Part 5. 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.
The Northumberland County Courthouse, where the trial took place, is pictured above.
From the Sunbury Gazette, March 24, 1876:
A reporter of the Shenandoah Daily Herald who was in Sunbury reporting the Mahanoy robbery case, speaks as follows of our Court House:
The appearance of the court house, a handsome brick structure, surmounted by a tower on which is one of those useful articles, a clock, impressed us very favorably, and the manner in which the interior is fitted up is very different and superior to anything that either Pottsville or Mauch Chunk can boast of. But nothing in this world is perfect, for the builder, although he did his duty in every other particular, forgot, we suppose, that the structure was to be used for speaking and hearing purposes, for the acoustic proportions are miserable, and though wires are stretched across the room to assist the voice in filling it, very little if any benefit is derived from the contrivance.
From the Sunbury Gazette, March 24, 1876:
TRIAL OF THE MAHANOY BURGLARS
We have collected the following testimony from reports published in the Shenandoah Herald and the Sunbury Daily:
The trial commenced last Friday morning at 9 o’clock. The prisoners included in the trial were Michael Haley, Philip Delaney, George Levens, and Martin Farrell. Reitz was omitted, being reserved as a witness in the case. The Court overruled the motion to quash the array on account of certain alleged informalities in the drawing, the question having been raised by the counsel for the prisoners, and exceptions to the ruling of the Court were filed in order to bring the case of the defense before the Supreme Court, if they saw fit. There were three counts in the indictment, viz: for burglary, larceny, and assault to kill. The first count was as follows: “That upon the 18th of January of the present year [1876], at about 7 o’clock in the morning, Martin Farrell, Michael Haley, Philip Delaney, and George Levans, did feloniously, burglariously, willfully, and maliciously break and enter, with intent to steal the goods and chattels, money and property of Sarah Billman, Philip Maurer and George Maurer, the dwelling house situate in Cameron Township, this county; and that they took an carried away contrary to the Act of Assembly made and provided for such cases and against the peace and dignity of the Commonwealth.”
The following were the jury: Morgan Davis, Mount Carmel Township; Levi Smith, Milton; Peter J. Oberdorf, Upper Augusta; Joseph Albright, Watsontown; J. W. Snyder, Turbutville; H. S. Briggs, Sunbury; Lewis D. Haupt, Sunbury; William Riddle, Turbut; Joseph Helt, Coal Township; Michael Huther, Turbut; James Renninger, Northumberland; John Schreffler, Washington Township.
The following were the counsel in the case: T. H. B. Kase, S. P. Wolverton, Sol Malick, and T. H. Purdy for the Commonwealth; J. K. Clement, William A. Sober, Peter Mahan and James Nolan for the defence.
George Taylor was in close attendance during the entire proceedings, and deserves the thanks of the community for the pertinacity and courage with which he stuck to the case.
Considerable discussion was occasioned by the fact that one more juror than necessary was drawn. Mr. Sober for the defense, said that the proper way to settle the difficulty was to withdraw the last man called, but that he and his colleagues would allow the Commonwealth to strike out the name of any juror that wished, but upon the counsel for the Commonwealth entering into a discussion with outsiders as to which juror had better be stricken out, the defense objected and withdrew their proposition. This the Court overruled and the names of the jurors being called and an answer given to each, they were sworn.
T. H. B. Kase, Esq., the District Attorney, then opened the case for the Commonwealth, expatiating upon, in a lucid manner, the character of the crime with which the prisoners were charged, explaining how it was committed; the trouble and expense which had been imposed upon the Commonwealth, in not only collecting their witnesses, but also in retaining the; how the friends of the defendants had endeavored to intimidate those witnesses whose fears for their own safety left open to such means being used, and begged the jury to consider and weigh well not only the testimony that would be advanced upon the witness stand, but also the character of those who testified. He adverted to the manner in which criminals had so often escaped the punishment they deserved, in this and adjoining counties, through the false swearing of men of their own kind, and warned the jury to be very cautious in accepting any evidence of which they were at all doubtful. Mr. Kase was interrupted by Mr. Sober, for the defence, during his address, on the ground that the District Attorney was wandering from the beaten track and giving the jury a disquisition upon subjects and points which he had no right to handle. The Court allowed that all lawyers were in the habit of indulging in considerable digression, and that Mr. Kase had not touched upon any topics that were interdicted. Mr. Kase continued, and again cautioning the jury as to what they should and should not accept as evidence, closed an address of twenty-five minutes duration.
The Court then addressed the jury, and, speaking of the crime of burglary, informed them that the law, which some years ago had classed the offense with arson and rape as capital crimes, had been repealed, and that although it was sometimes the practice to confine a jury sitting upon such a case, that in this instance he would not do so, but relying upon their appearance, would trust to their honor to withhold themselves from having any communication whatever with outsides until they had returned a verdict. The Court also instructed them as to their duties and clearly gave them to understand that if any of them should during the trial, transgress any of the rules that he had laid down for their guidance, that that juror should be withdrawn from the panel, even id such a proceeding necessitated a new trial. Court then adjourned until quarter to 2 o’clock.
At the convening of the Court at 2 o’clock p. m., the examination of the witnesses in the case began. We give below the testimony.
