BARRE, PA., SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1934 Kntcred it Wilkee-Barre. !»«., At Second ClnsB MaII Mntter PRICE TEN CENTS DISGRACE S&YS JUDGE DOUBTS ARISE EDWARDS > 8 SURPRISE IN TRIAL Defendant In Cavalier Case Is Given An Acquittal In The County Courts Multiple Death To Quadruplets New York, Sept- 29—UP—III and weakened by a year of wor'< as breadwinner for her family of four, Mrs- Joseph Splnelll, wife of an unemployed construc¬ tion foreman, gave birth t5 quadruplets- All died- Mrs. Spl¬ nelll, whose condition Is serious, had been receiving hosplta' treatment, but was unable to leave her job because ot the re¬ sponsibility of providing for her husband and three rhildren- Tho Splnellls previously had been ths parents of six chldren, three of whom are dead¬ er ROOSEVELT TALK ADMITTED SHOTS Judge Couglilin Angry As He Returns Carl Cessaro To His Cell At Prison LURID EVIDENCE \ Although he admitted he pumped eleven bullets into tho body of Harry Cavalier, a road house oper¬ ator, Carl Cessaro of Hazleton was acquitted of a murder charge by a Jury last night ut 7 oclock- The de¬ fendant based his plea to the court and Jury on sell-defenae- Judge Clarence D- Coughlin remanded the defendant to tlio county prison- Judge Coughlin declared: "Tho verdict Is a disgrace to the Com¬ monwealth of Pennsylvania and I disapprove it-" The Jurist further commented on the lack of courage made manifest by certain Jurymen- The acquittal last night was tho aecond In ten days In homicido cases, Albert Albergl of I'lains Township having been acquitted for the slaying ot (ieorge Hudock who was mowed down by shotgun bullets at a stripping operation in Jenkins Township- Albergl con¬ tended Hudock threatened his llfe- The Commonwealth charged that Cessaro took Cavalier "for a ride" and shot lilm down on a lonely road In Hazle Township- Tho case was prosecuted by Assistant Dis¬ trict Attorney Benjamin It- Jonea- The slain man operated a road house and on the night of the kill¬ ing Cessaro visited the place and later started for Shenandoah to visit a sick friend- He was ac¬ companied by Cavalier and Peter "Red" Hnatutiek, IC years old. While traveling on the lonely road In Hazle Township, the de¬ fendant testified, Cavalier whipped out a revolver nnd began to shoot «t him- In order to defend himself, Cessaro said, he emptied two re¬ volvers Bt Cavalier- Cessaro ab¬ solved Hnntutlck ot any connec¬ tion with the crime. The youth, however. Is held at tho county prison on an Indictment returned hy the recent grand Jurj-- Evidenca Damaging Cessaro has a wife and three cliildren. They attended the trial. ¦After the case was given to the Jury yesterday at noon the wom:in and her children left the court houso and marched up and down River atreet In pouring rain, anxiously awaiting the verdict- They were not present when the acquittal ver¬ dict was rendered last night. Damaging evidence was regis¬ tered against Cessaro by Joseph Reman, who said that on the night of the killing the defendant told him that ho intended to kill Cava¬ lier. A woman- reported to have been the common-law wife of the ¦Iain man,.testified for the prose¬ cution- The following served on the Jury that last night acquitted Cessaro: f^tephen Hydock, Edwardsvllle; (Continued on Page S, Section 1) EAGERLY SOUGHT No Salve To Big Business Expected As President Gives Public Message RELIEF GOES ON Washington, Sept- 29-—UP—The kind ot reassuring "message ot con¬ fidence", for which a large section ot Hlg Business and finance has been clamoring frotn President Roosevelt, probably will be conspic¬ uously absent from his fireside radio chat this Sunday night. This eleetlon-tlme broadcast will be the first personal statement by Jlr- Roosevelt to his constituency since his chat on the evening ot June 28, 1934- In thnt address Mr- Rooscvelt put to the men and women of the United States these ques¬ tions: "Are you better oft than last year —is your bank account more secure?" The President Is not prepared, however, to promise Big Business tomorrow nisht that emergency ex¬ penditures can be materially cur¬ tailed, or that New Deal experi¬ menting will be abandoned- He recognizes the fact that "the toes ot some peopio are being stepped on and aro going to be stepped on." He feels that these suffering toes belong to a comparative few per¬ .sons who exploit the weaker ma¬ jority to the harm ot the nation ns a w'hole. But in hla public utterances