The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-08-28
vANzANDT ACQUITTED.

un CHARGE or ARSON AGAINST HIM DIS
xussED--PRErrY TALL SWEARING soNE-
Mr. william 7. vanzandt, who does business al NO
no Broadway a. a manufacturer, was tried yesterday
tncrnoou at Port Richmond, s. l., on onarss u
rsos, before Judge q. n johnson, and after an IN
vessteation which lasted Eve hours ana nA'i was
acquitted.
Tn. cas-. which wes one OF remarkable fea-
ures ana Incidents, has already been uea'ea OF
N, the HERALD so that II only remains 10 record
tns y,st At Yesterdays somewhat notable proceed
,,se n IN not generally known, however, that tho
hurnea promises, shout which the prosecution
arose we're once Inhabited by Mr. KICK
hosver the connosntial clerk OF Messrs, Israel
Goodrich h CO., at one lime extensive East
India traders OF New York. nine years
pgo KisEhoevsr disappeared, NO ono ever knew whors
he went and short, so Il was said, about
. elOo 900 on the books OF his employers, circum-
stance that led tho Of the Messrs. Goodrich
Co. IL was well understood at tho time that Kick
hoover and Miss Austin, now Mrs. Leopold Van
.slndr. were engoged 10 each other, and tho tact
stated in Court that the house IN ques.
tiop. which is situated ut The intersection Of
Bard street ana Castlston avenue, had eeen
decced to this lady before the departure OF KICK
hoover for the consideration OF ST. The house and
furniture, u will be remembered were insured Tor
Sil 900. The arrest OF Mr.. vaIzandt had been upon
Inc sfhdavit OF, exconvict named Harvard, whom
be had In bis employ and the accused was out on
;Sonas to tue amount OF $4,000. District Attorney
.ooople ana ex-judge Huntingdon conducted the de-
fence. Judge Baldwin was present to aid Judge
-gTs-7' THE CASE FOR THE PROSECUTION.
Owen Haley, the detective in the case testified that
zandi since tue nrs had examined the premises and
found there portions OF an exploded dcmijohn this
Adam Fries, a csrman Of German birth, who could
scarcely make himself understood, said, under oalb
a, losL he ted N IA n
bedsea, Mattress couple OF pillows some old clothes
basket with some arub;" he took back from tho
lncmisee a couple OF mirrors, gas fixtures, book
case and Two baskets OF towers; there vas some fur
nilprs in the parpr from which be took those ari-
.Uros Being asked Il tho detsosive olic<r promised
bin reward Tor his testimony no said that II the o.
nceY gave MIN IS, 900 mo did not see IT."
Alfred A. Peck. agent of the Hartford Insn rance
Company, swore 10 having Issued the policy handed
ssnd.: II was Tor Sll 900; claim had been made for
Tho insurance money alter tho Are, and W T. Van
be did know how the interest was divided be-
William Casey, who lives next house but one TO the
sne burned, that he went into the house on the
night Of the burning and helped to get out some Of
hs fasn'use tn. prncpal . things re's sasa
TX. .rs.eiss He ss,o the only visible thing in tho
things on she Upper door, but be did not SEQ any
thing else He described the nrs appeared In the
bopheast end OF the attic and the top of the second
noor as though travelling downvards from the
iop or the building Boyle ana Reagan Joined him at
-, HOW TIE CANDLE WAS BOUGHT
Mr.. vsnzabdt calcd the house OF witness at
about hali-pas i've O'Clock night OF FIRE and
asked II he could sell him a candle he directed him
where he could get one, at A. hnugs. IN Davis ave-
William A. Hangs, OF Mongoan extraction, sworc
that the night OF the IRE he sold candle 10 man
pressed In white coat, but could not tell who the
person was, nor whether II WINS light or dark al tho
william Lynch helped TO take out the furniture
nj MT
IL to his stherinlaw's 70 be stored there.
j. G Burnei testified that be knew both the de-
MI Yct,er, whose business wss that OF milk
man. requested the witness 70 writo certain
OF Inducements II he would withdraw the
charge Of arson agains. vanxsnt; among other
lion he could have $500, and nlore; also. that BY
Sucking to hts AFFIDAVIT ne would put "a cool 81 0o0
out OF hts hand" The wisncss swore that nc wrote
that neither Mr. vanzandt nor any one for him, 80
far ss the witness knew, had spoken with him on the
the charge the latter made against van zandt
false. The value OF the wlsness' evidence
i'm peached because OF his being excouvict He
showed great disposition 70 provo more than was
necessary. and cndco by making speech, the judge
not interfering, in praise OF hts own conduct since
leaving prison. Judge Huntington followed 10 neat
little euiogy upon the conduct Of tho witness and
secuted the idea OF browning down man because ne
had served term IN tho Penrsntiary
Harvard put on tho stand and severely hsndlsd
by Judge huntington, who tried To prove from his
swn lips mat he could not have been at the house
5ust before the are broke known that Mr..
Vanzandt and MRS. L. vanxandt left the place at the
time sworn by hun. His affidavit describing tho
alleged saturating Of with kerosene ana leaving
. lighted candle the pile gsoe through In the
cross e m ination aud the witness made TO show
Inaccuracies In his statements. There was no cor
roboratve evidence to show that tho a1idavt was
ssue In every particular
DEFENCE.
Thomas K Austin gave evidence sho wing that no
and bis With Harvard at time when the
latter elsewhere. The witness also testi
ned that the at Sevcntvsixth street, IN
fshis ossy, when Harvard he at the burned
house. ct cast near H. Mrs. Margaret Austin cor
roborated hor husbands testimony.
Eliza Pelietier, French domestic OF Mrs. L. VAN
xandt, gave her testimony 10 The same effect as the
two witnesses; 30, too, did Lizzie Gibbons. The
cook. Mrs. l.. Vanzandt was also positive about tho
presence of the accused at Seventy sixth street be-
lore O'Clock the night of the fire. This wit
Dsss could not tell whether tho mouse had ever been
decided to her for 81 consideration.
Mr. W. T. Vauzandt, the accused, was put on tho
stand denied point blank everything contained In
Harvsrd's nnidavit.
Alter some evidence OF secondary value by Mrs.
Harvard and Mr. Austiu Jr, the Judge SAID, IN half
dozen words that no had heard the evidence and &C
quilted the trayerscE
THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.