1903 WB Record Almanac, Capital Crimes in 1902
Those Who Met Death At The Hands Of Others during the Year

	There were sixteen murders in Luzerne County during the year 1902, 
compared with six for the previous year, the record for 1902 being one of the largest 
in the history of the county, some of the murders being a
 result of the strike.
	January 6 Louis Yescuskie of Hazleton was struck over the head with 
a fence picket by a fellow countryman. They were coming from a saloon, where they 
had a quarrel over a girl whom both admired, it was said.  
Yescuskie died the same day. Joseph Matusievik was arrested charged with the 
crime but he was acquitted.
	February 24 Anthony Sinnick a miner employed in the Exeter mine 
at West Pittston, was found in his chamber, his skull having been fractured. He died 
two weeks later at the Pittston Hospital. After excellent work
 on the part of county detective Jones, Peter Lenouskey and Victor Zorambo were
 arrested charged with the crime. The former made a confession 
charging the later with the crime. The story of Lenouskey was to the effect that they
 learned that Sinnick carried a large sum of money with him 
and they both planned to secure it, but when they entered the mine Lenouseky backed
 out and Zorambo also made a confession in which he accused
 Lenouskey of being the murderer, stating that he, Zorambo, was the one who backed out.
 It was also alleged that the men were desirous of 
getting Sinnick out of the way so that his wife would be free to bestow her affections. 
Lenouskey was first placed on trial and after a heard fight 
was convicted of murder in the first degree. Zorambo was next placed on trial and was 
also convicted of murder in the first degree. The confession 
of each was used against the other.  The two were sentenced to death November 10, 1902.
	March 30 James Larkins, 60 years old, who attended to the picnic 
grounds at Harvey’s Lake for the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company, was found dead in his
 shanty with knife wounds.  One man who had slept with
 Larkins was arrested but it was stated that a third man who was also in the shanty all night 
got away. The men had been drinking all night and a 
couple of quarts of whiskey were consumed. The man arrested was discharged on account
 of lack of sufficient evidence.
	April 22 Simon Grobletzski died at the City Hospital from a fracture of
 the skull sustained during a fight which started in an Edwardsville saloon.  The fight occurred 
March 26 and Grobletzski was hit with 
a stone.
	April 5 Stanley Malenski died at the poor house at Retreat of a fracture
 of the skull. It was ascertained that he had been inured in a saloon at the empire, Wilkes Barre,
 in February. Some time later Joseph Machutas
 was arrested in Illinois charged with the crime and he was brought to Luzerne County for trial
 but the evidence against him was not strong 
enough and he was acquitted.
	April 27 Michael Charo was shot and killed in Freeland. Charo was 
one of the attendants at the Greek Catholic Church at that place and an altercation started
 near the church by a bystander refusing to take off his
 hat. Charo was shot while on the sidewalk. Thomas Smith and Louis Diun were arrested. 
Both were acquitted.
	July 7 John Bott of Hazleton died of a wound in the abdomen caused 
by a knife. He was engaged in a quarrel on July 4 at a picnic and sustained the wound at that time. 
Carmen Diucca was charged with the crime 
but could not be found.
	August 6 Daniel J. Sweeney, 37 years old, was found dead on the 
outskirts of Nanticoke, his skull having been fractured. Sweeney was a watchman at the Bliss
 mine of the D. L. & W and had been in a Nanticoke
 saloon in the evening. Soon afterwards he started for home and that was the last seen of him
 alive. Some people were in the saloon at the time
 he left and they also left soon afterwards.  Four of the men in the saloon at the time were arrested.
 Two men pleaded guilty to murder in the second 
degree but one later withdrew his plea, two were acquitted and one remained to be tried when
 the almanac went to press.
	August 10 John Shigo of Stockton was so badly injured in a saloon at 
that place that he died the next day. His skull was fractured and he was otherwise injured during
 a fight. Emil Hazir was arrested charged with the
 crime and convicted of manslaughter.
	August 15 William Yates (colored) of Hazleton was found near the railroad
 tracks with several bullet wounds in his body, one of them in the stomach. He died a couple of 
days later at the Hazleton hospital without stating in
 what manner he sustained the wounds. It was alleged that he had slept in a freight car with a 
couple of others and they became engaged in a fight.
 Another opinion is that he was shot while trying to commit a burglary, but no one was found 
who had been visited by a burglar.
	September 8 John Kosti was murdered at Maltby and frank Patrick his 
companion was badly injured. A large number of strikers and strike sympathizers was out 
during the night and early morning in an effort to meet
 men on their way to work at the Maltby colliery. They had been some trouble with non-union 
men and with the deputies during the morning and clubs
 and stones were freely used.  The mob was in an ugly mood.  Kosti and Patrick were seen 
coming along with guns. The morning was foggy
 and their features could not easily be distinguished but it was thought that they were non-union
 men on their way to work. They stated that they 
were not but some members of the crowd did not believe them and they were set upon and beaten. 
During the assault Kosti’s gun was wrenched
 from his hands and he was shot in the abdomen, dying in a short time. It was discovered that Kosti
 and Patrick were strikers and were not on their
 way to work.  Patrick was taken to the Pittston hospital. Some men were arrested and six of them 
were placed under bail on the charge of rioting.
	September 26 James sanders of Plymouth, 38 years of age, died at Mercy 
Hospital of a stab wound in the chest inflicted by Michael Gillian of the same place, aged about 50 
years, on the 24th. The men had been drinking 
and quarrel started over the strike. Gillian was arrested.
	September 29 Joseph Gollin of Nanticoke, a foreigner, died at Mercy Hospital,
 having been shot on Sunday by James Sweeney of the same place. The stores as to the cause of
 the shooting were conflicting. Sweeney’s brother
 was clubbed to death a few weeks previous while on his way home one night, he being a non-union 
workman. Some witnesses testified that Gollin
 was shot in the back while walking towards his home with one of his children. Sweeney said he was
 annoyed and taunted by a crowd. Sweeney
 was arrested.
	October 1 the body of John J. Mullin of Pittston was run over and badly mutilated 
on the Avoca street car line. He was a mine foreman and was working in the Carbondale region. 
There were suspicious circumstances and 
Andrew Kenley, who was last seen with the man and who was a fellow workman, was arrested. 
At the coroner’s inquest, Kenley said they had been
 drinking together and on their way to Pittston were stoned. He pulled his revolver and Mullin went
 on. Several times they were stoned. For 
lack of evidence Kenley was discharged from custody. It was said that Mullin’s body was cold when
 found by the street car men immediately 
after being run over.
	November 8 mine foreman Daniel Dorris, Glen Lyon, was shot by Patrick
 Hennessy and he died the next day. Dorris before the strike discharged Hennessy, who was a
 fireman alleging that he caused trouble for the 
company.  Hennessy several times asked Dorris to give him his position back but he refused. 
The last time Hennessy pulled a revolver and fired. 
Hennessy was arrested.

