INK SLINGS.
BY GEORGE R. MEEK.
—After we get through celebrat-
ng the bi-centennial of Washington's
sirth Congress ought to pass a law
srohibiting the playing of Mozart's
ninuet for the next two hundred
years.
—Speaker John Garner is hot. He
18s a reason to be, for the Presi-
ient has been caught stealing Dem-
icratic thunder. The doughty Tex-
in didn’t mince words, either, in tell-
ng Mr. Hoover where to get off,
—Possibly former Sheriff Dunlap
sould stop the Hon. Holmes.
jon't know whether “Dep.”
look with favor on a seat in our
legislative halls, but we do know
that if he were down there he would
ne seen, if not heard.
—Having
country has turned to the job of
honoring George Washington
so much enthusiam that were our
great national hero to come back he!
might think it necessary to chop |
cherry |
down an entire orchard of
trees to merit such a fuss.
—Col. Fred B. Kerr, of Clearfield,
has decided to be a candidate for
Congress from this District and as
he is one of the best known and
most popular men in the Clearfield
region whoever gets the place on the
Republican ticket isn’t going to have
the easy sailing that seemed prob-
able before Col. Kerr entered the
race.
— Gen. Edward Martin's reaction
to the kindly gesture of the burgess
of State College brands him as one
of those cold blooded fish who make
it a practice of
in the mouth. Certainly he can't
be so naive as to imagine that that
police courtesy card the burgess sent
him was anything else than a van-
ity tickler. If he does, we suggest
that he come up to State College
equipped with one and see what he
can do in defiance of law with itas
a shield.
— Sheriff Boob must be running a
very attractive hotel on the hill. It
is not often that one hears of guests
begging to get in there, yet that is
what happened last Thursday eve-
ning, when a prisoner who had been
discharged in court that afternoon
went back to the jail and plead with
the Sheriff for another night's lodg-
ing. ‘There was a time when a
Sheriff of Centre county threatened
to lock his guests out if they didn't
get in by pine o'clock. at night, but
we never heard of a case like this
before.
—Congressman Louis T. McFad-
den has decided to run for re-elec-
tion in the Fifteenth Pennsylvania
District. Mr. McFadden is the gen-
tleman who publicly charged the,
President with selling out to Ger-
many on the war reparations ques-
tion. That was such a serious af-
front in the eyes of his party organ-
jzation that he has been shorn of his
prerogative of naming federal ap-
pointees in his District. Mrs. Pin-
chot is also a candidate in the Fif- |
We |
would |
little else to do the
with |
looking gift horses
VOL. 77. BELLEFONTE, PA. FEBRUARY 26. 1932.
Collins To Go To Electric Chair
al Murder of Betty Hickok
3
For Bru
i
STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION.
NO. 9.
Liquor and Desertion Cases
Yield Much In Fines To County.
The Trial Was Merely a Formal Compliance With Legal Thousands of Dollars to Be Paid in Fines Imposed During
Process—Many Unable to
The case of Fred Collins, the
moronotic, sex-crazed negro, inmate
of the psychopathic ward at Rock-
view penitentiary who,
13th, fiendishly murdered 25-year-
old Elizabeth Hickok, daughter of
Dr. and Mrs. Asa Lee Hickok, after
choking her into insensibility and
| committing a criminal assault, was
called for trial promptly at 9 o'clock
yesterday morning.
So much publicity had been given
| thronged the court house and swept
into the court room as early as eight
o'clock, a number carrying lunches
with them so they would not have
to leave -their seats during the noon
hour. State police guarded the
doors and when the court room was
filled to seating capacity no others
were admitted.
It was just 9.30 o'clock when Col-
lins was brought into court, hand-
cuffed, by county detective Boden
and corporal White. The delay was
| caused because of the fact that Dep-
‘uty Warden McFarland’s car, in
| which Collins was being brought in
from Pittsburgh, broke down at Ty-
rone and another car had to be sent
|up to bring the party to Bellefonte.
