The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-06-10
LAST
D|T|ON
SHORT AND SWEET
Was the Case Made Against
the FreeholderS in
Court Today.
THE TRIAL FINISHED ALREADY.
The States Case Such That the De-
PENDANTS Didn't Think 1t Worth
While to Be Sworn.

While to Be Sworn.
Politicians were plentiful about the
Court House this morning and look of
expectancy was on their faces. Others
looked anxious also. They were Free
holders Totten and McDonough, of
the First District; Hennessey and Kilroy,
of the Second; Griffin, of the Third; Smith
and Director Seger, of the Fourth;
Kimmerly and Rollston, of the Sixth,
Boyle and Tierney, of the Eighth. and
Noonan, of the Tenth. These men were
all indicted for malfeasance in office, and
comprise representatives from all the dis
tricts but the Seventh and Ninth.
These Freeholders, it is charged passed
December 20 a fraudulent bill alleged to
have been presented by Freeholder Hen
nessey, under the name Of James O'Neil,
for the purchase of two barrels of tur-
pentine and three barrels of asphaltum
FREEHoLDER TIERNEy'S JOKE.
1t was their trial that drew the politi-
clans to the Court House before nine
O'clock and, something unusual, all the
Freeholders were there, too. When Free
holder Tierney was asked where he was
going as he passed the Court House steps
he replied:-
'sI'm going to the jail to arrange for
special accommodations
"Where are the other Freeholdersg"
"They are over in the office pEacticing
the lock STEP" he replied.
Other and many jokes were passed be-
tween the politicians and the Freehold
ers, but that did not seem to make the
officeholders happy
ARE YOU READY TO PROCEED?
When Court opened, the indicted Free
holders stationed themselves around
large table on the east side of the front
court room and formed wreath, with
ex-AssemblymanT Thomas F. Noonan as the
central blossom.
District Attorney Winfield called the
witnesses in the case, and then called
James O'Neil for the first witness, That
individual failed to appear, and he was
called again, with a like result, Judges
Lippincott and Paxton looked inquiringly
at the Prosecutor, and again O'Neil was
called
Allan McDermott who appeared for the
Treeholders, noticed this embarrassment
on the part of the Prosecutor, and, with a
sarcasm to be relished only by being
heard, said in soft tones
''Are you ready to proceed Mr. Prose
cutor? We are"
"One minute, one minute, Counsellor"
returned Mr.. Winfield, as his heavy
eyebrows dropped down over his
eyes and he began to think.
This thought caused him to ask for delay,
and to keep the Court busy he arraigned
several prisoners for petty offences. This
over the Court withdrew from the
bench, and after waiting half an hour
O'Neil put in an appearance. and the jury
was then empanelled.
A GOOD JURY-FoR THE DEFENSE.
James Quigley, James McGinnis, AL
bert H. Norton, August Weichkerser.
f,,r rffnr, cnn a
man, Joseph Quirk. Michael Daley. Mau-
rice Welsh, Robert O'Rourke, Alvius
Schofield, Charles Striker and James Nc
Closkey.
"That's an elegan5 jury for the de-
fence" murmured q gentleman in the
court room who saw them drawn.
District Attorney Winfield, in opening
the case, said:--
THE CHARGE STATED.
"In this instance it was for two items on
bill without date for goods furnished
by James F. O'Neil The Freeholders
were in the habit of buying by requisi-
tion, that is, as in this case, where the
goods were for the Jail, Mr.. Birdsall the
taller, would tell q member of the COM
mittee that he needed certain goods, and
the committeeman would order the goods
In this case this bill bears upon it, with
out date. BY Freeholder McDonough,'
and, without date, the signature of Mr.
Birdsall to the words, correct as to guam
tity;,
another of Mr.. O'Neil's ordered by Mr.
Hennessey, which had been reported cor
rect by the committee. The bill on which
the indictment rests does not appear to
have been reported correct by the commit
tee or by anybody else, but it was paid by
warrant at the same time as the other
bill of which spoke. The two warrants
were paid with a single check
'tNow, on the bill were two items which
seemed to be SO extrayagant that, in de-
cency, they ought not to have been paid.
One of them was three barrels OF as
phaltum, which ought to have cost $25 at
the outside. The charge was $11S92. The
other item was two barrels of turpentine
worth about fifty cents a gallon, and this
would make about $50 for the two barrels.
The charge was Sl27.02"
TAKING THE TESTIMONY.
Charles Birdsall, the jailer, testified that
he is jailer and that he ordered asphaltum
and tur pentine for jail.
Formerly" he said. 1--WE made out re-
uliisitions for it, but at one time commit
tees met irregular and it was necessary to
give the requisition to the chairman of
the committee"
'sWas Mr.. McDonough chairman Of the
Committee on Jails last year?' asked the
Prosecutor.
'sSometimes the sellers of the goods send
me a slip or memorandum of goods
bought; gave the requisition in ques-
ton to Freeholder McDonough"
s.When this bill was presented to me,
NV deputy told me the asphaltum and
trrpentine had been received; l don't
know who took the goods to the
iail, but Deputy Eltringham does
Henry Gardner, ship chandler, was
the next witness called. He deals in tur
pentine and asphaltum, Asphaltum
worth 81 gallon, and barrel contains
fifty gallons.
WINFIELD coRRECTs A WITNESS.
"That can't be" said the Prosecutor,
ssthat would leave the county in debt, for
we only claim S11S; turpentine averages
ffty-ive cents gallon and the barrels
hold from fifty-two to fifty-eight gal
Cross-examined by Mr.. McDermott the
witness said the highest price turpentine
had reached was sixty-five cents gallon.
soThat's all. "
nOne minute,n said the Court, were
you a witness before the Grand Jurys"
mo, sir, he was not, emphatically said
The Prosecutor.
DIDN'T SWEAR o'NEIL.
lTarenh Eltringham. Deputy Keeper,