The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-10-15
HIGGINS AND THE HORNS.
The Cartaret Company's BoOkkeeper
Puts Up a Bold Defence.

John Higgins, former bookkeeper
employed at the Cartaret Chemical
Works in Kearney township. was placed
on trial yesterday charged with grand
larceny. The specific charge was that he
stole 10000 cattle horns from the COM
pany, whose business is to extract the
marrow from them to manufacture
chemicals.
When this is done the company re-
turns the horns to the owners to be dis
posed of as they may see fit.
President Cooper and Treasurer Dev-
eraux both testified that last winter a
man called at their factory and wanted to
purchase some horns. He was told that
the company did not own the horses and
could not sell them.
The president and treasurer were much
surprised then to learn from the would
be purchaser that horns from the factory
were being stored in Newark for sale,
and an investigation disclosed that Hig-
gins had caused the cartmen employed to
carry the horns to the proper owners, to
take them to his house and store them
in his cellar. 1t was claimed that about
ten thousand horns were thus disposed of.
They were carted to the house in bags
which bore the company's name and
private mark 1t was claimed by Presi-
that Higgins admitted his guilt when
confronted with the facts by them.
During the trial several witnesses were
called to prove the larceny and corrobor-
ate the complainants' testimony.
John Mcconnell, former driver for
the company, when the State called him
refused to testify, but was ordered to by
the Court, and he then, in a very un-
willing manner, told how he had sold
horns at different places at different
times for Higgins, and that he received
nearly onehalf the amount received for
doing the work.
On one occasion he sold to a New York
firm 7,000 horns and his share of the pro-
ceeds was 800, which Higgins gave him.
He also testified that when Higgins fed
to Canada he wrote to Higgins, but said
he did not remember what the language
was or If he said in it that Higgins could
return in safety.
fence did not crosS-eXamine the Witness
and the State soon after closed it's case.
Counsellor McGrath, when he outlined
his case for the defence, said that his
client could not be convicted as indicted.
for the defence would show that the
Chemical Company had no property in
the horns, and hence it would be impos-
sible to steal from them what they did
not own.
Higgins took the witness chair armed
with a mass of papers and books. He
testified that there was no proper account
kept OF the number OF horns received
and returned by the company, and also
that President Cooper had agreed to give
them all the surplus horns, not knowing
how great the surplus was.
He admitted that the alleged gift was
made when no person Yves present but
Cooper and himself He testified further
that he fled to Canada because Treasurer
Devereaux when he found 10000 horns in
the cellar claimed that there was short
age of 10, 600 horns and he feared impris-
onment He declared his innocence, and
that he only stayed in Canada until he
could arrange bail and then he returned.
He said he kept up a constant cores
pondence, and even wrote Police Captain
Day. of Newark,