‘In the party who brought Collins
| from Pittsburgh were deputy Ward-
en W. J. McFarland, Sheriff John M.
| Boob, county detective Leo Boden
and corporal White, of the State po-
lice. They left Pittsburgh at five
o'clock and expected to reach Belle-
fonte by nine were delayed by the
breakdown of the deputy's car so
that it was 9.30 o'clock when they
| Collins, an undersized negro, came
into court in a slouching manner,
| with a sardonic grin on his face
|and an apparent display. of pride
|in the fact that he was the principal
| figure in the legal battle for his life
lor death.
After being brought in Collins was
taken into the attorney's room for
consultation with his attorneys,
| Johnston & Johnston and it was
finally 9.50 o'clock when court con-
| yened and he took his place at his
| counsel's table, still handcuffed but
| with no guards near.
Immediately therafter Collins was
{
Sore— Jury Deliberates an Hour and a Half.
on January
the case that the morbidly curious
teenth. Her action in ‘building fences | :
| brought into court and arraigned.
there at the cost of the State have | oo on od iD ca gles to the
become a public scandal, but the indi
indictment he stood mute -and his
Pinchots have a way of fooling the | *: torneys made the plea of “not
" den had a stiff | 2
geoHle amd ne or EB ow BUY" and-glected tobe tried by
Bp ele oation-at Washing= | Co nd country.” Calling of a
ton is so determined on punishing jury began at 10 o'clock.
him it will even go so far as to play JURY QUICKLY DRAWN
into the Pinchot hands, if that is ForRy one jurors were called be-
We don't approve of what the Con- cured. Those called included three
women, but they had all formed de-
| cided opinions as to the guilt of the
said of our President, but |
p ping that h
ve ant help bo . | defendant and were excused for
| cause.
licks both Washington and Harris-
burg.
—Press agents for the
administration are being paid $100,
000 a year by the State and poor
Gif is getting no publicity. Salaries
of those who keep the public in-
formed as to what the Secretaries
of the various Departments of the
PUSH ot men ranging in age from 27 to
| above 70 years and includes five lab-
|orers, and one each of painter,
| mechanic, merchant, gentleman,
| farmer, bricklayer and miner.
| The second juror called, Forrest I
Gill, laborer, of Rush township, was
government are doing rang fro | ,
° ™ | accepted and sworn in a juror No. 1.
Corman, farmer, of Walker
$7,500.00 down to $1080.00. Never a |
news item comes out of Harrisburg W. H.
that hasn't tucked away in it some- township, was accepted as juror No.
where: “Secretary So and So said” 2.
"or “according to Commissioner——." Robert Fink, laborer, Walker
Never an opportunity is lost by am- | township, juror No. 3.
bitious office holders to get publicity |
ae EY ow. th pp Juclds S1inv Sexleyer:
| psburg, juror No. 4.
Governor just loves that kind of! ."g yoore, of Bellefonte, gen-
thing and has just wakened up to « 8. OOPS, » 8
HE out of the Wundred: grand] Ueman, juror No, 5
that is being spent for it he isn't Walter Auman, laborer, Bellefonte,
getting thirty cents worth. Of course juror No. 6.
he's mad. How he is going to have William Neese, laborer,
his name worked into every story | township, juror No. T.
sent out about road, welfare, forest Albert Thompson, mechanic, Belle-
and waters and other governmental fonte, juror No. 8.
endeavors we don't know. Wewould | A.thur Bennett, laborer
suggest, Boweys r, that the Govusnot township, juror No. 9. )
resort to mes lately in vogue
by owners of copyrights on musical hs R. DE: Heh State
* productions that are radioed. The ege, p Neo, 19
announcers all have to conclude their |
statements with: ‘Played by r-|
mission of the coypright owner.”
