Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1888-10-11
BRIDGEToN, N j., THURSDAY, OCTOBER II. 1888

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dicted for keeping disorderly house
in Vineland. J. L. Van Syckel ap-
peared for the defendants.
Constable Nickerson was the first
witness called. He said the defendants
lived on Park avenue, in Vineland.
He knew that there had been several
complaints against the house, by the
neighbors; he had arrested Mrs. Berry
on warrant issued on account of
these complaints. She was somewhat
intoxicated when he went to arrest
her, and two or three tramps were at
her house at the time. On cross.ex
animation, he said he had arrested
Mrs. Berry twice; he had arrested Mr.
Berry on the street for being drunk.
Mrs. Hannah Thompson was sworn
She said the defendants lived about
thirty feet west from her house The
house of the Berrys was a very noisy
pls ce; fighting and quarreling were in
dulged in, and tramps would go there,
get drunk, and fight and quarrel Mr..
Berry would get very drunk. 1t was
a very bad place on Sunday; the lam
guage was bad; they would curse and
swear dreadfully. She had seen a box
of beer at the house, but they did not
keep it to sell. She had frequently
complained to the officers about the
place.
B, F. Ogborn, sworn, said the char
acter of the house "a part of the time
was pretty rough; there was good
deal of cursing and swearing; on Sun
days it was worse, and the place was a
resort for drunken persons. / have
seen Mr.. Berry under the influence of
drink he continued
THave you ever seen Others there
drdnk?" was asked.
u have, frequently" was the reply
Miss Sophie Thompson, a daughter
of Mrs. Hannah Thompson, was called.
She said the house of the Berrys was
very disorderly house. Tramps con-
gregated and lodged there, she said.
The noise of the cursing and swearing
was very annoying to her family.
Constable Frank Nichols, called, said
he had been obliged to go to the house
anoqnestiona once .or = TWICE, a. week
sometimes, to arrest Mr.. and Mrs.
Berry for disorderly conduct.
Jacob johnson, sworn, said he had
heard noises of 'fussingn at the house
-quarreling and fighting, cursing and
swearing.
Officer Green was sworn in this case.
and could not give the house a good
reputation; had seen Mr.. and Mrs. Ber-
ry and three tramps all drunk there at
one time; had been called there when
there were three women and several
men there.
Officer Green's testimony completed
the evidence on the part of the State,
and the defence began.
VIM. Berry was put upon the stand
IN his own defence, and denied, in toto,
that Officer Green had ever arrested
him. His house was not harpor for
tramps; there were two men who often
stayed with him, who were old friends
of his; they never were drunk there;
he had one box of beer there; the man
Keller had it. Never had any noise in
his house; never saw Mrs, Thompson
at his house; did not know Sophie
Thompson. There never was any
noise at his house, though he had pre-
viously admitted that he had been
arrested for fussing with his wife. His
place was a good, nice home, such a
one as would have hung up over the
fireplace the motto, God Bless Our
Home"
Mrs. Berry was called, and swore to
all the placid statements made by her
husband, though she did admit that
she had had difficulties with him, and
also that she had served thirty days
in our Jail on a similar charge. Her
little daughter gave her childish testi,
mony as well as she could.
Lawyer Van Syckel summed up very
pathetically for the ''sinned against
couple. He had tried to throw the
odium of the noisy neighborhood upon
some colored families living there, and
the way he warbed about colored peo-
pie living among white people, and his
favorite and affectionate ;lllusion to
''darkies, Showed that he wasn't want
ing to enlist any colored voters for the
coming election on any side he may be
interested IN.
Mr.. Hoagland, in his concise and in
cisive way, drove the points of the
testimony. The Judge seemed to get
on to" those points
Judge Reed said, in charging the
Jury, that "a disorderly house is nui-
sance," and then he went on to explain
that the disorder may consist in
drunkenness, noise, cursing and swear
ing, &c. If the Jury thought, beyond
a reasonable doubt, that such was the