Typed by a Courthouse Gang Volunteer

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Synopsis: Typed by Denise Strickland,  May 2003
Victims of Capital Crimes

Name; Residence; Date of Death; Place of Incident
Bott, John; Hazleton; 07/07/1902; picnic
Charo, Michael; unknown; 04/27/1902; Freeland
Dorris, Daniel; Glen Lyon; 11/09/1902; unknown
Gollin, Joseph; Nanticoke; 09/29/1902; unknown
Grobletzski, Simon; unknown; 04/22/1902; Edwardsville
Hanlon, Michael; unknown; 01/25/1902 ; Wilkes-Barre
Kosti, John; unknown; 090/8/1902; Maltby
Larkins, James; unknown; 03/30/1902; Harveys Lake
Malenski, Stanley; unknown; 04/05/1902; Wilkes-Barre
Mullin, John J; Pittston; 10/01/1902; Avoca
Sanders, James; Plymouth; 09/26/1902; unknown
Shigo, John; Stockton; 08/11/1902; Stockton
Sinnick, Anthony; unknown; 03/09/1902 ; W Pittston
Sweeney, Daniel J; unknown; 08/06/1902; Nanticoke
Yates, William; Hazleton; 08/15/1902; Hazleton
Yescuskie, Louis; Hazleton; 01/06/1902;unknown