The daily gazette., 1878-02-27
SECOND EDITION
JERSEY JUSTICE.
A Batch Of Isascally Jersysmen
COns1gmed 70 Prison

At Trenton, N. j., on Monday, Walter
Il. Bartlett, late receiver Of City Taxes
was sentenced to two years imprison-
ment at hard labor for stealing $40, 600 of
the city's money and Joseph A. Beecher,
editor of the Sussex County Press, was
given thirty days term for falsely ac-
cnsing public officer with taking a
$1,000 illegal bee. But the crowning
sensation of the day, says cOrrespon-
dent, came with the turn of Jacob r..
Freese and his two sons. Jacob X.
Freese is man with great conceit. He
came here from the West as a sort of
doctor, secured the appointment of
Provost Judge ataAlexandria at the be-
ginning of the war, made good thing
out of it, came back to Trenton, travelled
through the Holy Land and published a
about 1t, was editor of the State Gazette,
the Republic can organ of the State, for
awhile, and finally turned banker. He
started the State Savings Bank, of this
city, something over ten years ago, but
the names of prominent citizens on the
account books az directors, showed them
under every door and distrib buted them
among all the factories and places of
busi ness. Hundreds of the poorest and
most needy people in the community
were seduced into trusting their all into
his hands. He deliberately stole their
savings, and under such atrocieus cir
cumstances that he plead guilty in order
to prevent the public learning the facts.
The contempt in which he was univer-
sally held was turned to adherence
when he made every effort to throw the
whole guilt upon his two boys. Only
yesterday to declared that not more in
nocent man walked the streets than was
lie.
THE FREEZE FAMILY sENTENCED.
"Jacob r. Freese," said the Chief
Justice, Gin your case the Court has to
say there is not a single mitigating cir-
cumstance. You are charged With en-
bezzling the money Of the savings bank
and with conspiring to defraud that in
you betrayed It. You have been trusted
by people, many Of whom were poor and
incapable of taking care Of themselves.
This is no ordinary theft; you have VIOLA
ted law by deceitful contrivances, well
matured plans, cunningiy LAID and well
carried out, and afterwards aggravated
by endeavors to create the impression
that 1t was not you but your children
who were guilty. Therein you have Of
Tended not only Justice but common hu-
manity. Up. to the present there is no
any responsibility for the CRIME, but have
sought to spread the belief far and wide
that your children are the guilty ones
You are the man who took the money
every bit OF it. Your case contains nc
features Of mitigation, but every feature
of aggravation. On the first Indictment
you are sentenced to hard labor in the
State Prison for three years, and on the
second similar sentence is imposed fol
two years."
The soBs, Henry q. and Louis X, mex
came up for sentence. The Court ad
dressed them feelingly, regretting the ne
cessity that had compelled it to speak oi
their father as it had done in their pre-.
sence; but the position of the sons was
I'll fferent from that of the parent, who
had brought them up and had led them
astray. They had simply been tools in
his hands, and they had done we'll in not
turning upon him and revealing the
whole truth. Each then was sentenced
to six months in the country Jail.
There is universal commendation OF
the course of the Court. Where mercy
was deserved it was shown, and when
withheld it was because he who claimed
| it was less deserving than the jungle
tiger.