Mr- Roosevelt has consistently been optimistic regarding the accom- pli-shments and future ot hla Ad¬ ministration- He told Congress when it met In January that the nation was In the process of re¬ covery- Last June he reported "sub'stantlal gains-" At Green Bay, Wis., In August, he stressed thai theme- Business would welcome from Mr- Roosevelt announcement that relief expenditures would be cur¬ tailed or that the dollar would re¬ main where it is and that there would be no further monetary ex¬ perimentation. There have been no indications he contemplates such announcement- ¦ Mrs- Franklin D- Roosevelt, yes¬ terday, In a speech here, forecast continued large Federal relief ex¬ penditures when she lold a confer¬ ence ot welfare workers the govern¬ ment should assume much of the resiionslbllltles ot private charity- She said property rights could not be safe unless citizens were pro¬ tected ag.alnst starvation and the clements- Tlie President's speech Is expect¬ ed to deal largely with a report on the State of tho Nation nnd an ex¬ planation of the meaning of the new NRA machinery set up this week- Lindbergh Detective T^kes Safe Deposit Box Key On Search In Germany GETS BANK BOOK Effects Of Isador Fisch j A Friend Of Hauptmann For Use Ot Prosecutor I Police Of City Nab A Fugitive A fugitive from Justice since his Indictment on charges ot re¬ ceiving money under false pre¬ tense some time ago, W. S- Whltman, 44, of 825 South Main street, was taken Into custody last night by Detectives Thomas Nolan and Al B- Coyle. Whitman, according to police, was Indicted by a I-uzerne eounly grand jury several months back on charges of securing several Ihou-sand dollars from a lower Luzerne county resident whose name would not be divulged- Ho disappeared after his indictment and since then police have been watching for him- Wliitman was located last night at 10:30 oclock at hla South Main street home and wa-i locked up pending action of county authorities- Killed Father ' Gets 4 Years ^t STILL OUT Under Sentences Of Death When Flight To Liberty Follows A Bold Break DEFENSE ACTS Leipzig, Germany, Sept. 29-—UP— Arthur Johnson, New York detective Inquiring into the activities ot the late Isador Fisch, friend of Bruno Hauptmann, In connection with the Lindbergh case, tonight confiscated a safe deposit box key, a bank book on a New York bank and several letters pertaining to options on Long Island real estate, all property of tho dead man- Johnson, with the aid ot local police, had questioned members ot Fisch's family throughout the day- Tlie first to be questioned was Plnkus Fisch, brother ot Haupt¬ mann's friend. After this, Johnson announced he would continue his Investigation to¬ morrow and Monday- He was dispatched to Leipzig atter Hauptmann, under arrest in New York, had told officials he had received more than $14,000 of the Lindbergh ransom money trom Fisch, with whom he was associated In the fur business- New York offi¬ cials Indicated that Fisch, who died here last year, was with the kidnaplng- not connected ARRESTS MADE HERE IN BANDITRY SEARCH Wth three men In custody, ono a •••Ident of Hazleton and tho other two from Allentown, State Police laat night were reported to be near «h6 aolutlon of a number ot dar¬ ing robrrles of recent months In Liuerne and Lackawanna counties. Hope that the prisoners would be Identified as bandits, ¦Rho staged •everal daring holdups In Wilkes- Barre City, vanished when several robbi ry victims failed lo them Other victim* or Identify daylight and night holdups will faco the suspects thia week. Two of the prisoners ar* Anthony FischettI, 28, ot Allentown, and Johnny Montabalo, 25, also of Allen¬ town. The name of the third susr pect was not available last night. Since their capture yesterday the prisoners have been held at Wyo¬ ming Barracks of the .State I'ollce and Wllkea-Barre police head¬ quartera. Expert Defense New York, Sept- 29-—UP—Path¬ ologists, handwriting and finger¬ print experts will be called to testify for Bruno Richard Hauptmann when he Is tried for alleged extortion In Bronx county, the office of his counsel, James W- Fawcett, an¬ nounced tonlght- Fawcett's announcement, made through his aide, B- B - Melsels, vaguely indicated the line ot de¬ fense which will be put forward for Hauptmann, In the Lindbergh case- Tlie lawyer previously had hinted at an insanity defense- The plan to call fingerprint experts Indicated the defense had Information