The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-05-08
R E T @ R M.
The Deep and Painful Need
of 1t Made Manifest
by Testimony.
In THE TRIAL OF THE BIG FOUR.
The Defence Is Opened, and Billy
Kern Indulges in a New Neck
tie and a General Denial.

tlC QlQ q OOAAcAs
William F. Kern, the chief of the Big
Four wore blue-striped shirt when he
faced the jury that is trying him in the
Court House on the hilltop this morning.
But it was not the same one that deco
rated his sturdy form yesterday. The
stripes were broader and the cuffs, held
by looped buttons, dropped lower out OF
his coat sleeves. His face looked as fresh
as his new shirt, too, and he seemed to be
in fine trim for the excitements and wor-
ries of the day.
His confreres in the Combine" and at
the bar kept studiously in the background
and graced the further rail that shuts out
the vulgar crowd from the select circle
within the bar. If the rail had been a
wall they might be described as wall flow
erS.
1t was few minutes after ten o'clock
when the Court House bell rang and the
lawyers and Judges and reporters fiocked
to their places.
The case for the defence had been out
lined yesterday by MIR Vredenburgh.
Everything was prepared to plunge into
the testimony this morning.
The first point the defence tackled was
the pay rolls. 1t was to show that the
men whose names are on the rolls for De-
cember, January and February are not
Pigments of a contractors Imagination,
but actual live eXistences; and that, being
in the flesh, Nhey actually performed the
services for which they were paid.
Three names on the pay roll had espec-
tally excited suspicion. There was first
that man Smith, whom the Prosecutor
forced to confess that he had swindled
Uncle Sam by drawing pay from the Gus
toms House for time put in for the city;
and then there was Jimmy"
Larkins, the champion light
weight prize-ring puneher; and
testimony was directed to show that these
men did the work for which they were
paid Not satisfied with this, the defence
put witnesses on the stand to show that
there was legitimate work for these men
to do.
THE COMEDY ELEMENT.
Now and then, as the case went on,
flashes Of fun helped enliven the dull
routine of the hearing. When John
Quinn, for instance, was asked why he
said certain man had worked in Septem-
ber.
Because I think it" was his answer.
"Why do you think it," pursued the
Prosecutor.
Because l believe it," the witness ven
tured again.
''You think it because you believe it,
and believe it because you think it" was
the Prosecutors comical summary of this
witnesses testimony, while the spectators
broke into laughter.
More amusing a good deal was the
scene that ensued on the appearance of
hard headed, bronze faced German, named
Schum, on the stand. His name was
Christian. He has a son named Gott-
heb He testified that both worked for
the city in December. Mr.. Winfield
asked him who was Charles Schum, whose
name he saw on the December payroll.
Mr. Schum was in an exceedingly doubt
full condition of mind concerning that
name, and he broadly intimated that the
Prosecutor was kidding him.
why" asked the Prosecutor, with
broad smile on his face, "doyou think Pm
not reading it righty'
mo" responded the witness, II thinks
what you tond see goot dot mornin'."
To vindicate himself the Prosecutor car
ried the payroll up to the witness, and the
bronze-faced German pulled out his spec
tacles, adjusted them on his nose and
scanned the name in a hundred different
lights in the hope of making something
else than "Charles Schum" of the writing.
''Vell," he said, when he was convinced
that his eyes had not deceived him, ''dot
name is Charles, but | guess it vas for me.
Its the last name dot counts. The first
name don't go for nodingS."
Mr.. Schum had probably solved the
riddle. His name was not elsewhere on
the pay roll, and the account credited to
Charles was probably for the service he
had rendered the city.
A MODEL SYSTEM OF REPORTS.
The first man to take the stand this
morning was Charles Smith, of No. 16S
Jersey avenue.
He testified that in 1887 he was store
keeper in the city, yard. Dooley
and Smith reported, but Larkins
never did Larkins was employed in lay
ing pipe. Some of the reports made by
him were in writing He did not keep
all and the ones shown him are some that
happened to be saved. They reported in
the morning.
On cross examination he said the sig
natures of these men to the reports were
theirs, but he did not know the handwrit-
ing and did not know positively that they
signed them.
sThen, for all you know, one might go
to the Custom House and the other to
bedp"
81 don't know where they went after
they reported
John Quinn testified that he saw Lar
kins at the pipe yard at work.
Cross-examined, he said that he could
not tell exactly when he saw him, but he
thought he did.
Robert B. Coar, Water Purveyor, did
not know where Larkins worked. No
cross examination.
John McGuirk worked in the pipe yards
and he saw Larkins working there
Christian Schum came next. He made
boxes across the streets in December and
built drains in Cedar street. 1t was caved
in. and the cellars were all full of water
from it. He had lost his book and could
not say how many days he worked
The witness told the jury and Judge
Garretson the names of some of the men
who worked with him, but said he could
not guess the names of all. He had not
yet received his pay from the city for the
work, but he had sued the city.
Did you ask for your warrant at the
City HallW
II did. sued the city honestly"
HE REMEMBERED o'CoNNELL
'sDo you know man named Dash that
worked theresn
Eyes, sir"
Are You sure you worked theres"
81 guess So"
"When did You begin worki"