The daily gazette., 1883-05-10
THE CRIMINAL COURT.
YESTERDAY AFTERNOONS
PROCEEDINGS.
PETTY THIEVES WE'LL DEFENDED
Larceny Cases Disposed Of-CIerk Cochran
Called on by q Negro ThIef-Mors Con-
Vlotiona.

4th day of this month; missed the horse at
sunrise next morning; telegraphed to the
members of the Protection Horse Company;
my son aud / tracked the horse 10 New
Castle and from there to Delaware City,
along the river road; saw a man on the road
who described the animal; found the horse
at Delaware City in the stable of a man
named Jester.
William +. Peters corroborated the testi-
I1ony of the previous witness.
James M. Jester, sworn-Recollect see
ing the prisoner last Saturday morning:
came to Delaware City and wanted to sell
horse to me, which he said belonged to
him, and which he had had In his possession
for over a year; he wanted $22.50; finally
we | am member of a-llrm) bought the
horse and gave check for $50, payable in
a few days; shortly after he left received a
telegram asking about stolen horse; the
description Tailed with the appearance of
the horse bought Of Mason.
Peter Lambson, cOlored, sworn-Live with
Mr.. Peters; saw Mason at Peters house
twice on May 4th, once about and again
at 7.30 O'Clock.
The State here closed and the prisoner
called for the defense John Brown, colored,
who testified to the previous good character of
Mason, but the witness had not seen the
prisoner for the past ten years. Mason then
started to tell that he had carried the KEYS
of Mr.. "Neddy' Cochran for a number of
years and had never stolen any thing "If
wanted to steal horse / would have taken
good one from Mr.. Cochran and not have
waited until this late day." He closed by
calling upon the clerk to become his
witness.
Clerk Cochran was sworn and said the
prisoner had worked for him for awhile and
was always industrious and appeared TO be
honest, but he never carried the keys.
The prisoner then made lengthy address
to the jury and explained how he had come
into possession of the horse, saying that
man had given him horse at Front and
Market streets, this city, at the same time
going into details with reference to lot of
statements and claiming that his brother
had given him the horse.
The Chief Justice then charged the jury
upon the case, the State submitting the case
without argument. The jury retired at
$50 and returned IN few minutes with a
verdict of "guilty." He was sentenced to
pay the costs Of prosecution, $3.50 restitution
money, be imprisoned 2 years, stand in the
pillory hour and receive 20 lashes.
The jury in the case of the State vs.. Isaiah
Taylor, alias Isaiah Price, charged with
stealing lot of salt meat, was then drawn
and the case proceeded with, Lewis G, Van
| degrift, Esq, representing the defendant.
The Attorney General conducted the prose
cution.
Abel j. Hopkins, affirmed: Live in Mill
Greek hundred; am a farmer; had lot of
meat stolen on March 8; the meat house
had been broken open; an axe was lying by
the door, the lock of which had been
wrenched off by pair of blacksmith's tongs;
lost about 300 pounds of salt meat; recov-
cred it all that night; got some at George
Watson's house; valued at about 500; do not
know the prisoner.
William Adams, colored, sworn-Know
| Isaiah Taylor; lived on the3d of March last
with Squire Ellis in Himbleville, Pennsyl-
yania, about seven miles from Newark; saw
| the prisoner the night he went for this meat;
was coming from Newark; Taylor and an
other man were in a wagon; they took me
along; Isaiah Taylor and George Watson
were the only. persons in the wagon; they
/ said they were going to Hopkins to get
some meat; went as far as Joel Thompson's
when l stopped to get banjo and got out
of the wagon; did not see them any more;
they both said they were going for meat; it
/ was between IL aud IL o'clock when met
theuAon the road.
John A. Hopkins, affrmed-Am the son
of Abel j. Hopkins; recognize the prisoner
| as the man we arrested on the Sunday after
the stealing of the meat; arrested Taylor In
Christiana; searched Taylor's house, but
found no meat The State here closed and
counsel for the defense addressed the jury,
stating that the only evidence of the State
that went to connect Taylor with the crime
was William Adams, who confessed that he
had turned States evidence.
Samuel Price was then called to the stand
and testified as follows: That is my brother
in the dock; live and work with Joshia
| Lukens; was hauling out manure In COM
pany with my brother all the day; he was
learning me how TO read from a new Bible
my wife had bought; was up until 1870
| O'Clock; he then went to bed; called him in
the morning and he answered me; wasn't
out of the house at all during the night or
day of March Sd; he couldn't have come
down the stairs without waking me, because
there is no carpet on the stairs, and Pm 4
light sleeper; "can't sleep no how on ac-
count of the rats. ="
Annie Price, sworn-Am the wife OF the
man who Just left the stand; bought two
Bibles for 25 cents apiece on Friday, March
2; both came home on that day about $50
! O'Clock; they sat at home all evening trying
to read their Bibles; they read until 1870;
then heard Isaiah 90 to bed; do rot know
what time he got up the next morning, be
cause we have no clock.
The witness was closely crOss-QuestioneG
A by Attorney General Gray, who was unabl,
y to find that the witness was sufficiently in
telligent to know the days OF the month
= | Sne StaJCu LnaI sue Only hHO" bhouaJb Wuci
r Mrs. Hopkins told her.
o Nicholas Valentine, sworn-Live a
u Jacob Prices; know the prisoner; he wa
c arrested on Sunday; was at Samuel Price
. when he was arrested; cut wood for Lukin
It on Friday and Saturday; saw the pIisone
IL on Friday night at Samuel Prices house
It stayed there all night; they were reading
|, biole; don't know how long they read
n slept in the out room the stairs are betweel
s room / slept in and Samuel Taylor's room
!. man could not well come down stair
r, without my knowing it. The defense her
,r closed.
r. Counsel for the defense called the atten
lie tion Of the jury to the fact that the testi
Sc mony of all the witnesses of the defense wa
q, to the effect that the prisoner was home a.
l. evening of the day on which the robber
1t was committed. The whole evidence of tn
at brother. who slept in the inner room was I
to the effect that he could have heard any ma
We had he attempted to come down stairs aftC
1e he had retired. He then at some length n
viewed the evidence and claimed that thel
If was no evidence against his client other tina
OF that of the young man who had turne
at States evidence merely to get out of 1t hin
be self, and asked that verdict Of not gull
of be rendered.
to Attorney General Gray said whenever
man is being tried for crime like this Il
easiest defense is to try and prove an ALT
and Ia the usual and most generally resorta