AN ALMOST INCREDIBLE CRIME.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXII, Issue 9145, 23 June 1880, Page 2

AN ALMOST INCREDIBLE CRIME.

» ■ Governor Hoyt lias issued the death warrants of Henry Wise, Israel Brandt, and Jotiiah Humrnell, three of four men who employed Charles Drews (executed last November) to murder Joseph Uaber, in Lebanon county, to obtain lO.OOOdols insurance on his life. The date of the hanging is Thursday, May 13. Kaiser was murdered by drowning in a small creek on December 7, 1878. The murder originated with Brandt, wko ia a one-armed man, and was for years noted as an outlaw. He communicated the plot to Wise, Hummell, and George ZechmaD, who joined him in a conspiracy to first heavily insure old Raber, and then have him put out of llie way. The conspirators agreed to pay Charles Drews ISOOdol of the insurance money for the death of Raber. Drews agreed to carry out their wishes ; and, a short time before the old man was drowned, had taken him to a dam in which he resolved to throw him. Bis courage failed him, and Baber's life was saved. Drewa was severely upbraided for his cowardice, and his life threatened by Brandt if he did not kill the old man. He then employed Frank Stichler, only 19 year.s old, for lOOdols to assist Him in the murder of Raber, and, on the afternoon of December 7, 1878, Stichler threw Mm in a creek, and with the assistance of Drews, field him under the water until he was dead. The crime was witnessed by a daughter of Drews and son-in-law, who afterwards gave the principal testimony in tlie trial of the six murderers, all of wore convicted. Zechman was awarded a new trial, and owing to the contradictory statements of Wise, one of the conspirators whom the Commonwealth had used as a witness, he was acquitted. Wise strongly implicated Zechman, but let no opportunity pass of screening himself. Judge Pearson, who tried the cases, after the evidence had gone to the jury is credited with Laving said that lie did not know what a Lebanon county jury would do, but he would consign him to the gallows. For his testimony Wise supposed that he would uot be sentenced to death. At the recent meeting of the Board of Pardons the application for the commutation of the death penalty to life imprisonment was refused. Brandt and Hummel, whose caaea had been unfavourably considered by the Supreme Court, expected to be heard on a similar application, but the board refused to consider their plea, because the necessary papers had not been filed.

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