that fingerprints will be used as evldnce against Hauptmann—something not yet admitted hy the prosecution- Defense Investigators have found various persona In New York State who, they believe, will aid the de¬ fense case as witnesses- This an¬ nouncement wns not ampUtled- Fawcett has been studying quali¬ fications nf pathologists, finger¬ print and handwriting experts, and plans to confer with aome of them soon, Melsels said. The fingerprint angle aroused tho most Interest In the statement by Melsels- It has been said on good authority that New Jersey offlclnlg found the kidnaper's fingerprint— smuged—on the window sill ot the Lindbergh home nursery- Tho offi¬ cials have repeatedly denied thls- It It proved to be true, the finger¬ prints might be the strongest evidence In the case- WELL ARMED Franklin, Pa-, Sept- 29—UP— Russell A- Graham, 17, was sen¬ tenced to four to eight yeara la the penitentiary today when ho pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of his father, Alonzo A- Graham, 64- Graham killed his father last February 21 In a tit of rage during an argument over playing the family radio- L Three Men Suffer Wounds In Sensational Escape From A Virginia Prison QUESTION MOTHER Interior Of Hall Wrecked And Clubs Are Wielded Before Melee Is Ended Several Seriously Injured And Machijies Damaged In A Series Of Crashes DRIVERS HELD HEADS BATTERED W. A was in Urge Kidnap Trial Trenton, N, J-, Sept. 29-—UP— New Jersey authorities Indicated tonight that pl.ans to try Bruno Richard Hauptmann on kidnaping or murder charges In connection with the Lindbergh case would stand Independent ot developments In New York's case of extortion against the taciturn German car¬ penter- Col- H. Norman Schwartzkopf, superintendent ot State Police, who has been active In the kidnaping case since Ch.Trles A. Lindbergh Jr was abducted frnm his hnme March 1- 1932, gave the first hint that his State's evidence against the suspect did not depend upon evidence uii- (Contlnued on Page 3, Section 1) Finijliting that broke out In an Kast Knd boulevard night club early today turned a crowded benefit dance into a riot, sent two youths to General hospital and wrecked the interior of the establishment. Three of the participants, includ¬ ing the two injured youths, were placed under arrest as ring leaders in liie fracas which at its height Involved approximately 30 of the 200 men and women merrymakera- Tho Injured, both ot whom were battered over the head with a police club wielded by Constable William Lewis of Bear Creek Township, are Kenneth Fell. 20, who said he lives in tiie townsliip, but according to eyo witnesses of the battle resides at 498 Third avenue, Kingston, and James Hoyle. 21, who said he lives at 237 Kidder strcet- The constable declared that Fell hospital authorities refused to per¬ mit hiin to leiive the institution, while Hoyle was permitted to go home. Both youths suffered numer¬ ous deep gashes on the top of the head. The riot occurred as the climax to a benefit dance conducted under the auspices ot Bear Creek Protective Association in Dieter's Inn on the Kast Knd boulevard. Proceeds of the affair are to be donated to the widow and family of John Hayes jr., victim of a hit-and-run driver about a month ago- Fixes Riot Blame Constable Lewis told the Sunday Independent early today that Fell and a half dozen of his friends were responsible for the riot. He said that he would arrest Fell, Boylo and a North Pennsylvania avenuo youth named Craig for causing the fracas. Lewis said the riot broke out shortly after midnight when Fell at¬ tacked Reese Lewis, his brother- Reese called to the constable to come to Ills assistance In a booth where Fell was allegedly breaking glasses and upsetting tables- Be¬ tore Constable Lewis arrived at the point of trouble other guests bad started fighting and Fell was knocked down twice, defense- I don't know how Boyle "mado for me witli threats that he was going to get me and when he attacked mo 1 used my club in self Fell was so badly injured that got hurt, but I believe ho Just walked into trouble when the riot started," Lewis declared that on August 25 last when the association was con¬ ducting a danco at Dieter's Inn, Fell led a gang ot trouble makers and that when tbo constable quelled the troublo Fell and his friends threat¬ ened to "get" him- Midnight Fight Lewla said be was collcctln-i tickets as a member ot the danco committee until midnight and it was shortly after that tbe flghtlng started. In the melee tables wero overturned, glass showcases wei# shattered and general destruction to tho roadhouse interior wa;i caused. Women screamed and ran from the place, a number placing telephone calls to Wilkes-Barre and State pollco and asking that riot squads be sent tbeie- Wllkes-Barre police sent Mooncy'a ambulance to the Inn to bring the Injured to General hospital- Frank Oliver, proprietor of the Kast Knd garage, also went to the scene and brought Boyle to the hospital, the (Continued on I'age 3, Section 1) Richmond. Va-, Sept- 29.