On October 28, 1931, a 12-year old Tower City boy named Mark Norman English saw a gun on the seat of a car parked in front of his house. He picked it up, supposedly not realizing it was loaded, and began brandishing it, first in front of some young girls, and then walking toward a group of boys, the gun was fired and the bullet struck 10-year-old Ray Schnell in the head, killing him. An inquest was held and the death of Schnell was attributed to the gunshot fired by English. English was arrested, charged with murder and taken to the County Detention Home in Pottsville. Lawyers were assigned to defend him. The lawyers requested psychiatric examinations as well as an investigation of his home surroundings, all of which resulted in the murder charge being dropped. However, English had to plead guilty to pointing a gun, which he did, and for that lesser offense, he was assigned to Lutheran Church Services in Philadelphia, where he was provided with a home.
If Mark English had gone to trial for murder, he would have been the youngest person in Pennsylvania ever to have been tried on that charge.
Just prior to the commission of this act by English, the Commonwealth had passed a law requiring carrying permits for guns. Daniel Kessler of Orwin, Schuylkill County, was the owner of the gun that was left on the car seat and he did not have a permit. He was brought before a judge and fined $50. The judge could have sent him to jail, but chose not to.
Above, the front page of the Pottsville Republican, November 21, 1931, with the headline: “Boy Tells How He Killed Chum By Accident.” The newspaper featured a sympathetic article by Marguerite E. Knife. That interview will be the subject of a future blog post.
Below are articles from the local newspapers which describe the story of the shooting through the eventual dropping of the murder charge and the assignment of English to Lutheran services.
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From the Elizabethville Echo, October 29, 1931:
TOWER CITY BOY FATALLY WOUNDED BY REVOLVER IN HANDS OF A CHUM
Ray Schnell, 10 year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Schnell, Tower City, was fatally wounded by a revolver, discharged in the hands of a friend, Mark Norman English, 12, son of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Underkoffler, that place, about 6:45 o’clock, last evening.
The English boy was playing about an automobile parked in front of his home and discovered a revolver in the vehicle. Taking the weapon, he brandished it before several youngsters whom he passed on the street, and finally came upon a group of boys, of which Schnell was a member.
“See what I have,” he said and as he exhibited it, the weapon was discharged and Schnell fell, mortally wounded.
Chief of Police LeRoy Kopp of Tower City investigated and took the boy in custody. At a hearing before Justice of the Peace, W. J. Henry in Tower City, English was charged with murder and was taken to the County Detention Home at Pottsville to await further action.
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From the Elizabethville Echo, November 5, 1931:
WILL HOLD MOTORIST FOR CARYYING GUN
Chief of Police LeRoy Kopp of Tower City, plans to prefer charges against a motorist from whose car, Mark English, 12, took a revolver and fatally wounded Raymond Schnell, 10, of Tower City, last Wednesday evening.
The English boy is a son of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Underkoffler and discovered the gun in an automobile parked near his home. As he walked along the pavement, he encountered a group of boys, of which Schnell was a member. As he showed them the revolver, he said: “See what I have.” It was discharged and the Schnell boy fell, fatally wounded. English was taken into custody, but he withheld his confession, until after more than two hours of questioning. He was given a hearing before Justice of the Peace Henry in Tower City, where he was charged with murder. After revealing where he had hid the weapon, English was taken to the Detention Home in Pottsville where he will await the next session of Juvenile Court.
The bullet, which killed Schnell entered the left cheek, two inches below the eye. The revolver was of .25 calibre automatic. Its owner will be prosecuted under the new firearms act, for carrying it without a permit.
Schnell was a son of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Schnell of Tower City.
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From the West Schuylkill Herald, November 6, 1931:
NO INQUEST YET IN SCHNELL CHILD KILLING
No inquest has been held yet in the death of Ray Schnell, nine year old boy who was fatally shot by Mark English, 12 years, last week. The funeral of the Schnell boy was held on Sunday afternoon at 1:30 o’clock, and was largely attended.
The English boy is still being held at the Schuylkill County Detention House at Pottsville, awaiting the verdict of the coroner’s inquest. Upon the verdict of the jury at the inquest might depend the disposition of this unusual case.
