Part 3 of 9. On 14 November 1880, Daniel Troutman, a farmer living in Pillow, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, was killed at his home during an attempted robbery. Two men, Frank Rumberger and Henry Rumberger were arrested and charged with the crime. They were tried in Dauphin County Court, found guilty, and executed, in March 1882.
In its edition of 24 March 1882, in conjunction with the hanging, the Harrisburg Daily Independent published a summary of the crime and the trials. Here following is the text of that article, in nine parts.
For all other parts of this story, see: The Murder of Daniel Troutman, 1880.
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FIRST TRIAL OF THE TWO
Efforts to Quash Indictment After Appointment of Counsel: The Jury and Testimony and Verdict of Guilty.
J. C. Durbin, Esq., had been secured by the father of Frank Rumberger to defend him, and the court appointed Messrs. Robert L. Muench and S. S. Bowman to defend Henry. The Commonwealth was represented by District Attorney McCarroll and Elias Hollinger.
The final efforts for postponement were made by defendant’s counsel who asked that the indictments against the prisoners
BE QUASHED ON THE GROUND
that the grand jury had been illegally drawn. Alleging that the law required that they be chosen by their Christian and surnames in full, and the same to appear fully on the record, whereas that array of jurors had been subpoenaed by their initials, which defendant’s counsel claimed was not a name.
This point being overruled by the court, the counsel for Frank asked a continuance on the ground of the absence of material witnesses. The court however, ordered the trial to proceed and the following jury was impaneled:
Jacob Painter, blacksmith, Susquehanna; William Agney, laborer, Steelton; Henry Summey, farmer, Middle Swatara; Charles P. Greenawalt, stonecutter, Hummelstown; James Hipple, supervisor, Middletown; B. F. Myers, publisher, Harrisburg; Benjamin Rumberger, gentleman, Berrysburg; Ira Nissley, farmer, Susquehanna; J. J. Miller, carpenter, Williams; Peter Bowman, gentleman, Millersburg; Thomas Finn, miner, Wiconisco; Walter S. Fortney, salesman, Middletown.
The trial was exceedingly interesting, as few persons were fully aware of the complete web that the Commonwealth were prepared to weave around these two men. The first witnesses examined were Drs. J. J. Reed and E A. Leimbach of Uniontown, who testified as to the condition of Mr. Troutman when they visited him and the manner in which he was shot. Next came Joel Shadel, the liveryman of Tower City, and the owner of the gray mare. This witness testified to the hiring of the team by Henry and when he returned. This team was then taken by counsel the whole route over which the men had to drive to reach Troutman’s house. John Shieby and his wife testified to seeing
FRANK GOT INTO THE WAGON
a short distance below Lykens and directly in front of their home. The followed an array of evidence given by persons who passed this same team on its fourteen mile drive. The last man who saw the gray mare was Elias Bush who lives one an a half miles from Troutman’s farm, and it was then going in the direction of the scene of the tragedy. The men who reside on adjoining farms next gave evidence on the passage of some team that had gone through their fields, and which they discovered the following morning. The last witness for the Commonwealth was Mrs. Troutman, the wife of the murdered man, who testified as follows:
On the 15th of November my husband was murdered. That evening Lincoln and Kate were at singing school. George and Lizzie, the youngest children, were in bed in the attic. I went to bed about eight o’clock. The custom was to lock the door and windows, but am not positive if they were locked but they were all closed. Mr. Troutman fell asleep as soon as he went to bed, he going first. I followed shortly after and fell asleep. Two men came in and awakened me and I heard them whispering in the kitchen. They came into the bed room. One stood at the bed and the other at the stove.
ONE OF THEM CALLED DAN.
He did not hear them. I awoke him. When he awoke he asked them, “What is your name?” They replied, “It makes no difference.” At first the men talked German. My husband then got up and wanted to go out. They wouldn’t let him, and kept pushing him back. He attempted to get out of bed when they
POINTED A REVOLVER AT HIS BREAST.
They then asked for money. He replied “I have none.” “Yes you have,” they replied. “You have some belonging to other people and we must have it tonight yet.” Mr. Troutman then jumped back and got his gun and said, “Get up and dust.” They then went out. One wen toward the west and the other to the east of the house. As soon as they had been run down she heard the report of a gun. There were two shots, both occurring about the same time. I heard a moan, and went to the window and saw Mr. Troutman lying by the garden. Knew him by the white underclothing on him. I ran out, looked at him, and then went back to the house; and locked the door. One of the men was at the corner of the house.
WAS AFRAID THEY WOULD MURDER ME
But when I thought they left I again went out. One of them saw me and yelled, “There she goes, we must go after her.” I ran over to Geise’s and did not stop until I got there. I yelled “murder!” They answered me and came back with me. Mr. Troutman was still lying on the ground, on his face, moaning. Mr. Geise, Mrs. Geise and the son were with me. Mr. Geise and the boy carried him into the house and put him into bed. When she first saw him his breast, hands and clothing were all bloody, He breathed short when in bed. He lived about a half hour after he was shot. My two children, the Geises’ and myself were at the bed when he died. He made a statement five minutes before he died. Mrs. Geise asked him, “Well Dan, don’t you know who shot you?” He said,
“YES, HEN RUMBERGER DID SHOOT ME”
She then asked, “Do you know who the other one was?” Do you know who the other one was?” He replied, “No, he was a stranger.” Mrs. Geise then asked Mr. Geise to ask him. He did so putting the question, “Don’t you know who shot you?” “Yes,” said he, “Hen Rumberger.” He then asked who the other was, when again he replied he was a stranger. His breath hen begun to grow shorter and in a few moments he was dead. She could see the lower part of their persons better because the moon shone in and struck that portion of them. Did not see their faces. One
HAD THE FORM OF HENRY RUMBERGER.
She knew him well. The one who resembled Henry Rumberger, stood by the stove. The other, who was by the bed, demanded the money and had the pistol. The demand for money was first made in English, and they noticing that the demand was not heeded, made it in German. The revolver was in his hand at the time. Rumberger came to their house very often and was there on Wednesday previous to murder. She did not hear him ask for money at that time.
The defense at this point attempted to again prove an alibi, but were unsuccessful, as the evidence offered in rebuttal was overwhelming. After eloquent appeals from all counsel the jury were sent out to decide upon their verdict. They were absent for three hours and one half, when they returned the verdict of “Guilty of murder in the first degree.”
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