McKean County PA Archives News.....Claude Fields - Stanley Engle Murder: 1917-1930
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McKean Democrat November 1, 1917
McKean Democrat, Thursday November 1, 1917.
Claude Fields Of Hazelhurst Brutally Murdered.
Stanley Ingle in County Jail Charged With Crime - Captured in Punxsutawney.
The latest McKean county tragedy is the murder of Claude Fields, 26 years
old, who was murdered and then robbed on last Friday night, near Hazelhurst.
Claude Fields was the son of Joseph Fields, a well known and highly esteemed
farmer of Hamlin township. Claude was one of eight children - seven sons and
one daughter. For some time past he had been employed by James Randall. Last
Friday he received a settlement with his employer and received a check for the
sum off $27.00. On Friday, the young lad left for Hazelhurst, where he spent
the evening. It is known that he went into a place of business there and had
the check cashed.
The authorities knew who was with him at the time and knew the amount of
money he had in his clothing. When Claude failed to return home on Friday
night his parents became alarmed as he was never known to remain away over
night without telling his people in advance. Saturday morning after
breakfast, his father set out in search of his son, taking his grandson with
him. It was known that the victim of the murderer wore heavy rubber boots and
they had little or no difficulty in tracking him through the mud and snow to a
point near the farm buildings. There the foot-prints ended. The highway was
examined carefully and indicated that someone had been dragged across the
road, into the field toward the barn.
The grandson ran on ahead and entered the basement door of the barn and
behold, there lay the body! The grandson called, "Here Claude is."
Joseph Field, the father, hurried in, then turning away from the scene,
drove to Hazelhurst and reported the tragedy, returning again with several men
in an automobile to make a more careful inspection. The county authorities
were notified, including Coroner E.R. Sherman of Bradford. The body was
ordered taken to undertaker Lantz's establishment in Mt. Jewett after Sheriff
E.W. Jones had looked over the situation at the scene of the crime.
On Tuesday Acting Coroner H.S. Robbins of Bradford went to Mt. Jewett with
the district attorney, T.B. Wilson, and County Detective J.T. Robinson, and
there the foremen conducted an inquest which brought out many of the facts of
the tragedy, enumerated above. The jury was composed of C.H. Burlingame,
foreman; Edward C. Cleveland, Frank E. Goodwin, Frederick Falkenberg, William
Besecker and Earl F. Drake. Dr. H.K. Eaman of Mt. Jewett performed an
autopsy. Sheriff E.W. Jones of Smethport was the first witness sworn. He
told of how he had found the body in a basement of the barn on the Randall
farm and how he had got a clew by being on the scene early. The witness was
convinced that the young man had been murdered and robbed, as his pockets were
partly turned inside out.
Joseph Fields, the father of the young man, was sworn and reviewed the facts
as to his going out to search for the son, when he failed to return home. The
witness stated that the son before receiving the check for $27 had about $4 in
cash with him, so that the murderer apparently got about $30 for his job. The
father at times broke down completely as he tried to tell his version of what
might have happened. He said that whoever killed his son walked with Claude
to the scene and from the footprints the assassin walked just behind the
victim on the side of the road. The witness told how his son and a number of
other Hazelhurst young men were planning to go to a camp to hunt this week.
Dr. H.K. Eaman, who performed the autopsy, was sworn and explained the
location of the two bullet wounds inflicted by the revolver. One had taken
effect in back of the right ear and had entered the brain, while the other had
struck the jaw on the left side and had passed through the mouth and in its
course had knocked out a couple of teeth. He was of the opinion that the shot
in the left cheek was made with the weapon close to the head, as there were
what might be powder marks on the face. In the opinion of the doctor the shot
into the brain was sufficient to cause death. In the opinion of the doctor,
the shot was fired from one side and the second from the opposite side as the
victim turned his head.
Henry Fields, a brother, stated that at least one of the bullets had passed
through the head and had dropped on the ground, as it had been reported that
someone had picked up the lead pellet and the two teeth, which had been
removed from Claude's mouth by the shot.
The jury then rendered a verdict that the said Claude Fields came to his
death sometime between 11 p.m., Friday, October 26, and 10 a.m. Saturday,
October 27, in Hamlin township, McKean county, state of Pennsylvania, from gun
shot wounds inflicted by some person or persons to the jury unknown.
