Neihaus, William: 1921

Gilbert McCloskey did not kill anyone…at first.  The Altoona Tribune noted that he was arrested for assault and battery on Joseph Sinise, and had a hearing before Alderman Gorsuch, in Altoona, on September 10, 1918.  On or about July 30, 1921, McCloskey and three other men boarded a train of the Manhattan Limited of the Pennsylvania Line, in Gallitzin, Pennsylvania.  The others were Marion Yon, Edward Yon, and George Lafferty.  Robbery was their intent.  They robbed the mail car, but got only a revolver, a safety razor, and a watch.  After the disappointing haul, Edward Yon went to the locomotive and compelled the engineer to stop the train at Cassandra, Pennsylvania.  There they made their escape.
The four men plotted another crime, and waited for George Karides, a restaurant owner whom they believed was wealthy.  Whether robbery, kidnapping or murder was their intent is unclear.  On the morning of the murder, August 3, 1921, the four men were again disappointed when Mr Karides failed to arrive where they expected him.  Rather than abandon their scheme, they chose another victim, an insurance claim agent named William E. Neihaus from McKeesport.
By August 21st, George Lafferty and Edward Yon, both natives of Altoona, were in custody and had confessed to the robbery.  They denied any involvement in the murder.  Only McCloskey, who by that date was under arrest in Canton, Ohio, was charged in the murder.
McCloskey was noted as being a charming fellow, and there was much speculation that he would be able to talk his way out of the electric chair.   There were strenuous attempts made by his supports, but both the state board of pardons and the supreme court refused to intervene.
McCloskey was electrocuted on July 24, 1922 at Rockview Penitentiary.  He was taken from his cell at 7:08 a.m. and was dead by 7:14 a.m.  He was Blair County’s third execution in a little more than a year.  McCloskey’s body was claimed by relatives and taken to Altoona for burial.