The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1881-07-22
A Strange Story.

"A 1NA StAA5o sStI%J
A rather mysterious affair occurred q
Boonton early on Tuesday morning 0
last week. The particulars, as CLEANED
from the Bulletin, seem to be about al
follows: Sarah F. daughter of JOSEPH
Cole, started about 4 o'clock with hel
basket to gather raspberries, which grew
wild in the suburbs of Boonton. Accord
| ing to her own testimony, she picked
three or four quarts and then started tC
return home, about 6 O'clock. When neal
the residence of Mr.. Stefanski, she was dis
covered by that gentleman in bleeding
and dazed condition, and was taken by
him home. Upon physician being sum
moned it was found she was suffering from
a terrible wound on the head. During
the day Mr.. Cole, the girls father, made
complaint against Mahlon Hitler, the
Boonton constable, charging him with an
atrocious assault upon his daughter. On
Saturday a hearing was had before Squire
Kanouse.
Dr. Ryerson testified that he at
| tended the victim and found an
| irregular wound, about inches
long, on the left side of her lead, laying
the skull bare. lie regarded it an injury
| that might be serious; the wound was
evidently caused by blow from an IRE
gular, hard substance, and might possibly
thave been caused by fall, but it is not
likely. She will probably recover, but is
not in condition to be brought before
| the Court In my judgment the injury
was not self inflicted; it is impossible to
tell whether the wound was caused by a
stone held in the hand, or by missile
thrown by some one.
The girls testimony was taken at her
home, and was as follows: I got upabout
half past four, Thursday morning, and
went to Fernie Wilson's lot; picked
about four quarts of berries and then
started for home; I went on in Mr.. Ka-
nouse's lot to near the corner of David
sons and Stefanski's lots; then and there
| saw MahlOn Hitler, my uncle, coming to-
ward me, facing me; he came from some
bushes; saw he had stone in his hand
and he said to me, raising the stone in his
hand, damn you, will kill you, and that
is the last remembered until found my
self in Mr.. Stefanski'S lot and near to his
hen coop, and Mr.. Stefanski came to me
and said : my child what is the matter !;
then Mr.. Stefanski brought me home;
remember before / was struck by Hiler
when had just jumped over the fence
from Wilson's lot, | heard the mill bell
strike O'clock; / don't know what hour
1t was when got home; remember that
Mahlon Hitler had on a coat of a kind Of
brownish red; (coat taken from Hiler's
back was shown to her and she said il
looked like the one3 he had black soft
hat on | have had no particular difficulty
with Mahlon Hitler; he met me in the road
near our house on the 18th of July, and
spoke to me in a friendly way Mahlon Hi
Ter has for a time been quarrelling with my
mother, calling her bad names and saying
bad things about me, and he has been at
enmity with my father; Mahlon Hiler
and my brother William and Jacob Vree
land, about three weeks ago, were togetlr
err and had some trouble and came to
blows, they were under the influence of
liquor; have never been subject to fits
of any kind that subjected me to fall; /
am sure it was Mahlon Hitler who met
me and no one elsej l went alone for
berries that morning and no one was with
me at any time before Mahlon Hiler aps
preached me with stone, he was about
as far from me when / first saw him
as across this room, (about ten feet);
saw Mahlon Hitler raise his arm and
throw the stone, and heard him say,
damn you, will kill you; all knew
about the quarrels between Mahlon Hitler
and my mother and father I have heard
them speak of; have been living away
from home great part of the time lately.
Mahlon Hitler sworn; | got up last
Tuesday morning at halfspast 5. looked
at the clock; had a prisoner in the lock-
up and had promised him I would be
Edown early and take him to Morfist0Nln;
I went to t'ae barn first, 400 or 500 feet
from the house; | fed my horse, cleaned
her off, creased my wagon, and went
home and got my breakfast; went up
stairs ana shaved myself; then went out,
met James Davidson, and went to the
lookup. think we went to Main Street
together; / took the prisoners breakfast
in to him; | might have been there at
the lookup minutes; I then went up
and hitched up; then came down to the
lock~up; stopped at Ryerson's; think
w. H. Temple stopped me; he says,
"What's the matter up the road, Male ~
| said, II don't know, have just been
to the stable and hitched up and haven't
heard anything; he said there had been
some boy there after the doctor; just
then DR.. Ryerson came to the door. he
said, "turn around, Male, and take me
up the road"; said, ~ can't, Doctor,
very we'll, I've got man down here to
take to Morristown"y he went in the
house and went on; | first heard about
it when Mr.. Temple spoke; | first heard
who was hurt when came back from
Morristown; my wife told me; it was then
IL o'clock; 1 don't exactly remember
when I did see Fanny Cole last: it wasn't
long after the 4th that saw her to speak
to her.
The fact was elected during the trial
that the girls reputation is not the best
and that she had been guilty of mum.
Der of crooked transactions. She is al.
legged to have attempted to commit sui
eide by taking poison while living al
Montclair some months ago.
Mrs. Cole, the mother, is sister o
the accused constable, and the family
have not been on good terms for long
while.
In view of all the circumstances Jus.
tice Kanouse discharged Hitler.
The case is peculiar one. and certain
ly calls for further investigation, as the
fact remains that crime was committed
by somebody, and whoever the guilty
party may be, they should be punished
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