Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-09-26

hpiltUOu IrDul tD6 CARS OF t0e PULLMAN
Palace Oar Company, and pleaded not
guilty. Cook was construction train
foreman on the T., W. IL b. railroad, aud
was implicated in the theft Of articles
from Pullman cars by he confession Of
negro porter. On the application Of his
counsel, Hon. Charles B. Lore, his trial
was continued until the November term.
Friday afternoons session OF court
was mainly occupied In argument OF the
Peo murder trial. Attorney-general Biggs
made the opening argument for the State,
and Mayor Harrington followed In strong
appeal for the prisoner. When he finished,
nt b.5O O'Clock, court took q recess until
Saturday morning, at O'Clock.
During the afternoon the grand Jury flu-
ished its labors and was discharged from
further attendance upon this term. With
respect to the visit OF inspection to New
Castle jail, the grand jury laid the follow
Ing report before the court:
In compliance with your request we have
made special inspection of the Jail at New
Castle and the coils In the basement Of tho
court house used for tho retcnton Of prisoners
awaiting trial. We regret to inform you that
we found bOta in u deplorable condition. Tho
court house cells have each n iioOr area OF 80
square feet; each cell contains II small single
hcdsead without mattress or covering: the
iloOrS are paved with stone; number of the
bedsteads are broken and therefore useless
In some cases six nnd sovcn prisoners are
crowded in them; II one prisoner occupies tho
bcdstead the balance must sleep or sit on cold,
damp stones without oven blanket TO protect
them.
We also visited tho jail at Now Castle ard
found worse condition Of affairs thcre
Tho physician In charge Informed MS that
there have been ut times confined in tho Inil
over quo prisoners, ind that Its maximum
capacity Is so.
No additions to this Jail have boon made
since 1856 and what at that tinlo was sufficient
for the needs of New Castle county are now
grossly inadeluate Nearly all the cells there
are Overcrowded: they have n floor apaco Of
i5xS foot and 10 feet high. In one Of these we
OF any kind. Prisoners there who have boon
sentenced to long terms Of Imprisonment are
provided with beds and clothlng: those Tor
short terms with neither.
Tho physician In charge informed us that
there Were only two bnth tubs in the building
AMI they were not In condition to use. one
room hero, III foot wldc and IS feet long. Is set
apart for tho imprisonment Of tramps in this
room there are no beds, bedding, benches or
CHAIRS. All sit or sleep on the board floor. No
clothing Is provided I'VE ARE infOrmOh) and we
found men there absolutely naked nbOve their
waists, and others upon our approach gathered
ragged garments around them 10 avoid stand
Ing before MS entirely naked Directly under
the floor Of this tramp room an open sewer ex-
tends nnd conveys the refuse from tho water
closets on one side of the building. We
doubted TINT such could be tho ease, but tho
resident physician stated that II Wils n flrt,
had a lo6se board removed aud showed it 10
us. This room now contains about 40 people,
but u Inns had crowded INTO IL ~ No traps IN
WASTE Rli,ns nave pnoI placeu III any part OF
met, M NV ,.tSit ~ w
10 Tho lew conrt TINT tGero sh0,iid be ~, I'M.
provement made ~ once in Tie plumbing
throughout the lhil.
Second That system he adopted by which
me prisoners slall DO properly clothed ana
AG a,,i rtein In, ,,,ou, Ia ,,, n ,,,,,,,
cmnIovnd 10, no YrS,nr ,,,,n,,,i,,, ~ nrianmer,
Fourth That there be- some provision made
for hospital purposes.
Filth. That additional cell room DO pro-
YiIcd Mt as moderate expense as possible.
hospoc'iuly susItWn ,, ro,o,, t,.,,,,,
"ii"-iA" eooOh' potol'iah'
Such q state OF affairs, Chief Justice
Oomegys said, was not at all creditable TO
the county. He ordered the report to be
spread upon the records OF the court and q
copy to be sent to the levy court.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Biggs made the closing
argument LOT tne state In the trial OF samuel
REQ, Tor me murder OF samuel Edwards, al
SATURDAY morning session OF court.
~, ChleI Justice oomegys charged the Jury,
me conflict or Testimony In this case, he
SAID, was matter Tor the Jury 10 deter
mine, and 10 give credence TO whenever
SIDE the Jury considered was the more re-
liable and consistent. Inc different grades
OF murder aehneu, and the main points Of
the prayers proposed by the attorney.Ren
eral were answered Ia the aiilcmatiye. Will
regard 10 the plea Oh the defence that tht
deceased came TO MS ueatn Dy Ialilng upoI
Inc PICK In me hands or the prisoner, the
court held that there was no proof to sus
tain this plea and even II there was, 1
could not nelp the prisoner unless 1t wa!
shown that ne was using the Instrument
| lawfully TO nf0tHDt his lifN. (lthnrUIqA ht
was guilty OF an unlawful act. The jury
was instructed 10 give the prisoner th'
peneht o. any reasonaole doubt tnat lnlgh
exist. AZ iO.io O'Clock the Jury retired:
| Peo, the prisoner, listened with an afr o
eager interest TO the charge and seemed Il
swallow every WORD as they iell from the lip
oithe cnlei Justice; througnout the trial, II
TACT, REQ gave evidence OF lVely reall2a
ton OF the perils OF his situation, and pait
the closest ettention 10 Doth evidence anI
argument-intended on the one side q
send MIN TO the galiows and on the othe
TO at least save MIN from death and, II pos
siole, from term OF incarceration In
Ieions cell Wnen the Jury retired he wa
taken below to the court house cells.
Inc following prisoners were arraigned
william Faulkner eolored, for the lar
eeny OF two flannel shirts from Andrew
| Mnn1m OF wilmington. Pieadeu guilt
| ana aaReo the mercy OF the court.
William benton, colored, for the larcen.
OF lap blanket from Hugh Lynch OF VII
| mlnRton, Pleaded guilty.
Thomas Lukens. eolored, for the larcen
OF Two linger rings, medallion ind q watcl
enain from mary nutcheu OF this city
Pleaded guilty. ~
James =. Groomes, colored, for the lar
ceny OF 40 cents from Martin Keogh of VII
mington. Pleaded guilty.
Henry hirons, colored, for the larceny o
a pair OF shoes from p, w. Il q. railroad
freight car. Pleaded guilty.