The body was taken to the home of his parents on Tuesday afternoon of this
week, where funeral services were held on Wednesday afternoon.
Besides the parents, Claude Fields leaves six brothers. Fred Fields, of
Erie; Burr Fields of Salt Lake City; Raymond Fields of Ogden, Utah; Henry
Fields, of Hazelhurst, Pa.; Warley Fields, of East Rochester, N.Y., and Orlo
Fields, of Rochester, N.Y., and one sister, Mrs. Capwell, of Corry, Pa.
Claude Fields was held in high esteem by all who knew him. His parents and
relatives have much sympathy in their bereavement.
Supposed to be Field's Murderer.
Charged with the murder of Claude Fields, Stanley Ingle, aged 22, former
resident of Hazelhurst, was arrested in Punxsutawney at 9:00 o'clock on
Tuesday night, under circumstances that lead the authorities to believe that
they forestalled the suicide of the young man accused of one of the most
brutal murders in crime annals of McKean county. Ingle was brought to the
McKean county jail at Smethport on Wednesday morning to await further
operation of the machinery of the law.
In the final casting of the meshes of the law over the murder suspect,
officers from three counties and three members of the state constabulary play
important roles. McKean county authorities closed a determined manhunt
through adoption of the old maxim "Watch the woman." For it was through
communication with his sweetheart at Emporium that Ingle disclosed his
whereabouts.
At noon Tuesday Sheriff Jones was notified that Ingle had communicated with
Miss Margaret Summerson of Emporium, by a telephone call from North Point,
Indiana county, stating that he would be at the Pantall hotel in Punxsutawney
on Tuesday night and would talk with her by telephone. Taking J.H. Walker,
justice of the peace, of Hazelhurst, with him to identify Ingle, Sheriff Jones
left for Punxsutawney on the first train, being joined at Falls Creek by
County Detective Joseph Robinson, who had been in Mt. Jewett investigating
murder clues.
Telephone Call Gave Clue.
A second telephone call was sent to Emporium at 6 o'clock on Tuesday night
by Ingle, again informing Miss Summerson that he would call her by telephone
from Punxsutawney between 9 and 10 o'clock. Police Chief Charles Wright then
became apprehensive lest delayed trains hinder the McKean county authorities
and so called the police authorities of Punxsutawney. They in turn called the
clerk at the Pantall hotel inquiring whether Ingle had yet put in an
appearance.
Just afterward, at 9:05 o'clock, Ingle walked into the lobby of the hotel,
inquiring if there had been a telephone call for him. When informed there had
not been, Ingle said that he would wait. Leaving the desk to get word to the
police of Ingle's presence, the hotel clerk came upon W.H Brand of the state
constabulary, who quickly made the arrest, seizing Ingle about the body so
that the had non chance at resistance. The prisoner was quickly handcuffed,
then searched, a revolver being found.
Brand had just left the hotel with Ingle when he came upon Sheriff E.W.
Jones, County Detective Robinson and Mr. Walker, accompanied by two state
policemen.
Believe Suicide Planned.
Search at thepolice station revealed Ingle's apparent intention of taking
his life. The search disclosed that he had three bottles of carbolic acid and
a bottle of chloroform besides a .32 calibre revolver with extra cartridges
similar to the ones found in the brain of Claude Fields. Two notes also were
found. One was addressed to Miss Summerson and the other addressed "To whom
it may concern." Sheriff Jones says that the notes are identic, Ingle stating
that he was going "to end it all" if they would let him have a room at the
hotel. He stated in the note that he had $11,000 in life insurance policies
and made disposition of the money.
No confession Obtained.
Sheriff Jones has made it clear that no confession has been made by ingle
and white unwilling to disclose the case the commonwealth has built up as
basis of charge of first degree murder against Ingle said, "You can say that
the commonwealth has lots of incriminating evidence, has a good strong case.
More I cannot say for publication."
At 9:15 this morning no confession had been made. The prisoner is reported
as having rested well during his first night in jail.
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McKean County Democrat June 27, 1929
McKean County Democrat, Thursday, June 27, 1929.
