When I initally found this information in 2012, I sought out more details about the circumstances. The Indiana State Archives holds prisoner records, so I requested those. The inmate register indicates that he was sentenced in Shelby County on March 28, 1899 for 2 to 21 years for perjury. On the prison record, it lists Henry's age as 31, his nationality as German-American, both parents born in Germany. He was unmarried, could read and write, occupation common laborer, and arrested two times before. His mother Christina Lieberherr was listed in the family section of the record.
What were the circumstances leading to Henry's charge of perjury? In 2012, I didn't find much when I looked in the Shelbyville newspaper on microfilm, only discovering a brief mention that the Sheriff was taking him up to Michigan City. He was received at the prison on April 26, 1899.
As part of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, I re-ran some searches and re-examined previous results in
digitized newspapers and found more information about the trial and who else was involved. It shows that there is always more to discover.
Digitized newspapers are the best! I'm pleased with the collection available freely through Hoosier State Chronicles. I kept searching and found this earlier information about "Kid" Whitney.
How did Henry W. Lieberherr meet up with John "Kid" Whitney? It appears that Whitney was pretty sure he'd have an alibi according to this article from September 22, 1898. Quote: "He says he will establish an alibi." Would Whitney pay someone to establish an alibi?
Who would be stupid enough to agree to lie in court? Well... how about Henry Lieberherr? Was he merely a stooge in this whole story? After he'd been in prison for two and a half years, he was paroled on October 1, 1901. There were conditions that he kept a job and stayed out of trouble. He was returned to prison on a parole violation in January 1903. He was released on parole again in March 1905 and was discharged a year later. Interestingly, John "Kid" Whitney was initially sent to the State Reformatory at Jeffersonville before being transferred to the State Prison in 1900. Whitney was no stranger to the state prison, having been there in 1896 for a conviction in Marion County.
I have yet to fully explore the court records of the original trial of the robbery and assault of Mary Ann Nugent. The newspaper articles hint at several more shady characters who could have been Henry Lieberherr's friends or acquaintances. Maybe he couldn't break his old habits. Henry's life story includes an absent father (Henry Sr.) who either ran off or died without leaving a trace or both. This troubling family history includes brother George's untimely death by overdose. Painful stories like these are no doubt why people will make the choice not to remember.
