Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-03-09

His Protest of Innocence Not Permitted to
go on the Record, but Flied as
"Statenent':-PetrOH BE
fore q Jury.
HARRISBURG, March 9.-After court
met to-day, Judge Pearson, in answer to
an inquiry from the district attorney, said
that Kemble's plea should be stripped of
everything except the formal plea OF
"guilty"; that his protest would be al
lowed to go on file as statement for the
benefit of defendant, but it would have no
bearing whatever so far as the plea was
concerned, and should not be a part of
the record.
Counsel for defense said they had Ger
tainly misunderstood the court when they
presented this plea yesterday. They re-
tired for consultation and were out for
an hour before they came to a conclusion.
They then came into court with plea of
guilty and protest in form as directed by
the court.
The corrected protest is as follows:
Commonwealth VS.. William H. Kem-
bic. The defendant at the time of filing
his plea to the bill of indictment protests
that said plea shall not be construed as an
admission that he did corruptly offer any
money or thing of value to either or any
of the persons named in the bill of indict-
ment, and that said plea to said indict-
ment is pleaded by him pro fornaa, he be-
ing unwilling further to contend.
PetrOh's Case.
The case of the commonwealth VS..
En;1o potrof ,y,o thor, o,IIoJ fnr +r;,1
After the jury had been impaneled the
commonwealth asked that the court stand
three of the Jury aside. Judge Pearson
said he could not do this in court of
quarter sessions that it was only usual
in courts of oyer and terminer.
F. B. GOwen and J. w. SimontOn for
the commonwealth took issue with the
court on this point affirming the right of
the commonwealth to do so.
F. Carroll Brewster, for the defense,
argued against the position of the COM
on this question.
The court finally decided in favor of
the commonwealth.
Twenty-Five names were then
called before jury was obtained, and
after they were sworn the court ad-
journed until two o'clock this afternoon.
THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD.
Annual Meeting OF stockhoIders-A Hasty
Glimpse of some of the Inside Machinery
of it's Observation-Disclosures Fur
nishing 4 heir Houses at the
Company's Expense
The Usual Vote of
Confidence.
PHILADELPHIA, March 9.-The annual
meeting of the stockholders of the Penn
sylvania railroad was held to-day, Mayor
Stokley presiding. The session was brief
and the proceedings unimportant. The
annual report was taken up for discussion
page by page. The first point of interest
was the legality of construction of the Fill
bert street elevated railroad, but a motion
to appoint committee to take action upon
the measure was laid on the table.
A communication was presented stating
that mass of facts relative to the Mich
olas Rope tract and other frauds had been
presented to the president and that he
had promised to investigate them. The
further set forth that
this investigation had not taken place
that $4,000 had been paid by the
to the late President Thom-
son for his services in securing lease
of the Fort Wayne road that two
directors of the comeany had been paid
81 900 each per year for sixteen years, and
that one of the officials of the company had
furnished house at the expense Of the
company.
This communication excited some COM
ment, and Vice President Roberts justified
the action of the late Mr.. Thomson.
After adopting resolutions expressing
confidence in the management of the