1898 WB Record Almanac, Crime in 1897

	There were not so many capital crimes in Luzerne County in 1897 as there were in 1896.  
There were eight in 1897 and thirteen the year before.

	On January 4, Joseph Kollata was fatally stabbed at Port Griffith, by Joseph Kurnath, 
who was sentenced to eleven years in the penitentiary.

	February 10 George Waverick of Latimer died as a result of a fractured skull.  He was 
found along the road.  Several arrests were made, but no one was punished for the crime.  

	February 12 Michael Grablick was stabbed by his brother-in-law at the latter’s hotel in 
Pittston Junction, and he died there three days later.  John Grablick was tried and sentenced to 
seven years in the penitentiary.

	February 13 Guiseppe Fadelici was killed by a fence paling in the hands of John Broadt, 
at Hazleton.  The Italian was employed by Broadt and they had some difficulty.  The allegation was 
that the Italian first attacked Broadt and that then the latter used the paling.  Broadt was acquitted.  

	June 22 Patrick Mullen was shot by Thomas Donohue in a Pittston saloon.  Both resided 
at Sebastapol.  Donohue pleaded guilty to murder in the second degree and was sentenced to six 
years in the penitentiary.

	July 26 Charles Meliski was murdered by Andrew Jovlonoski at Duryea.  He was sentenced 
to ten years and six months.

	October 26 Stephen Muri was killed at Brodrick.  A crowd of foreigners attacked his house 
and broke in the door and windows and the occupants in self defense fired out of an upper window and 
Muri, one of the crowd, was hit.

	October 27 Martin Lazaar died at the Hazleton hospital, having received a fracture of the 
skull October 16 at a wedding.  George Hannick was arrested.

	John Yuscavicz shot Joseph Markwa and Mrs. J. W. Solomon November 30 in Ashley.  
The former died December 16.  Yuscavicz is now in jail.  

	During 1897 the last of the colored people suspected of dynamiting of the Hungarian 
boarding shanty on the Wilkes-Barre mountain on June 10, 1895, were released from jail through 
the efforts of Miss Mary L. Trescott, then the only woman member of the Luzerne Bar.


Typed by Jean Connell of the Court House Gang