NEWS: Items from the Morning Tribune, November 15, 1879, Blair County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by JRB Copyright 2006. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/blair/ _______________________________________________ Items from the Morning Tribune, Saturday, November 15, 1879 EXECUTION OF DREWS AND STICHLER AT LEBANON. How the Raber Murderers Met their Fate. An Accident at the Gallows, &c., &c. Lebanon, Pa., November 14. - Charles Drews and Franklin Stichler were hanged today for the murder of Joseph Raber at Indiantown gap on the 7th of December last. Drews, according to a previously announced intention, remained awake last night and ate only a light breakfast. Stichler slept six hours and ate a very hearty breakfast. The men seemed indifferent to their situations until the Colonel of the Ninety-third Pennsylvania volunteers called upon Drews, who burst into tears as he spoke of the war and carrying the colors of the regiment in battle. When the men reached the gallows prayer was offered by the clergymen and a hymn sung, in which the prisoners joined. At 11:05 they were manacled and strapped. After the white caps were pulled over their faces and just before the drop fell both men trembled perceptibly, Stichler in particular, and Drew's voice was heard remarking in German to Stichler, "Frank, now we go to heaven." Immediately after this the Sheriff touched the spring. The large cross piece fell to the ground, but both men remained trembling on the gallows. They were evidently additionally distressed by being ignorant of the cause of the delay. Both their bodies shook violently. The mishap in the work of the drop, however, did not cause more than a delay of one minute, and at eight minutes past 11 the drop fell, their bodies having a fall of about three feet. Their struggles were not violent and both seemed to die easily, although directly after the drop fell Stichler's body moved convulsively. The doctors pronounced the cause of Stichler's death to be strangulation. Drew's neck was broken. The bodies were placed in coffins and taken away from the prison, followed by an immense crowd. The men hanged are two of the six tried and convicted of the murder of old Raber, upon whose life they had taken out heavy insurance policies. Zechman, one of the six, was acquitted yesterday on his second trial. Wise, who confessed first, has never been sentenced. Hummel and Brandt have their cases before the Supreme court; and Drews and Stichler are the only ones yet brought to the scaffold. STATE NOTES. On Saturday last a lad named Walker, living at South Bend, Armstrong county, was caught in the tumbling shaft of a threshing machine and instantly killed. A lady of remarkable patience is Mrs. Hoyt, of Edinboro, Erie county, who has a quilt into the construction of which is entered 7,777 patches, each patch requiring 114 stitches, and the time consumed in the making was nearly four years. On Friday evening last, at the residence of Cyrus Bollinger, in Oliver township, Mifflin county, James Taylor and David Bollinger, a son of Cyrus, aged 18 years, were amusing themselves in throwing stones, one account says at each other in sport; another, that they were throwing into an ash pile to splash each other, though the former seems most probably, since the last stone thrown by Taylor struck young Bollinger above the bridge of the nose and near the eye, inflicting injuries from which he died the next day. FROM HOLLIDAYSBURG. Hyland, the man who cut his throat with a razor and now an inmate of the almshouse, is not expected to live. Mr. John Cliber, the gentlemanly clerk of the American House, is "jack of all trades." He was vigorously shoving the whitewash brush yesterday. Yank Brindle, employed in the Hollidaysburg and Altoona plank road quarry, was injured by a slide of rock while at work on Thursday. His right foot did not move in time. The Good Will Hose boys are billed for their fifth annual ball in Condron's Opera House on Thanksgiving night. This company deserves to be assisted by our citizens, so don't fail to purchase a ticket. Theodore Sickles received a dispatch from Curwensville announcing the death of his father, Mr. Elias Sickles. Mr. Sickles is well known in this town. His remains will be brought here to-day and interred in the Presbyterian cemetery. He was over 80 years old. FROM TYRONE. Mr. Gideon Calderwood, an old resident who has passed his three score and ten, is lying at the point of death at his residence on Main street. Death has been making some sad inroads with us of late, principally among the very young. J. W. Howe and wife mourn the loss of their only and very interesting little Paul, and scarcely had the funeral preparations been completed when the death of the youngest child of D. P. Ray, Jr., was announced. Messrs. Howe and Ray are brother-in-laws. The funeral of both took place Friday afternoon from the residence of D. P. Ray, Sr. A 5-year- old son of Mr. and Mrs. John R. McKinney was buried yesterday. FROM ROARING SPRINGS. John B. Kyles & Co., of Martinsburg, have a brand new car on the railroad. E. D. Kagarice proposes the erect[tion] of a dwelling judging by the stakes we observed in his lot to-day. James P. Detrick is in charge of the Ore Hill station in the absence of the agent, Mr. Heintzelman. Bare & Shuemaker have run their siding into their coal yard and warehouse