The Mysterious 1887 Sleigh Ride Murder Trial of Mifflin County

 

The three women decided to take advantage of the situation and proceeded to strip John of all his cash and then toss him from the quickly moving sleigh.  Since he was quite intoxicated, he tried to fight the women off but was unsuccessful.  He did manage, however, to cling to the side of the sleigh as it sped down the road, and somehow managed to fight his way back into the sleigh.  The trio then hit him with the buggy whip, kicked and punched him, eventually succeeding in tossing him onto the road.

Another traveler found his lifeless body lying on the side of the road and sent for help.  He was taken to a nearby house and two local doctors were summoned.  Upon interrogation, he was too intoxicated to name his assailants but eventually sobered enough to identify the women.  Sadly, John’s questionable behavior was to be his demise as he lived just 4 days after the incident and succumbed to his injuries on December 29, 1886.

An arrest warrant was issued the day of his death, and the three women were rounded up and placed into the county jail.  Many witnesses who heard and saw the four that night were interviewed and an autopsy was performed which concluded that John did indeed die from the injuries he sustained that night.

On January 11, 1887, the Commonwealth Verses Corbett, Quay & Kountzman trial commenced.  The three were accused of robbing and stealing from John and assaulting him, causing mortal injuries.  The courtroom was filled with curious onlookers since this case had drawn state-wide attention, but they were soon to be disappointed.  One of the women, Della Corbett, was ill and the trial had to be postponed.  It was rescheduled for April. One would think this should have been an open and shut case, considering there were 25 recorded witnesses, but alas, it was not.

An account given in a local newspaper reported that during the April trial the commonwealth failed to prove their indictment for murder, and an unidentified mistake was made by the prosecutor.  Thus, the case was closed, and the three women were released.

The mysterious part of this story is that the Mifflin County Court records on this case are oddly silent when it comes to the gruesome details of this Sleigh Ride Murder.  There are no transcripts of the witnesses’ testimony, or of the coroner’s report.  Also missing are all the usual routine court documents.  No one knows for sure what the prosecutor’s mistake or mistakes were or how they led to the women’s release.

According to one local newspaper editor of the time, we may never know what really happened that dark and stormy night (I added that phrase for affect) or why the case was dismissed!  A very mysterious chapter of our local history indeed!

Rhonda S. Kelley, Executive Director

Juniata River Valley Chamber of Commerce