Testimony of Nathan Henninger
I live in Cameron Township; I was at home on the 12th of January; I was sitting in the house. My house is one mile from Weikel’s Hotel; my wife went out to feed the calf, but came right back as she was followed by a man who tried to get in. I looked over to the other house, and saw another light at the window; tried to open the door with one hand but could not; then I took both hands and pushed the door open. I went out and a man jumped away, when another man pointed a gun at me and told me to go in. I went upstairs and loaded my gun, but before I had finished they fired two shots through the door. I went to the window and saw a man standing on the woodpile, and I fired. Then I saw another man standing near the corner of the stone house; I fired at him and he dropped. Then four men came from behind the stone house and stood around the body of the dead man. Mr. Billman came up stairs and loaded my double-barreled gun with which I fired into them, when they jumped out of sight. Then they began firing at the house, but I didn’t get another chance at them. Their guns were loaded with buckshot, for I counted thirteen of them in the house. They went away then and I didn’t see them again. Only saw the face of one man – the one that stood on the boards. We wen t out went over to the stone house; it was about six o’clock; it was pretty dark; they were there about three-quarters of an hour. They stole the money from the stone house; we lived in the stone house – the two Maurers, the old woman and Sarah Billman; we use house from which I fired as a summer kitchen. Don’t know how much money was stolen. After the men went away we went into the stone house and found all the doors open, and the clock open, and the chest in which the money was we found in the same condition. We found the dead man between the “old house” and the stone house. I never saw the dead man except he had been around a few days before it happened. Two men were around and were in the house; saw them, and recognize George Levans (who stood up) as one of the men). There was another man with him; Levans said he wanted to buy hay. I think the man who was shot was the other man. They did not go to look at my hay; I told them I had none to sell, but showed the road to get some hay. These men behaved pretty good in the house; they came down from the barn to the house; they came to the house and asked where the man of the house was. I showed them the road to the other house; they came in the summer kitchen house; They didn’t stay long about the premises, but took a general view of them. The first man I fired at was hurt, I think, for there was blood left where he was standing. I was one of the party that followed the robbers the next morning toward Shamokin. They went up the road toward Weikel’s Tavern; I was following up their trail; I could track them by the blood; could track them to the house through the snow. They came from the mountain.
The men left two guns, a file and a piece of rope. Those are the guns (examining them). We found a cap also. That’s the die (handing it) and that’s the rope we found on the tracks from the house, nearly a mile off; it was down towards the creek. The found the file on the chest that was broken open. We found the cap near the dead man; the dead man wore a hat – he had no cap on when he was shot. The cap was beside him; it was laying on the ground; this is the very cap; the man that was shot had a hat on; this was an extra cap; I gave these goods to Taylor; this was at dark. This draft (draft shown witness) represents the buildings; this is the barn; this is the wagon house; this is the chicken shed, this the summer house, this the wash house. The track came from the mountain down to the public road, and then through the field up to the house. Sol Billman, Jacob Billman, my wife and five children, George Mowery, Phil Mowery and old Mrs. Billman were in the house; we were all in the summer kitchen; we had eaten supper.
Cross Ex. by Attorney Sober – it is four miles to Shamokin; the route they took I do not know whether longer or not. The main road they took was along the mountain. The road they took was harder to get up than the public road – harder at the house; it was not very hilly; you have to cross the mountain. The roads were frozen; they were rough. It was about dark. They remained three-quarters of an hour; did not se them when they first came, only when I opened the door. The fellow at the door I do not see now; I have not seen him since, without he is in Pottsville. They have one in jail, I think that is the one. There were four or five persons, I am not sure; there were six tracks went away. There were two in front of the house and one between the houses. They went in on the upper side of the house; the door was not locked.
Testimony of Mrs. Nathan Henninger
I am the wife of Nathan Henninger; live with Nathan Henninger at the house where the robbery was committed; we had supper and I went out to feed the calf; a man came up the road with a double-barreled gun and pointed it towards me; then got frightened and ran and he ran after me and came close up to the door. I pressed the door shut and he took the gun back and held the door shut himself; he then took hold of the door knob and pulled it open. I wanted to feed my calf before dark. My man asked me the matter and I told him a man was outside and was going to shoot me; then my husband opened the door and saw the man outside and did not go out; then Mr. Henninger went upstairs for his gun; then P. Mowery said he would go for his gun; and when he opened the door they shot through the door; the door was not wide open when they shot through; the buckshot went through the door; I think there were thirteen buckshot went through the door. I am not sure I see the persons here that shot through the door; they are not dressed now like they were then; if it was any, it was the second one [Farrell]; I never saw these men before or since; best of my knowledge and belief, I think if he had a cap on, that is the dark face I saw that night, but I’m not sure; he had either a blue or black hat on that night; I did not see more than one at the door; I did not go out; I looked out when P. Mowery opened the door and saw nothing but the flash of a gun; I did not look out after that till they went away; after they left I went out and brought the neighbors; I saw nothing when I went out; I came back that night; I saw the dead man and plenty of people there; they shot five or six times after Henninger fired; the first time they shot I stood at the door; after the first two shots were fired I sat down on the floor; the old lady was with me; the rest sat on chairs; except one; Mrs. Billman sat behind the stove on a bench; I went upstairs in the stone house and saw the chest broke to pieces; it was a chest that had two drawers below; there was money kept in the drawers; I do not know how much; those that owe the money must know how much; the chest was broken; the lid broken, the lock torn off; the money belongs to George P. Mowery and my mother; my mother is Sarah Billman; I saw nothing else broken but the chest; saw the clock – the door of the clock was open but not broken.
Cross Examined – It was in the evening; when it was getting dark; I was on the porch when I first saw the man; he came from the stone house; can not tell how far it was; he was at the corner of the porch and I turned and went into the house, only hurried; it was just about candle light; he came one way and I another on the porch; was going out toward the barn and he came up the other end of the porch; we came together at the door; looked closely at the person; was not much frightened; was not afraid, but it made me feel queer when I was going to the stable and this man was pointing a gun at me.
To be continued….
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Articles from Newspapers.com.
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