New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-01-26
GEN SHALER FACES A JURY.
HIS TRIAL FOR TAKING A BRIBE BEGUN.

o, ALEXANDER Shaer" WAS called yesterday morhihR'
in the Court OF oyer and Germiner, oy long 'uu' VIZ
least interested-lookng spectator In the ~noio 80,
room was General Alexander Shaler hlfnseh. ho io
th. inpersonaton of judicial imperturbaDlty' N'' ~
an much AZ the twtching of muscle did he DeUay 'n0
tt that for him the issue at is the state Prison
and ltcloup dishonor or vindlcatlOh "uu i0
stored public confidence. with sunkch ' ~
and eyes halfhiddon by crows ieo' N
tootprss are much better fitted to conceal than 10
feeling Judge Barrett, though calm ana digineo as
bocomes his Office seemed to take much more hVey
.,a,.s, IN his proceedings. General Shaer was en-
trenched among hs counsel Colonel George Biiss e&
limited states Dstrict-Attorney Ehu Root ana wiiiam
+ Howe They made up in animation all tnae uenerai
shaler lacked Colonel John r. Fellows Ambrose ii.
Pnrly and De Lancy Nicoll represented the DstrcAt
,rpcvs Office Among the spectators in the courtroom
were ex-Mayor Franklin Edson' O. HASTINGS "'"n' "
Richard S. Newcombe.
The selection the jury which is to decide whether
General shaler did or did not accept Drloe
of $4,000 from Monmouth b. Wilson ior
his influence in securing the purchase oi
rmorv sites consumed much less time than is usual In
similar cases which have awakened much pubic inter
"a, and dicussson Each candidate for the jury box was
asked whether he knew General Shaler, Monmouth b.
Wilson or any OF counsel whether he was OF hau
beep a member of the National Guard; whether he
owned tenement-house property and had any lieenhs
against General shaer because OF his official contro
All
and OF course how far his opinion had been auecteo
nv ANYTHING he had read newspapers But Bernard
cohen was excused he said he never read the
papers and had heard OF General Shaer lhehfs
uror accepted Smith Lee, the trustee OF the Morgan
Smith estate living at No. "a East Fifty ana
with an Office at No. 15 Cortlandts Samuel G Bern
stein dealer fancy goods at No 33 Mercer-st ana
living at No lS2 West tSeventysecOnds was the neXtto
enter the urybox Then six in succession for ether
knowing too much too little. werereected lhey uiu
moi seem at all sorry John II. MckeIry contractor
with an Office No. 12U Frontst, ana living AT No o'
West Eighteenthst made the fourth juror Inc ohers
chosen were William Livingston. dealer in sashes al
No 45l West Thirty-fourth-st and living at NO oo'
West Thirty vffth-st; Matthew Anderson. real estate
dealer at COrtlandt-ave. and Observation-Disclosures
echthst house No. 361 North Thrdave; Elbert s.JenF
SON. a banker at No. % William-s house NO. 40 "cst
Nineteenthst James l. Walsh, bookkeeper at NO. Z7o
West One hundred and twenty sxth-s, house No. 4O|
West hrty-thrdst.; George ID. Emerson. dealer Ill
,nusic strings at Fleetwoodave and Onc-hundrcdand
sixty-secondst living at No 157 West Twentynln'hs';
George A. Freeman, pencils, No 1s0 broadway mousse
No SO West yfourthst; Peter Frambach tailof'
at No. 27 Union Square, and living AT NO. - west
Houson-st; and Henry Cohen, tobacconst at No. 223
south-st Twelve " good men and true having FOUND
seats in the Jury box Judge Barrett administered the
usua caution TO them about reading what the papers SAID
about the case in engaging in discussions abOu1 H.
and then let them of until $50 in the afternoon.
