1917 WB Record Almanac, Capital Crimes in 1916 The following information is posted for the sole purpose of family research within the Yahoo Group, The Court House Gang. It is not to be published to any other web site, mailing list, group, etc. without prior written permission and guidelines from the group owner, to ensure that proper credit is given to the group and all of our volunteers that helped with this project. During the year 1916 there were twenty-one capital crimes in Luzerne County. The record for other years is 14 in 1915; 14 in 1914; 21 in 1913; 13 in 1912; 15 in 1911; 14 in 1910; 15 in 1909; 14 in 1908; 14 in 1907; 13 in 1906; 12 in 1905; 8 in 1904; 10 in 1903, BAKOWSKY, Mrs. Mary of Port Bowkley, 35 years, was shot and killed as the result of a quarrel, May 29, 1916 BROWN, Miss Ida May of Pittston was strangled by a supposed degenerate who attempted to assault her, in October 1916 CARLIN, Andrew of Preston, Hanover Township, died of stab wounds sustained two days previously during a quarrel, October 17 1916 DIZZORR, Pietro of Swoyerville, shot during a quarrel, July 23, 1916 FREA, Mrs. Mary of Kingston, 16 years, shot by her father, presumably because of her marriage; the father suicided, May 19, 1916 GIUDICE, Paoa of Pittston was shot to death while leaving his home to go to work, believed to be due to a secret society feud, February 8, 1916 HAYES, Mrs. John, 50 years, was slashed to death with a knife by her husband at Cragle Hill, near Shickshinny. The couple had separated and he persuaded her to return home and a few minutes after they appeared on the premises he took her to a barn and committed the crime. He also attempted to kill their adopted daughter, February 8, 1916 LEAHM, the coroner's jury decided that Mrs. August LEAHM of Wilkes-Barre, who was supposed to have committed suicide, was shot by some party unknown, January 29, 1916 LUDWIG, Joseph of Hazleton was shot and instantly killed, jealousy said to have been the motive, April 1, 1916 MARRANGO, Charles of Pittston, 35 years, was stabbed to death after he had entered the home of Samuel CAPITSHANO and attacked the latter's mother, February 13, 1916 MELVIN, John of Port Griffith, 24 years, was shot to death by Italians who were passengers on his jitney who refused to pay another fare for the distance to which they wished to go, March 13, 1916 MESLER, John of Wyoming, 73 years, was found with his head crushed, robbery evidently having been the motive, March 29, 1916 O'REILLY, Mary, coroner's jury found that Mary O'REILLY, alias O'NEILL, whose body was found on a railroad track at Midvale, was murdered by some party unknown, August 31, 1916 OWENS, Charles of Nanticoke, 25 years, died of bullet wounds. Was found dying along a road in Hanover Township, but failed to state how or by whom he was shot, December 12, 1915 PETRAN, Mrs. George of Wilkes-Barre, 30 years, shot and killed by a boarder because, it is alleged, she opposed his marriage to a relative, May 27, 1916 PILOTTI, Luigi of Pringle, 28 years, was killed by a bullet fired through a door, having been mistaken for some one else, September 28, 1916 RAGUFSKY, Peter of Highland died of wounds received in a street brawl, May 21, 1916 ROMANSKI, Stanley of Glen Lyon, 42 years, shot by his son-in-law during a quarrel, in self defense it was claimed, June 6, 1916 STAMKEWICZ, Alexander of Brookside died of injuries sustained in a saloon fight, September 13, 1916 Unidentified, the headless body of an unidentified man was found in a swamp near Sugar Notch, December 12, 1915 YIDA, Joseph of Pittston, 35 years, was shot down on the street, supposed to have been the work of a member of a secret organization, because of fear of him, December 7, 1915, not included in last year's almanac, Typed by Dawn Gabriel, October 2003