The name Mark Underkoffler, as reported in this paper last week seems to have caused some confusion, and at the request of the mother of the boy involved in this affair we make an explanation. The boy who did the shooting is a son of Mrs. Daniel Underkoffler before her present marriage, and his baptized name is Norman Mark English. He is more familiarly known however by the name of Mark Underkoffler, and this is the name designated in his school records.
Another boy named Mark Underkoffler, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Hilbert Underkoffler, residing on Colliery Avenue, has unfortunately become confused with the boy involved in this shooting affair. Mark Underkoffler, however, is not involved in this affair in any manner.
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From the West Schuylkill Herald, November 13, 1931:
INQUEST INTO BOY’S DEATH
An inquest into the death of nine year old Raymond Schnell, of Tower City, was held in the Moose Home at Tower City, at 7:30 o’clock. Monday evening by Dr. T. C. Fegley, coroner, of Tremont. The return of the jury was that Raymond Schnell died October 28, as the result of being shot with a revolver by Mark English.
Attorney Duffy of the district attorney’s officed was present as was Deputy Coroner Dr. David J. Hawk of Tower City.
The English boy, who is the son of Mrs. Daniel Underkoffler, of Tower City, haveing secured the revolver from the seat of a parked car, shot the Schnell boy, the bullet entering his head.
The members of the jury were: Harold Hand, Homer Kiehl, Samuel Donnelly, Thomas Maher and James Collins.
The witnesses called gave practically the same version of the shooting, telling how the English boy came down the street with the German automatic revolver, pointed it at two small girls telling them, “I could shoot you if I wanted to,” then of his meeting the nine year old Raymond Schnell and without saying anything, pulling the trigger and the bullet entering Raymond’s head.
Those who testified were: LeRoy Kopp, Chief of Police; Edward Carl; Ralph Schnell; Lester Zimmerman; Vienna DeSantis; and Mrs. Lester Salen.
The English boy is held at the detention house on a charge of shooting Raymond Schnell.
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From the West Schuylkill Herald, November 13, 1931:
FINED FOR HAVING REVOLVER IN AUTO
Daniel Kessler, of Orwin, who was arrested by Chief Burgess LeRoy Kopp, of Tower City, on a charge of violating the new firearms act and whose revolver was found in the car owned by the defendant, by Mark English, a 15-year-old [sic] boy who shot and killed Ray Schnell with the weapon and who is now held for murder at this term of Court, was arraigned before Judge R. H. Koch, and was fined $50 and the costs. Judge Koch interrogated the defendant closely, who is the first to be prosecuted under the new act, and stated that he would not impose imprisonment which is provided in the acts as an alternative for a fine, but would simply impose a fine and costs. Half of the fine and costs are to be paid at once and the remaining half in 30 day.
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From the Elizabethville Echo, November 19, 1931:
INQUEST IN FATAL SHOOTING
An inquest in the death of Raymond Schnell, 10, of Tower City was held at the office of Schuylkill County Coroner, Dr. T. C. Fegley at Tremont last week.
After hearing the testimony of Police Officer LeRoy Kopp of Tower City and five other witnesses including the boy’s brother, Ralph Schnell, the jury announced that Raymond Schnell came to his death October 10th as the result of having been shot by a revolver by Mark English.
English had secured the revolver from the front seat of a parked automobile, the property of Daniel Kessler of Orwin. He is a son of Mrs. Daniel Underkoffler of Tower City.
Witnesses told how he sauntered up to two girls and brandishing the revolver said: “I could shoot you if I wanted to.” Farther up the street he met a group of boys, and as he exhibited the weapon, it was discharged, Schnell was fatally wounded as the bullet entered his head.
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From the West Schuylkill Herald, December 18, 1931:
COUNSEL FOR BOY
Judge Koch on Monday morning appointed Attorneys George W. Kaercher of Pottsville and Joseph G. Seeholtz of Tower City, to defend Mark N. English, 12-year-old Tower City youth, who is at the present time in the Schuylkill County detention house awaiting trial on charge of murder, preferred against him by Chief of Police Kopp of Tower City. The shooting resulted from the finding of a revolver in a parked car in Tower City by English, who is said to have pointed it at one of his young companions when it went off, resulting fatally for the youth.