Stan Engle, Slayer of Claude Fields, Is No Longer Insane
Ira Stanley Engle, who is alleged to have brutally murdered Claude Fields,
26-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Fields, on the night of October 27,
1917, on the Marvin creek road, near Hazelhurst, is about to become a free man
due to the trend of recent events.
Engle, who had been an inmate of the Fairview Asylum for the Criminal Insane
for the past eleven years was recently brought back to the McKean County Jail
in this borough. Staff alienists at Fairview have officially declared Engle
cured of the insanity, which may have saved him from execution in payment for
the crime he is alleged to have committed.
It is said that now only a mere legal formality stands between Engle and
freedom. The Commonwealth will be compelled to release him inasmuch as he was
officially declared insane at his trial for murder and now he has been
officially listed as cured. It is probable that Engle's case will come to
court at an adjourned session to be held July 23.
On the night of the murder of young Fields, it is alleged the victim visited
a pool room in Hazelhurst where he spent the evening. It is said that Engle
also visited the pool room. The story goes that Fields, in a spirit of
levity, prepared a fake roll of bills by taking a few pieces of genuine
currency and wrapping these around some blank paper to appear like a large sum
of money. At one time during a game of pool, Fields is said to have "flashed"
this phoney roll and offered to bet anyone in the place the sum of $50 on a
certain "shot."
Authorities attempted to prove that Engle watched this by-play and was
covetous of the big roll of money and that he went to his home, secured a gun
and laid in wait for Fields. When the latter, returning to his home a short
distance this side of Hazelhurst, came opposite a barn on the Moran farm, it
was alleged that Engle shot him and then dragged his body into the barn, where
it was found later.
The murderer is said to have gone to Mt. Jewett, following the killing,
where he boarded a train for Falls Creek, ,near DuBois, Pa.
An extensive man-hunt was conducted under the direction of Sheriff
E.W. "Billy" Jones. Various bits of evidence pointed toward Engle as the
perpetrator of the brutal crime. A young lady friend of Engle's in Emporium
was watched closely, the authorities rightly figuring that the fugitive would
attempt to communicate with her. After a short time, the Emporium girl
received a letter from Engle, telling her that he would call on the telephone
from DuBois at a specified time. This missive fell into the hands of the
officers and a neat trap was laid in DuBois, into which Engle nonchalantly
walked when he went to a hotel to make the phone call.
The prisoner was brought to the jail here and was incarcerated for 13 months
before his trial.
Engle's peculiar actions while in jail and his history prior to the
commission of the crime, led many to believe that he was insane. At his trial
the commonwealth and defense attorneys agreed to be satisfied with the
decision of Dr. Mitchell, Superintendent of the North Warren State hospital
for the Insane. Dr. Mitchell, one of the country's foremost authorities on
mental disorders examined Engle and later testified that he was insane. Engle
is now about thirty-five years of age.
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McKean County Miner June 5, 1930
McKean County Miner, Thursday June 5, 1930
Stanley Engle Acquitted of 13-Year-Old Murder Charge.
Criminal court convened in the court house at 10 o'clock, Monday morning
with Hon. J.W. Bouton presiding. A large numbeer of cases were heard on that
day and fines and sentences imposed.
A murder which happened 13 years ago came too life again here at the Tuesday
session of criminal court.
Stanley engle was alleged to have murdered Jack Fields in Hazelhurst in
November, 1917. He was brought into court on the charge and found to be
insane and committed to Fairview Pennsylvania, an institution for the criminal
insane.
In June, 1929, Engle was discharged from the institution due to recovery
from his mental illness. McKean County was asked to send for him at that time
and he has been an inmate of the county jail at Smethport since the time of
his discharge.
Judge J.W. Bouton ordered him tried and he was brought to trial Tuesday
afternoon. District Attorney Hubbard stated that there was no evidence that
he could offer that would convict Engle County Detective Jack Allison was put
on the stand and testified that all the important witnessed had either left
the state or died and no remaining evidence that the Commonwealth could offer
would convict him.
Two of the important witnesses have died and two others have moved to
different states outside of Pennsylvania's jurisdiction.
The jury under instruction from the court returned a verdict of not guilty
and Engle, after 13 years behind institution bars is once again a free man.
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