Why couldn't Gif have the heads of | ship,
his departments conclude their pub- Jury was
licity with something like this: Pub- sworn in. C. W. Hunter,
lished after approval of the tin god | Weaver and Thomas Shaughnessy
and goddess who want it known that | were then sworn in as tipstaffs in
they appointed me and unless they | charge of it.
get their share of whatever publici- |
ty there may be in this story I]
might be unappointed.
of
i
i
i
i
i
Gregg
Boggs
ship, juror No. 11.
juror No. 12. :
promptly called and
The jury was taken, under escort,
to The Markland for dinner.
i
i
i
The jury as made up is composed
William Reese, miner, Rush town- |.
Gilbert Noll, painter, Spring town |
George ;
Gain Admittance Go Home
Busy Week in Court—Many Interesting Cases Tried
Philipsburg Shows No Crime Depression.
Last Thursday was clean-up day
in Centre county court, when a
large number of pleas of guilty were
heard and disposed of in rapid fire
order, notwithstanding the fact that
district attorney John G. Love had
to hobble around on crutches.
The first case called was that of
J. A. Garrison, an appeal from a
decisior of burgess E. H. Lederer.
Case continued.
In the case against Anna T. Ma-
ley, charged with a violation of the
vehicle code, the defendant was dis-
charged.
Ray C. Noll, an appeal from &
decision of 'Squire J. L. Tressell,
imposing a fine and costs for a vio-
lation of the vehicle code, the de-
fendant was discharged.
In the case of B. B. Lonebarger,
‘of the vehicle code, the case was
= withdrawn as the fine and costs had
In order to avoid photographers heen paid.
and other possible trouble Collins | Marvin L. Dunlap, charged with
was kept in the court room, under gq on and non support, was or-
guard, during the dinner hour and to pay $40 per month for the
~ sheriff Boob sent his meal down to support of his wife and children and
wai PROSECUTION OPENS CASE jgiYe Bond in Hie sum of $300;
Ernest Simler, also charged with
District Attorney John G. Love | dae A SUDROYY, Was OF.
opened the case for the Common- |
wealth at 1:20 o'clock ina brief ad- gered to ry a Shonth and
dress describing the crime and out- 8
lining the nature of proof to be! Bernard Smith, another desertion
presented. t ang non pn victim, as sen
pay a mon ut no
Coroner W. R. Heaton testified | A hp
to holding the inquest on body of |
Miss Hickok and described the John C. oan of Spsag. Mill,
(ls ER a rues andBl also
i the - body viewed “by Sgr 3 At the hearing it develop-
condition of body "that his wife had really left him
him. The doctor also identified the and was up at State College, and it
torn underclothing worn by the girl. :
EE wile, with which 12 sisot alleged tat Que bas gb ou-
the MYrUeE vias alleged to have .,.,.0ed. Auman then coaxed sheriff
os oom BS tt. sesident pH | Boob to let him stay at the jail over
r. W. A. rett, ent PRY-' night, as he had no money, and he
sician at Rockview, corroborated the . .iv.4q4 home Friday morning
testimony of coroner Heaton. Russel Flick, who was back in his
Deputy warden W. J. McFarland a uments on a non-support order,
testified to Collins coming to his was ordered to pay all
office about 9:00 o'clock on the a nq costs under threat of further
morning of January 13, in company sentence. ’
with officer E. M. Hutchinson, who Herbert Hollobaugh, another man
detailed Collins oral confession tO who was in arrears on a non-support
him as to what he had done and order, was ordered to give bond in
his statement that he didn't want the sum of $300 within ten.days or
to go to Farview but to the electric he will be sent to the Allegheny
chair. Also told of going to the county work house, where he only
‘Hickok house and finding the dead recently completed a ten month's
body. The deputy also identified the stay.
| clothing worn that day by Collins, |
' which was bloodstained. On cross-
‘examination Mr. McFarland stated
| that he had cautioned Dr. Hickok wife. BE. J. Thompson, of Philips-
against having Collins work around burg, was appointed to defend him.