in Martinsburg. It looks like the extension of the Piney Creek railroad. We are informed that our schools are doing grand work. The citizens can congratulate themselves in having such efficient teachers as Messrs. Whittaker and Garber. FROM HUNTINGDON. An infant child of Charles Black died of diphtheria on Wednesday morning. Thomas Fisher, Esq., has purchased M. S. Lytle's house. Consideration, $2,000. J. H. Boring has been appointed janitor of the new school house building at a salary of $30 per month. On Thursday Mr. Gary placed in position at Henry's crossing a huge bell which can be heard at quite a distance. William Port, who was injured by the cars, is rapidly recovering. His leg was amputated below the knee and half of his foot taken off. On Wednesday Dr. R. R. Weistling amputated a finger on the hand of Mac. Spooneyberger, which had been crushed in a sausage cutter. Harry Snivel was incarcerated in jail on Wednesday morning for creating a disturbance at the Court House. He was released in the evening. There will be a formal opening of the new school building at 1 o'clock to- day. It is thought that the building will be ready for occupancy on Monday. The most interesting case at this term of court was the Good Templar Lodge vs. Lagle. The charge was selling liquor to minors, and two members of the lodge conducted the prosecution. The jury brought in a verdict of not guilty and the prosecutors to pay the costs. This will financially "bust" the lodge. CITY AND COUNTRY. Things Briefly Told. A 10 year old daughter of Martin Force, of Burnside township, Centre county, was burned to death on the 6th inst. By her clothes taking fire. The boardwalk in front of the building owned by Hon. George Patton and occupied as a residence by Mr. Thomas McClellan, has been torn up and a new brick sidewalk will be laid to replace it. About $6.50 of the $13 stolen from the till in the tobacco store of C. M. Orr, at Ninth street and Tenth avenue, on Thursday morning, belonged to the Excelsior Hose Company, of which Mr. Orr is treasurer. We see by the Clarion Republican that Dr. Gathers, of West Freedom, Clarion county, brother of our well known Samuel Gathers, general foreman of the Altoona yard has, with family emigrated to Kansas, notwithstanding he has waited patiently for thirty years for his brother Samuel to pay him a visit. A Happy Surprise to Rev. Dr. Hamlin. Last evening when Rev. Dr. Hamlin, of the First Methodist Episcopal Church, entered the parsonage after the close of the revival services now being held in that church he found in possession of that building a great throng of people, who had planned as a surprise upon the reverend gentleman and his lady, one of the old-fashioned "pound parties." Everybody took a pound of something and when the substantials of this life which constituted the donation were piled upon the centre table in the spacious dining room they presented an imposing array, which undoubtedly made the ministerial heart glad. After an effective presentation speech made by a prominent character - a man of few words by the way - the "youth and beauty" took possession of the place and to a late hour the genial crowd made the house ring with mirth and gladness. This is the second surprise of this kind that the doctor has received within a year, and we doubt not he does not at all object to such manifestations of good feeling among the people of his congregation. Mrs. Joseph Brown Receives Her Lost Pocket-book. Mrs. Joseph Brown, of 1609 Eighth avenue, was made happy yesterday by the recovery of her pocket-book and its contents - the latter almost entire. The circumstances attending the recovery of the lost property are as follows: One of the sisters of St. John's Convent yesterday noticed one of the pupils, a little girl, playing with money and questioned her as to how she became possessed of it. The little one at once acknowledged that she had found a pocket book with the money in it at the store of Messrs. Bowman & Morrow, where, it will be remembered, Mrs. Brown insisted that she had lost it. The sister at once took the pocket book and its contents into her possession and, supposing that it was Mrs. Brown's, sent that lady word of its recovery. Mrs. Brown proceeded to the convent and there identified her property. Mrs. Brown, on her way home from the convent, stopped at Bowman & Morrow's store and apprised those present of the fact that she had recovered her money and that, as she insisted, it had left her possession while she was in their establishment, she at the same time, of course, relieving all the attaches of any blame or censure whatever. Mrs. Brown is the wife of Mr. Joseph T. Brown, assistant road foreman of engines, and is a lady of the highest respectability, possessing the esteem of a wide circle of friends and acquaintances. She deplores the prominence given this affair and requested the reporter, when he called at her residence last evening, to say as little about the affair as possible for the sake of all concerned. The Thanksgiving Day Walking Match. The list of contestants for the Eureka Club prices in the twelve-hour go as you please walking match at the Opera House on Thanksgiving day is now complete. The following persons have entered for the contest: C. C. Shannon, Jr., Albert Burkholder, C. W. Hayes, "Fatty" Kendig, Joseph Freshcorn, Patrick Jones, Unknown; Thomas McCann, of Tyrone.