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From the West Schuylkill Herald, January 1, 1932:
WILL TRY BOY ON TUESDAY
Mark English, the Tower City boy, aged 12, who is charged with murder, will be tried on Tuesday next, it was announced by District Attorney Enterline. The district attorney and his assistant, M. J. Ryan, will represent the Commonwealth and G. H. Kaerscher and J. G. Seeholtz will represent the defendant. The boy killed Ray Schnell, a 9-year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Schnell on October 30 [1931] with a pistol which he found in an automobile parked at his home. Since the shooting the boy has been detained at the House of Detention at Pottsville.
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From the Elizabethville Echo, January 7, 1932:
TRIAL OF TOWER CITY BOY IS POSTPONED
The trial of Mark English, 12, son of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Underkoffler, Tower City, held in the fatal shooting of a chum, Raymond Snell, 9, has ben postponed to next week. Snell was a son of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Snell, also of Tower City.
The shooting took place on the evening of October 28th [1931]. It is claimed that English took a revolver from the automobile of Daniel Kessler, Orwin, parked near the boy’s home.
Snell was mortally wounded when the revolver which English brandished before a group of boys was discharged.
The fact that and additional charged of pointing a firearm will be presented to the Grand Jury, results in postponement of the boy’s trial.
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From the West Schuylkill Herald, January 15, 1932:
BOY’S MURDER TRIAL CONTINUED TO MARCH
Agreeing that there were circumstances which might lead to an ending of the case when state psychiatrists examine Mark English, the 13-year-old Tower City boy who is held for the murder of Raymond Schnell, aged nine years, and which occurred at Tower City three months ago, the boys attorneys George H. Kaercher and Joseph G. Seesholtz Thursday made formal application to Judge Hicks for the continuance of the case until the March Term. The continuance was granted.
Attorney Kaercher pleaded that the attorneys for the defendant had been named only two weeks before the opening of the Court and had not had sufficient time to investigate the social status of the boy’s family and the surroundings in which he was reared. Another reason extended for the continuance was the fact that an examination by state alienists had been fixed for January 21st [1932] in order to determine whether the boy was mentally equipped that he could be rehabilitated into a useful citizen of the commonwealth.
District Attorney Leroy Enterline was present and concurred in the application, offering no opposition to the motion for a continuance and the case was accordingly laid over until the March Term.
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From the West Schuylkill Herald, 12 February 1932:
MURDER CHARGE DROPPED: BOY IS RELEASED ON PROBATION
Mark English, 12 year old son of Mrs. Daniel Underkoffler, who has been confined to the Detention House at the Pottsville Jail since October, facing charges of murder and playfully pointing a gun, had his case brought to an abrupt close this week when he was released into the custody of the Children’s Bureau of the Lutheran Church, and was assigned to a home by that bureau. He pleaded guilty in Juvenile Court to pointing a gun, and the charge of murder was not pressed by agreement of counsel.
Had the boy been taken to trial for murder he would have been the youngest boy in this state ever to have been tried on such a charge.
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From the Elizabethville Echo, February 11, 1932:
CHURCH TO PROVIDE HOME FOR TOWER CITY BOY
The Children’s Bureau of the Lutheran Church, with headquarters in Philadelphia, has been given the custody of Mark English, a 14-year old son of Mrs. Daniel Underkoffler of Tower City.
English was the youth who took a revolver from a parked automobile in Tower City some months ago, which resulted in the death of a playmate, Ray Schnell, also of Tower City.
English sauntered up to a group of other children and displayed the revolver which discharged and fatally wounded Schnell.
English was taken into custody and placed in the Schuylkill County Detention Home at Pottsville. It is said he confessed the revolver was discharged while in his hands. Judge Roy P. Hicks, sitting in court this week, gave English in the custody of the church organization.
The boy’s father is dead, and it is believed the Bureau will provide for his future home and education.
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From the Lykens Standard, February 12, 1932:
BOY PLACED IN CARE OF CHURCH BODY
Mark English, 13-year-old Tower City boy, who killed Ray Schnell, 9-year-old playmate, with a gun “he didn’t know was loaded,” is is going to be reared under the guidance of Lutheran church leaders.
The fatherless boy was placed in the custody of the Lutheran Children’s Bureau of Philadelphia by Judge Roy P. Hicks of Schuylkill children’s court, Tuesday.
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