The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-11-08
TWO INTERESTING TRIALS.
a NEW JERSEY LEGISLATOR AND A
BINhER ARRIIGNED.
Financial Operations TINT Led to Series of
Difficulties -Elnatic NOto ShavinR-Lc
ing Public Money 10 an Old Friend.


ing Public Money 20 an Old Friend.
Gu Saturday George w. Patterson, dis
tlnguished ex-member Of the New Jersey Legis
lature, having been found guilty Of improperly
using the public funds, was erraIgned before
the Supreme Court Circuit, at Freehold, n. j., to
hear his sentence. On the same day, In the same
court, Stewart Brown, banker OF Freehold
was also to 10 sentenced for two offences, the
first forgery. and the second obtaining money
under false pretences. Tho prominence Of the
persons, and the gravity Of their offences, at
tracted public interest to an unusual degree,
and this found expression on Saturday In
crowded court room, In which were many OF the
leading INGREDIENTS, lawyers and politicians Of
Monmouth county. Judge scuddcr. who had
presided at both trials, was accompanied on tho
Bench by his ass oclates, judges shnn, Sickles,
Herbert and Mclean.
The case Of Stewart Brown was called nrst
Brown Is a private banker or, stri city speaking
note shaver and money lender, and Is besides
shrewd specuator. His reputation Is that Of
very far-sighted and bold but utterly selfish
and mercilcss operator Some ye ars ago he was
the cashier of the Freehold National Banking
| Company. but was dismissed by tho directors OF
the institution, who refused to pay him either
the dividends on his stock In the concern or the
portion Of hts salary then due him. He brought
an action in the courts to compel them to pty
! charged him with altering accounts aud apprO-
| prating the funds " the bank.
RuISoUs COMPETITION.
| During the trial. IL appeared that many OF
| Browns short comings were due to over-enthu-
sl SIN IN carrying on "A brisk cOmpetiuon with
| the First Netonal Bank Of the town, lie had
| frequently altered accounts simply that his In
sti.ution might make more hatieriug exhibit
and declare larger dividends than It's rival. In
| this action averdict was rendered In Browns
| favor. His banking business Was begun at this
! time ana has beSu & e3i,ieu ,2 10 on so su1cessiuly
| While the Grand Jury were In session last fail,
Brown was indicted for forgery, on the testimony
| OF X. l.. Weed a well-known scenic artist or
| New York. and during the October Term WAS
| tried aud found guilty. In ISL. Weed gave
| Brown ga to take w an outstanding note.
Brown aiterward said lie had taken the note NJ,
| but he did not return IL. In 1874. Brown had oc-
| ca~ion To- sue Weed for the value Of protested
! note. aud Weed refused to pay the amount of
! the note until Brown should deliver to HIM the
| note Of 1871. which he had been paid to take up
Brown, to deceive, and at the same time to sat
isiy Weed. altered an old note to look a. nearly
| as possible Ike the one demanded, aud sent II
| to Weed. who at once discovered the fraud, and
| had the furger indicted.
ON saturday. the day set for sentencing
| Brown his counsel. cX-Gov. joel Parker and
Gen Charles Haight moved for new trial ou
the ground th,t 1t bad been discovered that
the original note Of ISL had been paid to IA MIR.
| Clarke. now deceased. To whose effects access
could not he bad The payment of the note
! left II pOwerless to inIure Weed. and counsel
thought the offence Was thus shorn Of the ele-
ment of fraud aud shown to be SIMPLY " an un-
| worthy and indiscreet trick" After a consulia-
| tiOn with his associates. Judge Scuddtr granted
new trial for January.
Mr. Brown 5 counsel zen m owed for new trial of
| the indictment for false pretences also. but the
| Court refused to grant the motion. In TINS case
which was. briefly, a double collection ON one
note first from the maker ana then from the
endorser-tue counsel informed the Court that
| MIR. Brown had made full restitution to the IN.
| sentenced Brown to pay $500 nne, anu warned
| hun that imprisonment would follow future
offence Of the kind.
| GROWiNG pEFlCffNCTs.
| George ". Patterson IS case Nus the next
| called. Patterson, Who has been hed under
| s.isu bail Ma- in the court room with his cuun.
| sci, ". N. \redenturgh, cen. hnisht. aud A. $.
| Iluke. The state was represented by tho Public
! Prosecutor, ". II. Couoyer, and eX-Jud-e Beck
| man. the deputy Of the Acknowledgement la
| Isl Gtorge ". Patterson. then a RepuhlC an,
va. aupointed Collector of the town .hlp of Free
| hold. he was reelected IN the two years follow
ing 10y the Democrats to whom lac had gone over
ia theGreeleY campaign. On May :, lo'o the end
tG account for $3.50 Of the moneys be mad re-
ceNed. lie made no attempt To deceive tue
the money soon as possible. lie was egain
elected to the Office, and on Ma, 4, l,74. when he
ON the trial, PaltersOn's counsel INTENDED TO
prove that he had lent the money to his bonds
man, W illam Il. Sutphen, who was at tn time
reputcd to he worth - on. tut had since failed.
| The Court would not allow any defence 10 he
entered, except proof that the moneys were not
missing. Counsel Tor Patterson then argued
that the $3.50 liability of May I, 1873, was
outiawed, because more than the limit Of two
years had passed before the indictment was
found. he Court, however, rulea adversely
again, holding that Patterson nad been respOn-
sinle from year to year, and had admitted the
deficiency in 1873 Counsel took exception to
both these points, aud argued upon them for q
new trial. Judge Scudder promised to certify
the points TO the General Term Of the Supreme
Court, and II they failed to sustain his decisions
a new trial would be granted In January. The
exception as to the manner Of accounting re-
lates to the INTERPRETATION OF that portion OF
new statute which contains tho words: "lf "A
person shall embezEe, unlawfully loan OF retain
money!, &c. The Court held that any loaning Of
moneys not PattersOn's was unlawful loaning,'
| the uett A. Patterson
with confidence In the borrower, he should no
more be held to account than the state Treas
uruT should for moneys intlusted with duncan,
Sherman CO. previous 10 their failure.
SUCCESSFUL POLITICIAN.
Patterson is very popular In Monmouth coun
with delight by the majority OF the people
During his cOllectorshp Patterson was elected
To the Legislature for three successive terms
lie distinguished himself by his opposition to
| by his earnest support OF the General Railroad
law and the law refusing state advertisements
to patent newspapers. year ago the town
ship brought a civil suit against both Patterson
and his bondsmen for the amount OF the de-
facation, and Patterson mortgaged his wife's
| house and lot to cover the liability. The mort
gage has since been foreclOsed, and the property
VIII be sold at auction. In spite Of these things,
| Patterson endeavored to get the nomination for
the Senate this year and lost 10y only few
votes In the Democratic convention. His friends
say that II Is envy Of his political strength that
is at the bottom OF his present dlihculty, and
they Loudly declare that his intentions were Of
the most honorable kind, and that energetic
efforts were being made at the time OF his in-
| dictment to restore the moneys the township
had lost On the other hand, the local Demo-
cratic newspaper assas his record both In the
army and IN politics, says he has done more to
| corrupt the voters OF the county than any other
| man, and deTldes the charitable supDositt on