—UP— Two notorious trl-State gangsters under death sentences shot their way out of Jail today, comrnendeer- ed a mail truck and, after a bold switch of a private automobile, aped away from pursuing officials in the general direction of Washington- Three men were shot in the sen¬ sational escape ot Robert Mais and Walter Legenza- Policeman Toot, wounded in the chest a serious condition. Federal authorities may institute a probe into the escape it was re¬ ported tonight, because they w-ere convicted ot killing a Federal Re¬ serve mall truck driver- « An Investigation was made by authorities In an eftort to determine how Legenza and Mais obtained '''jlrs^' Elizabeth JIais of Philadel¬ phia, gray-haired mother ot Robert Mais, who had visited the prison¬ ers just before the break, could ahed no light on the Investigation. Anticipating just such a break as occurred today. Detective O. D- Gaston went to court this morning to urge their removal to a peniten¬ tiary- He failed to locate Judge John L. Ingram, from whom the order was to be obtalned- Members ot the police force, who trailed Mais and Legenza, returned tonight from North Virginia. They believed they headed oft the fugi¬ tives by blocking their crossing of the river into Maryland at the Potomac landing- The two are be¬ lieved to have passed through War¬ saw, Va. A Sudden Break The break came without warning and was executed with the boldness of men who knew that death awaited them In prison. Mais and Legenza, convicted a month ago ot the murder of K- M- Huband In a Federal Reserve mall truck holdup, were sentenced to die •in the electric chair November 1 and October 22 respectively. Both were dressed in blue pants and shirts vhen, after being vis¬ ited by Mrs- Mais, they went to an ante-room for a conference with Charles W. Moss, their attorney- It was during the time they were out of their cells for the visit with Moss that they made their break tor freedom- Suddenly producing pistols—the origin of which Jiiilers could not guess—they dashed for the Jail door- In the ensuing battle Toot w.as shot so seriously that a blood transfusion was performed later; another policeman, W. A- Moore, was wounded In tho leg; John A- Selph, civilian guard, suf¬ fered a slight abdominal wound- Outside the Jail, the fugitives seized a mail truck which they drove to the eastern section of the city. There they met Knnis T. Carpenter, railroad engineer, in hla automoblle- They stopped Carpenter at gun point, but he tossed the keys to his car acrosa the street- The two men quickly found them and turned on Cirpenter. forcing him out and ordering: "Beat it-" In Carpenter's automobile, they sped toward Washington while Capt- H- E- Nicholas, superintend¬ ent ot State Police, quickly organ¬ ized a large posso for pursuit- WIRE IGNITES POLE A slight blazo was extinguished last night at 6 oclock by employee.! of Pennsylvania I'ower and I.lgh' Company on .New Bennett street when an electric wire Ignited u pole. Flre Company .N'o. 2 re¬ sponded but the fire was uut when they arrived. State highway patrolmen,'Wilkes- Barre city police and municipal authorities throughout the entire valley reported thiit driving condi¬ tions last night were imusually hazardous because of the storm nnd directly responsible for most ot tho motor misliaps recorded- Mra. Kdlth Sieber, 33, ot 72 Mof¬ fett street. Plains, was seriously In¬ jured shortly before 11 oclock hut night when struck by an automo¬ bile in front of Irving theatre on South Main street- Slie had Just como out of the theatre and was starling across the street to Join her husband who was waiting In his nutomobile- A machine driven by William II- Lewis, 39, ot 92 Third avenue, Kingston, going north on .South Main street, struck Mr-^. .Sieber- Her husband rushed her to General hosplt.al wiiere it was found she suffered a possible frac¬ ture ot the skull and severe shock- Lewis was taken to police head¬ quarters by OfTicer Thomas Cava¬ naugh, to be held pending the out¬ come nf Mrs- Sleber's injuries- Stanley Chlmmell, 38, ot 841 N'orth I'ennsylvania avenue, waa held last night on a charge of reck¬ less driving as the result ot an ac¬ cident yesterday on Miner Road, Hudson, In which a woman occu¬ pant of one of the m.achines w.as injured- The Injured woman, Mrs. Anna Sweeda, 34, of West Stanton street, Hudson, suffered a fracture of the left leg- She was riding with her brother, Joseph Novack, 34, of 9 Burke street, Hudson, when Chimmcll's car is said by police to have crashed Into Novack's car headon- Chlmmell, police said, was driving recklessly and on the left side of the road. Triple Collision Three automobiles figured In a collision last night on North Frank¬ lin street above West Market street- Charles H- Lorenzlne of 99 Darling street was coming out of Hotel Sterling driveway when his auto¬ mobile was struck by a machine go¬ ing north on Franklin street, driven by Robert McLaughlin of 435 Wyoming avenue, Kingston- Police said McLaughlin lost control ot his automobile and crashed Into a third car, driven by John Barilla, 42. ot 348 Charles street, Luzerne, who was also coming out of the drive¬ way- Officer Arthur Harkins or¬ dered the drivers to appear in police court this morning- An automobile driven by Thomas J- George of 13 -Madison street prac¬ tically climbed over a parked car on South Washington street last night at 7 oclock- George was driv¬ ing north on Washington street when his machine struck the park¬ ed automobile ot John F. McNam¬ ara, 45, of 838 Monroe avenue, Scranton- Office]^ Rymond ordered tho drivers to appear In police court- The parked automobile of Rev- Fred W. Trumhoro, 29, ot 107 Han¬ over street, was damaged yesterday when struck by a machine operated by Alan L- Almqulst, 62, ot 273 Kast Front street, Berwick- Rev. Trum- hore's car was parked on South Franklin at West Northampton street and Almqulst was driving north- riiomas Carr, SO, of 908 South Franklin street, reported to police last night at 10 oclock that an un¬ known driver crashed into the rear ot his automobile while he was waiting tor a traffic light change on South Main street near Roas- Other Mishaps Carl SahutskI, 10, of 20 Bowman street. Kingston, was seriously In- (Contlnued on I'age 3, Section I) TEST OF JUSTICE KEENLY AWAITED' IN LAKEJKILLING Bobby Edwards And His Attorneys\ Refuse To Comment As 3 Judges\ Denounce Weak Verdicts In List Of Homicides That Cheat State Of Penalty Sought By Prosecutor READY TO SPEED TRIAL It jurors to be selected tomorrow tor the murder trial ot Robert Allan Kdwards, accused as killer of Freda McKechnie, his sweet¬ heart and an expectant mother at the time of death, parallel the con¬ duct of three other murder juries during the present term ot crimi¬ nal court, the West Sido mine sur¬ veyor will not only escape death in the electric chair, but likely will walk out of Luzerne's Temple of Justice a free man. Basis for thU observation hinges on the acquittal last night of a third killer tried in as many weeks in local courts. The man acquitted last night Is Carl Cessaro, 30 years old, ot Hazleton. He told the court and jury during his trial he pumped eleven bullets Into the body of Harry Cavalier, 40, a former road¬ house proprietor in Hazleton. The Commonwealth contended Cavalier was "taken for a ride" and mur¬ dered on a lonely highway In Hazle Township- Cessaro said he ahot In self-defense as Cavalier attacked hlm- "The verdict Is a disgrace to the Commonwealth ot Pennsylvania," Judge Cli.rence D- Coughlin sail shortly after the report of the Jury was presented to him- He added: "I disapprove the verdict-" Jud:,-? Coughlin remanded Cessaro to tho county prison- Informed of the verdict in the Hazleton murder case, Attorney Frank A- McGuigan, chlet counsel for the defense In tlie Kdwards case, would not comment relative to any bearing last night's verdict might have on the homicide case of his cllent- On Thursday Judge John S. Fine criticised and condemned the con¬ duct ot the Jury in the John Slayo and John Domico arson case, the defendants having been tried for burning a house In Wyoming, own¬ ed by Domico, In order to secure $7,000 Insurance- In this case the Jury disagreed- Judge Fine discus¬ sed the case Individually with the Jurors and he probably will issue a statement- On Thursday