Part 4. The Nathan Henninger farm was located in Cameron Township, near Shamokin, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. While four to six men were burglarizing Henninger’s stone house, a gunfire exchange took place, and one of the robbers was killed. Four men were later captured and put on trial in Sunbury in March, 1876. All four were found guilty and sent to prison. Another man, who testified against the burglars, was believed to have been involved but was never charged.
Follow the story as reported by newspapers of the time.
Featured photo (above) is a sketch of the place where the crime occurred. From the Sunbury Gazette, January 28, 1876.
From the Sunbury Gazette, February 18, 1876 (from the Miners’ Journal of Wednesday):
Some time ago Officer Miller of the Coal and Iron Police arrested a man named John Kelly near Mahanoy City, on the charge of stealing two watches. It somehow became suspected that Kelly was one of the men who took part in the bold robbery near Shamokin. Yesterday morning Officer Miller , the Coroner of Northumberland County, and Mr. Henninger, who killed Hughes, came down to Pottsville to see Kelly. Mr. Blass accompanied the party over to the jail, where Mr. Henninger, identified Kelly as the man who pointed the gun at the time of the robbery and said, “Keep back or I’ll shoot you.”
From the Sunbury Gazette, February 18, 1876:
THE MAHANOY ROBBERY
ANOTHER ONE OF THE ROBBERS FOUND – HENNINGER RECOGNIZES HIM
Sometime ago a man named Kelley was arrested in Carbon County on suspicion of being one of the Mahanoy robbers but he escaped from the officers who had him in charge. We stated at the time that he was discharged for want of the evidence but that was not correct as we learned afterward. Subsequently the man was again arrested on another charge and on Tuesday, Henninger went to Pottsville to take a look at him and at once recognized him as the man who threatened to shoot Henninger when the latter came out of his house on the night of the robbery. The following particulars we take from the “Shenandoah Herald,” which is however not correct in stating that that the prisoner has been brought to this county. He will be brought here in time for trial.
Recent events have proved that Schuylkill county is no longer the paradise of criminals, and not only do those, who indulge in nothing but wholesale business, but the smaller fry begin to discover that things have changed and we are happy to be enabled to say that the change is for the better. On the 27th of January [1876], Lieutenant Moyer, of the Coal and Iron Police, after some trouble succeeded in arresting a man named John Kelly, at Beaver Meadows, Carbon County, for complicity in the Mahanoy Valley robbery. The prisoner was taken to Mahanoy City and lodged in the lock-up. Moyer then handled Kelley over to Constable Gorman, from which the prisoner escaped as he was taken to the cars. In the course of a couple of days Kelly made his appearance in Lanigan’s Patch, where he was arrested by Officer Buchanan, of the Coal and Iron Police, on the charge of stealing two watches from a man named Muldoon. Buchanan took his man to Pottsville and lodged him in jail where he has remained until yesterday. Meanwhile the authorities at Shamokin were in need of a man who was engaged in the “big robbery” in which Hughes lost his life. Hearing of Kelley’s arrest, Coroner Taylor and Mr. Henninger, the gentleman who gave Hughes his quietus, appeared in Pottsville yesterday, paid a visit to the jail and after inspecting Kelley identified him as the man they were in search of. Upon investigating Kelley’s wearing appared, it was discovered that his boot and the lower part of the legs of pants were stained with blood. The blood stains are accounted for by the fact that Kelley is supposed to have carried the man who was wounded by Mr. Henninger’s second shot. Upon being identified the prisoner was handled over to the Shamokin men, who put him on board the train for the scene of his latest and largest exploit. Kelly is a particularly hard and suspicious looking character and belongs o Lanigan’s patch, where he was famously known as “The Mucker,” an alias that suits his appearance to a charm. A great deal of credit is due to the Coal and Iron Police for the manner in which they have worked this case as well as the many other cases in which they have been engaged lately.
From the Sunbury Gazette, February 25, 1876:
Mr. Nathan Henninger, the farmer who shot Hughes, the Mahanoy robber, was elected Assistant Assessor of Cameron Township on Tuesday of last week.
From the Sunbury Gazette, March 10, 1876 (from the Shamokin Times).:
Mrs. Henninger’s Funeral
The funeral of Mrs. Catharine Henninger took place from the Lutheran Church on Saturday last and was very largely attended. The services were conducted by Rev. Shoemaker in German and Rev. Haithcox in English. Mrs. Henninger died at the residence of her son, Joseph Henninger, Esq., who was, only the day previous to her death elected Assistant Burgess of Shamokin. Mrs. H. was the mother of eleven children, the oldest being our Assistant Burgess. Another son, Nathan Henninger, has become widely known as the plucky Mahanoy farmer who shot Hughes, the robber. Nathan was, as we announced last week, recently elected Assistant Assessor of Cameron Township.
To be continued….
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Articles from Newspapers.com.
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