Promptly at that hour General Shaer again took his
seat and shifted it little that he might face the
turymen Well he knew that his face would tell no taes
but theirs might. Edward Mitchell, chairman OF the
Republican County Committee, occupied a seat next
him whispered in his ear sometimes and occasionally
offered a suggestion to Colonel Bliss when he was max
Ing objections. But the cOmbative Colonel needed 10
stimu! ating that direction Ex-Mayor Edson occu'
pied seat few from General Shacr and occasion
ally eyed him solicitousy, while Monmouth b. Wilson
was giving his testimony. Colonel Bliss and Mt Root
did most of the verbal fighting for their client Mr. Howe
interfering few sarcastic comments at long Intervals
Mr. Purdy was most prompt In meet
ing the objections OF tho defenee Colonel Fellows,
ruddy and joval. looking as though lie thoroughly ell
joyed legal combat, apparently holding himself in re-
serve DstrictAttorney MARITIME opened the case He
read from the Penal Code the definition of the crime
with which General Smaller is charged and tie penalties
attached to 1t. Then IN tones calm and dlgnlied en-
rely free OF passion he began to tell what
lie expected 10 prove against General Shalcr IL VIII
appear" he said. " from the evidence that the com
maudquts of the sth, 18th and 22d Regiiaents at
yariou. times made applications to the Armory
Board for armores In selecting land for these armores
the defendant member OF the Board had large con
trolling influence. He an intimate personal friend
OF Monmouth b. Wilson. Wilson, learning that certain
lands were to be taken for arnorcs. went to Grncra
shaler and made with Inn agreement, essentially
rupt whereby he (Wson) should get control OF certain
property that General 5haer hy his influence with the
Board should it's purchase for armOries and the
profits be dcvIded between them"
Thus far it all plain sailing for Mr. NJ rtinc.
Bat whenS began to tax about how this agreement
had been applied in the purchase OF property at Ninth
ave ana sixty rs-st, lie met by prompt objection
from Colonel Bliss who said that the indictment only
related to property at Nineythird and Niney-tOurtn
sts and MaasOn-ave, and that the Attorney in
his opening should coniinc himself to that.
warm fight waged for some time
Nv fook hand in Z
and Mr. Purdy waxcd in support Of tic District
Attorney Judge Barrett sustained the objection.
Colonel Bliss looked elated his client utterly indier-
ent. Mr. MARITIME in the rest OF his opening confined
himself to the Madson-ayc. property. "Wison," he
i'd, |" through friend OF his named Fairchid, heard
that that plot of land in tie market Fairchld
learned that property could be bought for $4,000
aid contract made to get 1t for that price Will
son told Shaer that II he could get the ArmOry
Board purchase It for S3ooOoO he should have one
half OF tile $50, ,00O General Sbaer assentcd.
Bat there hitch in consuminatng the sale be-
the money could not then be raised owing 10 tho
law prohibiting OF bonds less than par Gen
eral shaler this time much pressed by certain
owners OF mortgages upon property of his in NowJcr
sey. lie told Wilson OF his trouble. The mortgages
amounted $4,000 Wilson told him that his share Of
fro property py"' would enable him to relieve himself
Of these mortgages The property was purchased for
Sinking Fund Commissioners. Wilson became possessed
Of bis snare he pfT aGS1 se G SSG m
for $4,000 the mortgage upon the NewJcrsey property
lie mortgage was assigned 10 anu nc QcHNcreu
satisfaction papers for II 10 General Shaler"
Mr.. Nartne then told bow when the Gibbs committee
began investigate the armOries General shaer got
badly frightened and besought Wilson TO stand by him.
Wilson did so until lie was on the verge imprisonment
Tie satisfaction papers were destroyed by him In
Genere shaes house. but the record Of the assignment
OF the mortgage 10 Wilson could not be destroyed.
Further TO up their tracks letters written
between them concerning the mortgage and dated
several months back designed TO make 1t appear
legal transaction. You aud regret" he said in
clusion, that gentleman Of the character General
6haer should be brought to the bar of Justice
IL you gentlemen OF the jury will not fall in your
duty any than the learned Judge will fail his"
MOninOnth II. Wilson," called tho clerk OF the court
In response goodookng, broad shOuldored wellbuiit
man. with gray hair and frosted beard stepped the
Witnessstand. His face turned scarlet before he had
been ve minutes, and remained flushed long
his examination continued. Meanwhile he perspired
freely apparently with the intensity OF his effort TO
fraiu from answering the questions which Mr.. Purdy