NEWS: Items from the Cambria Freeman, December 18, 1903, Cambria County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Patty Millich Copyright Aug 2008. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/cambria/ _________________________________________ Cambria Freeman Ebensburg, Pa. Friday, December 18, 1903 Ebensburg Agricultural Society Officers Following are the officers of the Ebensburg Agricultural Society for 1904 elected recently: L. Z. Bloom, president; Dr. A. J. Miller and Elias Rowland, vice presidents; Wm. Hopfer, secretary; Jos. A. Noel, treasurer; Directors: Wm. Pryce, T. V. Holt, Eli Gettys, Lincoln McCullough, Newton Pryee, Harry Makin, John Mannion, Thomas Francis, John Schettig, David J. Davis. It was decided by vote that the indebtedness of the society shall be increased $1,088.05. Had Fractured Skull John Sedek, aged twenty-four, said to be an employee of McMenanim & Sims, railroad contractors, was taken to the Memorial Hospital, Johnstown, Saturday, from Portage with a fractured skull sustained at work. The wound was a serious one and in the operation performed Saturday afternoon a large piece of bone was removed. Not withstanding the man is doing nicely and will recover. Local and Personal Mike Cassidy of Lilly was arrested on Clinton Street, Johnstown, Sunday afternoon for being drunk and disorderly. Cassidy went into Kable's lunch house and fell asleep, the waiter aroused him and put him out. When he tried to enter the second time he broke a large pane of glass valued at $15. A. Williamson, a well-known lumberman of Bellwood has purchased from the heirs of John Rohn's estate over 1,000 acres of excellent timber land lying along the West branch railroad in the vicinity of Karthaus. The tract contains over three million feet of lumber. The consideration was $7,900. John Rohn is the man who mysteriously disappeared about four years ago, and no trace of him was ever found, it being the general supposition that he was murdered and his body hidden. Will R. Kibler of the Hastings Pharmacy is congratulating himself and his many friends are well pleased over the fact that he held the lucky ticket which drew a fine new piano chanced off by the Catholic Church at Warren, Pa. The first Mr. Kibler knew of his good luck was when he received a dispatch asking for shipping directions. Notes from the Court House The trial of criminal cases for the December term of court began Monday. Court opened at 11:20 o'clock immediately upon the arrival of the morning train. After the bar list was called, cases were at once taken up and disposed of as follows: Henry Kimmell, pleaded guilty to stealing two turkeys at South Fork and was sentenced to pay the costs, further sentence being suspended. Fred Naugle was tried on charges of assault and battery and aggravated assault and battery preferred by Henry Miller. The jury acquitted Naugle and put the costs on Miller. Joseph Shoda, charged with surety, was directed to pay the costs and leave the county. The bottom fell out of the surety case of Thomas Heneghan. As the prosecutrix, Mary Mullen, was about to take the stand the defendant called her aside and spoke a few words to her. Immediately it was announced that the case would be withdrawn upon the payment of the costs by Heneghan and that disposition was made. Motions and Petitions Shortly after the opening of court the bar list was called and the following routine matters among others were considered: Elias Munday, guardian of Herman Munday, granted permission to join in a deed for his ward to lands in Jackson township. Report of Master filed in divorce case of Susan McAllister vs. Amos McAllister. Permission was granted to Sheriff E. E. Davis, Trustee, to sell the property of William Hutzel and others. Master John E. Evans made his report in the divorce case of Eliza Jane Wilson vs. George W. Wilson. Permission was granted to Walter H. Edward and Jennie Stephens to pay into court the interest of Dora, Fred and Ernest Stephens in an estate. D. P. Weimer was appointed Master in the divorce case of O. M. Wilson vs. Willa Wilson. William Davis was appointed Auditor in the estate of Jacob R. Stull, Jr. and Donald E. Dufton in the estate of Margaret Geary of which latter Philip Dolan is Executor. In re partition proceedings in the estate of John Brady, deceased, real estate taken by Thomas F. Brady and Sadie J. Brady at the appraised value of $26,000 and the Court fixed the fee of the attorney in the case. P. N. Shettig filed his report as Auditor in the estate of Daniel F. McAnulty of Barnesboro, also his report in the estate of Henry Shook, late of Gallitzin. In the afternoon a number of criminal cases were tried: S. Nowak, indicted on three counts, breaking and entering, entering without breaking and receiving stolen goods - was given a hearing before a jury, found guilty and sentenced to pay fine of $50, costs of prosecution and undergo imprisonment in the Western Penitentiary for one year and nine months. John Rosko, indicted for felonious assault, tried by jury and verdict of not guilty returned. J. W. Gallagher, pleaded guilty to