| his home but the latter believed the When the attorney looked at the
! negro all right. transcript he saw that Tierney had
| Leo Boden, county detective, also been in jail six weeks and had been
| described conditions in the bath committed without having had a
i | hearing. He promptly moved for
FRED COLLINS
i
fore the court on a charge of dis-
orderly conduct
| Dr. Cornelius C. Wholey,
list in treatment of mental and irregular proceeding by the commit-
| nervous diseases, and consulting ting magistrate, and the court
| psychiatrist at western penitentiary, promptly discharged him. The de-
testified to having made two exami- fendant's wife and most of his thir-
| nations of Collins, which showed that teen children were in court to wit-
the latter can read and write and ness the proceedings.
| during his life had held two or more J. Clyde Rider was before the
positions as butler in Harrisburg as court on the charge of operating an
'well as a stock man in a store. The Overloaded truck and was sentenced
| doctor stated very decisively that in to pay the costs, $50 for the use of
"his opinion Collins was sane on Jan- the county and ten days in the
| county jail, the jail sentence to be
|uary 13 and is sane today.
| cross examination the doctor stated | remitied on the payment of the fine
and costs.
that Collins was not entirely normal |
S. C. Bonsell, of Tyrone, faced the
'as he had a perverted sexual ambi- |
tion. On redirect the doctor stated i court on the charge of possession
and transporting liquor.
that he didn't consider Collins a | hn
paranomaniac but one fully respons- “2UE gro on tue (Somtela
| ible for his acts. Collins told him
‘he would have killed himself if he Ridge. Bonsell told the court that
had had a 45 caliber revolver, and | he Was OF his ay, home rom ¢ Clear:
didn't use the knife because it was county when arrested,
too dull. ; | Sue liquor in the car was not for
E. M. Hutchinson told of Collins | Seba for six men who were going
coming to him after the murder and | party. When Sain bo}
asked to be taken to the deputy | 00 liquor he had he y
| half a gallon a apiece. He was sen-
warden’s office.
Commonwealth rested at 3:40 and igs LA epi P
Philip E. Johnston opened the case | he next cases called were those
for the defense. against Eugene Miller, Frank Tier-
DEFENSE OPENS CASE ney and Donald Tierney, charged
COLLINS ON THE STAND with robbing the Miller service sta-
He called Collins to the stand at | tion. These were the three boys
once. The negro said he will be 37 | who took a motor trip to Philadel-
years old next March and was sent phia where they were arrested and
to the penitentiary in Pittsburgh, | gerved sixty days for unlawful pos-
June 24, 1924, as an accessory after | gesgion of firearms, and were still
the fact in a second degree murder | under parole when brought back to
committed in Beaver county. He | Bellefonte. Several women appear-
was brought to Rockview in August, | ed in court voluntarily to testify as
1928. While there he asked four |to the good conduct of the boys up
(Concluded on Page 4, Col. 4.) until their escapade early in the win-
i
also an appeal from a decision of
‘Squire J. L. Tressell for a violation
ter and because of this fact the |
court suspended sentence upon the
payments of costs, bu: warned them
that if they get into any kind
of trouble up until they attain
‘the age of twenty-one years they
| can be brought into court and sen-
‘ tenced on this case.
William Peters and Harry New-
bauer, arrested in a raid on the Elk's
lodge, in Philipsburg, faced
| gambling devices and possession and
sale of intoxicating liquors. E. J.
Thompson represented the men and
appealed for leniency. Each of them
| was sentenced to pay the costs and
| $100 for the use of the county on
| the gambling device charge and the
costs and $500 for the use of the
| county on the liquor charge, and
placed on probation for three years.
Thompson also represented them.
Strange and Ammerman were each
sentenced to pay the costs and $500
for the use of the county and Mc-
Cann the costs and $100 for the
use of the county, the three men be-
ing placed on probation for three
years.
Harold Peters, of Philipsburg,
ed the court on charges of assault
and battery and aggravated assault
and battery, Charles Caris being the
prosecutor. He was sentenced to
pay the costs, $25 for the use of the
county and placed on probation for
one year... | 3
George H. Gilliland, of State Col-
{lege, plead guilty to operating an
‘ automobile while under the influence |
‘of liquor and was sentenced to pay
| the costs, $25 for the use of the
county and placed on probation for
| eighteen months.
