The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1885-11-29
MIIrHELL'S STIFF FIGHT.
REFUSING TO COME HERE TO ANSWER
- TO MANSLAUGHTER.

The New York Sailors Boarding House
Keeper Denies his Ownership of the
Fallen Buildings ON Morris Street to De-
feat the Efforts to Extradite Him.
Thomas Mitchell, theo of the build
ing on Morris street, which fell with such
fatal effect last Wednesday morning, is MAX
ing determined fight to escape answering
to the charge of granddaughter that has
been made against him in Police Justice
Stilsings Court in this city. He is the pro-
prietor of low down sailors boarding house
at the Battery end of West street in New
York, and when he was arrested refused to
come to this State for trial. He was
locked up in the Tombs to await extra
dition, and the case was first set down for
q hearing at two o'clock last Friday after
noon before Police Justice German. Chief
of Police Murphy was surprised to learn
from the course of the proceedings there,
that Justice German allowed Mitchell,
through his counsel, to traverse all the
facts of the case, as though the hearing,
instead of being preliminary, were as
full trial of the merits of the case,
as Mitchell might have in the Court of
Oyer and Terminer. The hearing of Fri
day lasted from three o'clock in the after
noon till seven in the evening" Then
it was adjourned till yesterday afternoon
until two o'clock.
mBecause of the latitude allowed the pris-
oner, Chief-of-Police Murphy deemed it
proper that the State of New Jersey should
be represented by counsel, and before
starting for New York yesterday he re-
quested District-Attorney Winfield. to sup
ply lawyer to attend the hearing Mr.
Winfield gave him note to District Attor-
ney MARITIME, who sent Assistant District
Attorney Purdy to the Tombs Court with
the Chief. When they arrived there they
learned that Mitchell had retained ssTom"
Ecclestine, ex-State Senator, and brilliant
orator, and ex-Judge Hogan, to defend
him. These gentlemen produced the will
of Thomas Mitchell, uncle of the pris-
oner, who bequeathed the Morris street
property to him, to prove that,
long to the prisoner. The Chief had how
ever fortified hismelf with little piece of
evidence that oy erturned this pretence
effectually. Police Inspector Lange had
spent half day or more in searching the
records in County Register Fielder's Office on
the Hill, and he sauntered into Court with
q certificate from the County Register that
in July last the Thomas Mitchell in Court
had mortgaged the property for $500.
Detective Clos was also in Court with
Governor Abbelt's requisition upon Cover
nor Hill of New York for the extradition
of the prisoner Mtchell's counsel urged
that the State of New Jersey had
not, in the first place, shown
that the ownership of the property
was in Mitchell, and if it had, that the
State had not made out prima facie case
Of granddaughter against him.
Assistant District Attorney Purdy insist
ed that the prisoner be held to give the
police time to apply to Governor Hill for
warrant of extradition on Governor Alb
belts requisition, and the prisoner was
remanded till next Wednesday morning.
He is locked up without bail in the
Tombs.
Clos will start for Albany to-day to Sc
seufe Governor Hills warrant. Mitchell's
counsel will also go to Albany to try to
convince the Governor that the warrant
should not be issued. If Governor Hill
refuses to issue the warrant, the matter
will be taken before the Grand Jury that is
to begin work on the Hill next Tuesday
morning, and Mitchell will undoubtedly be
indicted. Governor Hill can then scarcely
withhold the warrant of extradition.
A TATrLER representative visited the
ruins of the building yesterday morning,
and held conversations with several of
the residents of the district. The peo-
pie of the neighborhood are very in
dignant over the way in which
Mitchell has thus far conducted himself
IN regard to the care of the rookery The
lneighbors say that he often came around
and took look at the building. About
six months since the building next to the
,one that fell was pulled down, leaving the
other exposed on one side, without any
protection whatever. 1t remained in that
condition for three months, when Russell's
machine shop, next door, was burned.
The old building was partly burned, thus
making it more unsafe than ever. After
the fire Mr. Russell hired Waterman, but
Mitchell did not consider it worth while to
do so. The building has not been occupied
for months, on account of the unsafe con-
dition of the house. After the building
next to it was pulled down the owner, Nit
chell, boarded his place up, but after the
fire the place has been OPP to any one
who chose to go in. The little boy, Koran,
who showed SO much pluck when being
rescued is doing well. %