he refer¬ red to ccrt.iln Jurors as being weak- kneed in their duties- In the arson case it was reported the jury stood eleven to one for conviction- Judge W. A- Valentine, who will preside tomorrow at the Edwarda trial, recently criticised the conduct of Juries In a manner similar to the condemnation by Judge Fine and Judge Coughlln- New Hops for Edwarda The acquittal verdict last night gave Robert Edwards exalted belief that his attorneys are correct in their decision to fight tbe State's accusation that names him as killer of the McKechnie giri, whose body was found in Harvey's T.ake on the morning ot July 31- The prosecu¬ tion contends Edwards struck the girl with a blackjack and then al¬ lowed her body to sink to the lake bed- Other murder verdicts rendered during the September term of crim¬ inal court and which doubtlessly will serve to encourage Edwards and his lawyers, Involved Albert Albergl of I'lains Township. Carl Kivler and Robert Klley of Nantl¬ coke. Albergl, accused of the murdei ot Oeorge Hudock ot Jenkln» Township, was acquitted ten daya ago, claiming the killing was dona In self-defense. Albergl admitted he used a shotgun In the slaying and that he killed Hudock because the latter had threatened his life- Both men were engaged as stripping con¬ tractors In Jenkins Township. Kivler was found guilty of first degree murder for the slaying of Nicholas Bottno, sexton, of Bt. Francia church, Nantlcoke- He es¬ caped the electric chair and waa given life In Jail- Hia companion, Robert Kiley, admitted his guilt and hurled himself on the mercy of the court- See Precedent Established With two acquittals and one first degree verdict In which the de¬ fendant escapes the death chair, counsel for Kdwards will begin the latter's case with more than or¬ dinary confidence tomorrow when the trial Is called by Judge W. A. Valentlne- ••X hit her- I hit her with the blackjack and then I left her there In the water- "Freda was one of the best mixers I ever went out with, but she wasn't the kind ot girl a fellow marries. I can't understand about the baby, but 1 know It wasn't any otiier fel¬ low's- I was willing to accept re¬ sponsibility-" The afore-sald statements were re¬ ported from the lips ot I^dwardi soon after his arrest on July 31, ac¬ cording to police. It will be these damaging statements that Edwards' counsel will have to beat down if they desire to convince a Jury the young defendant should escape the electric chair- But, it is likely the accused will deny making any con¬ fessions- Pressed last night to declare the nature ot defense. Chlet Counsel McGuii-'an said: "We will not re¬ lease the nature of the defense until after the Commonwealth presents Its case." Mr. McGuigan declared: "We In¬ tend to place Kdwarda on the stand and allow him to tell his story In his own way." Will your client admit or deny his reported confessions to atl- thorities? the lawyer waa asked- "I have nothing to say in that connection." he said- Will the defense be foreign ta any'contentions so far advanced hy the prosecution? was the next question, "There Is nothing tn say from that anile," Mr. McGuigan replled- Edwards Meets Lawyers McGuigan and Attorney John P. Phillips will visit the defendant to¬ day at the county prison to com¬ plete a review ot the rase- Both lawyers spent more than an hour yesterday morning with Edwarda and drafted plans for the trial- Dur¬ ing the visit by his lawyers and fol¬ lowing their departure the young prisoner did not show any emotion. He has maintained the aame de- (Contlnued on I'age 5, Section 2) FEARS MISSING MAN MET WITH ACCIDENT Burlington, Vt., Sept- 29.—UP— Fear that William Abercromblc, about 49, of Essex Junction, met with a fatal automobile accident, waa' expressed by authorities to¬ night after he had been missing for nearly 24 houra. Last night Abercromblo drove his wife to the home here of Pro¬ fessor Charles Kern, where she Is employed aa a nurse. When Mrs. Abercrorable returned home thia morning, she found her husband was missing and notified Sheriff Paul Dlmlck- Abercrombie was a man ot good habits and apparently had no ene¬ mies, his wife said- Search along the I'oad the missing man might have taken was made without sue- cess- Sheriff Dlmlck said he be¬ lieved Abercromble'a father waj dead- » ) u |
Sequence | 1 |
Page | 1 |
FileName | 19340930_001.tif |
Month | 09 |
Day | 30 |
Year | 1934 |
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