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 It is not to be published to any other web site, mailing list, group, etc.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. CAPITAL CRIMES - 1933 December 21, 1932, Frank Gryskiewicz, 46, shot and killed his wife, Catherine, a sister of Tax Collector Joseph Fela of Hanover Township, and then committed suicide. On the night of December 13, 1932, Mrs Ursulla Brovak, 61, was found dead in her home in Kingston. Anthony Tomkiewicz, 60, and his son, John Tomkiewicz, 17, both of West Wyoming were arrested and pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder. Anthony Tonkiewicz was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment in Eastern Penitentiary. John Tomkiewicz changed his plea to guilty and was sentenced to serve from eight to twenty years in Eastern Penitentary. January 11 --- Louis Albrigi of Yatesville died of stab wounds suffered on January 1. Rinaldo Caprarri of West Pittston was arrested and upon being tried before a jury on a charge of manslaughter was found guilty. January 22 --- Mrs. Mary Kosloskaus, 45, was found dead in the kitchen of her home in Edwardsville. She had been beaten to death. Her husband Joseph was arrested and convicted of second degree murder by a jury. He was sentenced to serve 10 to 20 years in Eastern Penitentiary. February 6 --- Joseph Wisniewski of Shickshinny charged that he conspired with Mrs. Andrew Shedlock to cause the death of her husband in a mine accident at Wyoming. He pleaded guilty and he and Mrs. Shedlock were placed in jail. Wisniewski was found guilty of manslaughter by a jury on April 1. Reasons were advanced for a new trial and the case had not been disposed of when the Almanac went to press. February 16 --- The dead body of Andrew Wichner, 33, of Breslau, was found tied up and shoved in the back of his automobile on Scranton Street . March 11 --- George Lee, 36, Negro, formerly of Pottsville, died in General Hospital of a fractured skull received in a fight. Burton Hubbard, 34, of Wilkes-Barre, was arrested and pleaded self defense. When put on trial in November he was acquitted. Paul Karkut, 40, of Hanover Township, died in Nanticoke State Hospital, of stab wounds received in a fight. April 4 ---Andrew Bardo, 44, of Ashley, died in Homeopathic Hospital of a fractured skull received when he was chased and beaten with a baseball bat. John Molacki, 52, of Ashley, the alleged assailant, pleaded guilty to a charge of manslaughter and was sentenced to serve 6 to 12 years in prison. May 30---Mary Lesko was shot to death as she sat in her home in Plymouth. The shots were alleged to have been fired by her sweetheart, Peter Evancho, 45. He was found guilty of murder in the first degree and was sentenced to life imprisonment in Eastern Penitentiary. May 31---John Sorco died in Mercy Hospital of injuries received in a fight. Steve Krul, 24, of Wilkes-Barre was arrested on a charge of murder but was acquitted on September 27. June 3---Injuries received in a fight on the night of June 1 caused the death in General Hospital of John Ostrowski of Ashley. Alex Kopko, 50, also of Ashley, was held on a charge of murder and upon being placed on trial before a jury was acquitted. August 31--- The bodies of Ella Moore, 45, and William Ellsworth Downey, 63, were found in the Moore home, 15 Ruddle Street, Wilkes-Barre, where Downey roomed. Police believe Downey killed Mrs. Moore and then committed suicide. September 3---Mrs. Louise Minkiewicz, 47, Nanticoke, died from the effects of two bullet wounds, alleged to have been inflicted by Joseph Yankoski, 72. Yankoski was placed on trial, found guilty and sentenced to serve 5 to 10 years in the county jail. September 20---Charles Olshefski, 24, of Swoyerville, died in General Hospital of injuries received when he is alleged to have been hit on the head by Paul Baynock, a Swoyerville police officer, during an altercation. Baynock was charged with murder, but the charge was later reduced to manslaughter. The case is pending due to the illness of an important witness. September 23---Mrs. Felicia Mazoleski, 39, of Plains, died in General Hospital of bullet wounds alleged to have been inflicted by her husband John, 40. He pleaded guilty to a charge of manslaughter and was sentenced to serve 6 to 12 years in Eastern Penitentiary. October 1---John Silchak, 32, of Plymouth, died in an automobile while being taken to Nanticoke Hospital from Lake Silkworth, where he is alleged to have been struck by William McMahon, 30, of Nanticoke, during an arguement over a card game. McMahon was held on a charge of manslaughter. The case is pending. November 11---Stephen Sillup, 28, of Dallas Township, died in General Hospital of injuries received on Election Day, November 7, at Fernbrook. Clair Winters, former Dallas Township constable was arrested and held on a charge of murder. He was later released in $7,500 bail. November 13--- Andrew Wassill Sr., 45, a miner of Hazleton, shot his daughter, Mrs. George Mihaley, 22, to death and then committed suicide. January 5---Joseph Hudock, 24, of Stockton, who was found guilty of the murder of Stanley Yurish, was electrocuted at Rockview, Stephen Barron, the other man accused of the crime, was acquitted on December 1, 1932. In February a jury adjudged Frank Stabinski guilty of the murder of Mary Malinowski and ruled that he must die in the electric chair, with Anthony Tetroskey, who was found guilty in February of the same crime. In November Governor Pinchot fixed the week of January 8, 1934 as the time for their electrocution. Typed by John Jenkins, April 2003