W. M. Krouse, operator of the
{ Shady Nook gas station, near Han-
| nah Furnace, arrested two weeks
| ago on the charge of illegal posses-
;sion and sale of intoxicating liquor,
‘had a hard luck story to tell the
court. He admitted his guilt but
| contended that he was up against it
and didn't want to steal. First, he
| said, his sister died and left two
two |
charges, possession and operation of |
tac- |
SPAWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE.
| She tore uniforms of two officers, shat-
tered two windows, and broke a water
pipe, flooding the floor. She was pen-
| alized 30 days in the workhouse.
—Contending that Samuel Forte was
| hanged from a rafter in the factory at
| Lansdale, where he was employed, last
week by the husband and son of a wom-
an member of his religious cult with
whom he carried on a love affair, police
| chief Samuel Woffindin said he expected
| to arrest the slayers this week.
—Whether a valuable diamond ring
Walter Roberts, of Media, gave Miss
Bernardine Thomas in 1926 was a sym-
bol of their engagement or a birthday
| present is a question for a Delaware
county jury to decide. Robert has
| brought suit for the value of the ring
which Miss Thomas says she lost.
—Mrs. Minnie Perrine, of Uniontown,
helped steal a cow because she was hun-
gry, she told the court when arranged
as a cattle rustler. Mrs. Perrine and
Donald, Robert and Edgar Stewart plead-
| ed guilty to stealing the cow. They
| were paroled after promising to refrain
from further thefts, even when hungry.
—*“What will be the outcome of this
case,” Louis Certask, fortune teller, of
Philadelphia, was asked on being taken
into court after complaints of patrons.
“I will be acquitted,” he replied, but the
jury convicted him. Then he predicted
he would be put on probation, but the
judge gave him sixty days and a $25
fine.
—Silas Collins, police patrolman, at
Pottsville, who was suspended from duty
ten months ago when he refused to
shoot a man when he escaped after Col-
lins arrested him, returned to duty Sat-
urday evening. Collins was ordered re-
instated by the Schuyikill county court
who failed to agree with council that he
should have shot the man.
—John I. Thomas, of Philipsburg, dep-
uty secretary of mines, in charge of the
bituminous division, announced his
retirement from the State service effec-
tive March 1. Thomas has been em-
ployed in the mining department for the
has
Thomas McCann, Victor Strange last 14 years. He served nine years as
and L. C. Ammerman, the three men a bituminous mine inspector and for the
caught when the M lodge, at last five years has been a deputy secre-
Philipsburg, was raided, were the tary:
next to fact the court. Attorney —Discontinuance of passenger service
on its Moshannon branch in Clearfield
and Centre counties is sought in an ap-
| plication filed with the Public Service
| Commission by the Pennsylvana railroad.
| The trains daily are operated over the
| road and the railroad company sets forth
! that travel has decreased to such an ex-
| tent in recent years that receipts no
| longer meet the cost of operation.
:
— Farmers of Pennsylvania have repaid
| 13.6 per cent. of the loans granted them
| for drought relief in 1831. A total ot
$48,175 was loaned for the purchase of
| seed, for stock and fuel for tractors in
| the State, secured by mortgages on last
| year's crop. Of that amount $6547 has
| been paid back to the Department of
| Agriculture. Congress. recently . author-
| ized Secretary Hyde to extend for one
| year payments on the loans.
i
—Four men are at large after sawing
their way through a barred window of
the new Berks county jail, crawling in-
to the exercise field and scaling a fif-
teen-foot wall. Thirty other prisoners
in the same cell block who had a chance
to escape the same route preferred to
remain in the jail under a new honor
system. Disappearance of the prisoners
who had been exercising in the corridor
of the cell block was not noted until a
guard went to lock them in for the
night.
—A murder theory has been substitut-
ed for that of suicide in discovery Fri-
day of a woman's body in the Susque-
i
Jeff Tierney, of Bellefonte, was be- |
preferred by his |
special- his dicharge on the grounds of ‘an
He was
hanna river near Berwick. Lack of
identification is holding up investigation.