keeping a gambling house; sentenced to pay costs of prosecution and further sentence suspended. Charles Grubb, pleaded guilty to charge of a and b. [sic]. Usual sentence. Frank Mulhern, indicted on three counts - assault and battery, aggravated assault and battery, and double aggravated assault and battery; tried by jury and found guilty on first count. Sentenced to pay $20 and costs of prosecution, further sentence suspended. Tuesday's Court Cambria County has had its first case under the jurisdiction of the Juvenile Court Act of April 23, 1902, about which considerable ado has been made in the larger cities. On Tuesday it came up when E. H. Davis, Esq., counsel for the Poor Directors, presented the petition of Thomas J. Hughes, steward at the Almshouse, praying that Minnie Mangus, an inmate of the Almshouse, aged fifteen years, be sent to a house of correction. The girl is incorrigible and morally depraved, according to the petition. After some consideration Judge O'Connor made an order that the girl be sent to Morganza. The cases of Reed and Kuhn were taken up together Monday evening but were not concluded. Harvey Roland and Percy Allen Rose represented the strikers, while Robert S. Murphy appeared for the Harbison-Walker Company. Quite a number of witnesses testified as to violence on the part of the strikers and the abuse of foreigners brought in to replace them. It was brought out that the company, as a result of existing conditions, has been compelled to keep about 325 of its employees, nearly all of whom are foreigners, in a stockade which surrounds the works. It also cropped out that the citizens of Blandburg who are not directly interested are very anxious that the state of affairs which has prevailed there may be brought to an end as soon as possible and that the strikers are not in a position to stand the expense of prolonged litigation. In fact it appears there is much suffering now among the families of the strikers as a result of the struggle. When court convened Tuesday morning, after disposing of a case wherein Clara Smith was charged with keeping a disorderly house in Johnstown, she being found not guilty, but ordered to pay costs, another case hinging on the Blandburg affair came up. It was that of the Commonwealth vs. Paul Privel, William Kuhn, prosecutor, in which assault was charged. The indictment against Prival was quashed on the grounds that the person or persons upon whom the assault was committed were not identified in the indictment. Percy Allen Rose and Harvey Roland were the private counsel for the prosecution. All of these cases are being pretty closely watched. In the case of the Commonwealth vs. Adam Miller, one of the Supervisors of Elder Township, against whom an indictment had been drawn on a charge of not keeping the roads in his township in proper repair, the case was not prossed on the ground that but one of the two Supervisors was named in the indictment. The Court held that the Supervisors' position being equal, they were jointly responsible for the condition of the roads in the township; he ruled that both should have been indicted and then had one of the two proved that he had done his duty faithfully, he would have been taken care of by the court. A pair of alleged Cleveland bays, high steppers, city broke, sound and true, figured in the court proceedings. A charge of false pretense had been brought by G. W. Griffith against R. I. Morton. Griffith alleged that Morton had sold him a pair of horses which were not all they had been cracked up to be. Wednesday's Court The commission appointed to investigate the mental condition of Charles Dougherty reported him insane, thus reducing the number of homicide cases for trial. Thomas Cullen of Portage who was charged with selling liquor to minors and to persons of intemperate habits was found not guilty but was ordered to pay the costs. Rode Mandish pleaded guilty to a charge of felonious assault and battery and was sentenced to pay the costs, $10 fine and serve three months and fifteen days in jail to date from his original commitment. Frank Toscano was found guilty of carrying concealed weapons and felonious assault and battery. Toscano was sentenced to pay the costs, $50 fine, and serve three years and nine months on the Western Penitentiary. Judge O'Connor announced today that naturalization court will be held on the first Monday in January. This is the date on which the newly elected county officials will be sworn in. Argument court will held Jan. 19 In the case of John J. Martin, an ex-coal and iron policeman at Blandburg who was charged with the larceny of a number of small articles, the defendant was found not guilty and the costs were placed on the county. One of the most pitiable sights ever seen in the courtroom here was that presented by aged Peter Malzi of Johnstown who was put on trial in the afternoon for the murder of his son, Peter Malzi, Jr., at his home in Johnstown. The case was taken up Wednesday night and went to the jury Thursday afternoon. The jury in the Peter Malzi case late on Thursday night brought in a verdict of not guilty.