The woman was between 85 and 40 years
young boys which he and his moth-
er had to take. Then their home
burned with all it contained and he
1 h fur col-
lost everythin had. ring | of age, wore a black coat wt
g he Du the | jar, and her nose had been partly crush-
summer he was able to get along on ed ibly battered. The only articles
the proceeds of his gas staiton but |, Es missing were a shoe, stock-
there was not much business during ‘ing and glove. The shoe and glove
the winter and he turned to selling found Saturday between Nescopeck and
liquor. The court sentenced him to Wapwallopen led to abandonment of a
pay the costs, $100 for the use of suicide theory and beginning of work on
the county and placed him on proba-, murder mystery.
tion for three years. | —Burglars pried open a window in the
Sylvester (Doggie) Meyers, of | Standard gasoline station, at Selinsgrove,
Jacksonville, recently arrested for | Thursday morning and took $15 from the
alleged possession and sale of lig- | waste basket. The work is thought by
uor, plead guilty and was sentenced | the owner to be local. James F. Raud-
to the cos! 1 | enbush, manager of the station, was, in
DR 5, $100 RE Use | the habit of leaving at night $I to $20
y | at the station for the next day's business. .
county jail with the privilege of ap- | The bag containing the money was us-
plying for a parole in sixty days. | ually placed in the waste basket in case
William Chalot, of State College, of burglars. When employees arrived
plead guilty to colliding with the | for work they found a rear window and
car of Rev. Edward Jones, parked the front door open. The case was RO
on the street in State College, and reported to police. An electric clock
driving away in an effort to escape nd s valuable flashlight were left In
detection. He was sentenced to pay | the station.
the costs, $25 for the -use of the —Found not guilty, at Scranton, on
county, pay for the damage done the Friday, of conspirarcy to violate the dry
minister's car and placed on proba- law in connection with the operation of
tion for one year. s ke the Mountain Side brewery, at Lock Hav-
en, F. Franklin Graham, a Philadelphia
C. W. Stover, of State College,
lawyer, publicly thanked the jurors.
lead guilty to possessi H
p gurly of. € Wa8 | mee other defendants, H. I Seidman,
also charged with the sale of liquor gumuel Nagelburg and Harry Speigel, all
thing. a middle. nap, = ip but | of Scranton, were found guilty and are
enied. e admi ving | facing prison sentences. Speigel is man-
two pints but told the court they ager of a movie theatre in Scranton,
were for himself. He was sentenc- while Seidman was formerly juteftuted in
ed to the costs, $100 for the use coal mining properties. fense coun-
of Tiny and 60 days in jail. sel said new trials would be asked for.
John Coble, of Ferguson townshi Meanwhile, Judge Watson will make no
’ Pi | move to sentence the convicted men.
plead guilty to possession, sale and
manufacturing liquor and was sen- —Alleged to have stolen 300 pieces of
tenced to pay the costs, $100 for the Yngeple oe a feisnl oar. in an:
last November, n Prowell, 24, eel.
ule” of izle Sounity and one year in ton, has been held under $600 bail for
jail, with the privilege of applying "+ at a hearing before justice of the
for a parole in 60 days. in Trak a toon ey night
When the case against Dewey | Railroad police said that they arrested :
Hoire, Luther Weller, Clyde Smith | prowell and Harry Rittner, 42, also of
and Harvey Shemory was called the Steeiton, on another theft charge as they
men failed to respond and the court | were leaving the yards. Police said that
ordered bench warrants issued for | it was necessary to fire several shots at
their arrest. They are the four Prowell to stop him. Rittner, who Is
men who recently had a hearing be- charged with stealing thousands of cig-
fore 'Squire E. T. Jamison, at Spring
Mills, on the charge of having an il-
arettes from a freight train several days
previous implicated Prowell and they
legal deer in their possession on De-
(Concluded on Page 5, Col. 1.)
i
+
were held under $10&) bail each for court
before Alderman William L. Windsor,
Jr., this week.
|
)