The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-06-26
AN ABLE ADDRESS.

Mr.. yredenburgh's Ingenious Opening
for the Accused.
The state had concluded its case yester-
day when The JERSEY CRY NEWS went
to press Counsellor James B. Vreden-
burgh, when he heard Mr.. Winfield say,
"We rest. slowly rose from his seat,
gathered up some papers and books and
informed the court and jury that the duty
of presenting the case for the defense had
fallen to him. He desired the jury to
know that the crime the defendants
to him as to any one and that the
Prosecutor could not paint the crime in
too vivid coIors, if the accused were proven
guilty, but this he did not believe
could be done.
Before we enter into the details of this
case" said the speaker, "let us first look
at the law under which these defendants
spectors, Judge and Clerk of election,
and also of the days of registry. Their duty
commenced as Board of Registry. 1t is the
duty of this Board to make a correct list
of names to be placed on the register. 1t
was because they performed the require
ments of this law that they were subse-
gently charged with allowing men to
vote who were notregistered. One count
in the indictment is for that. The indict-
ment sets forth the names Of twenty-one
men SAID to have cast Illegal votes. We
will show you, gentlemen, that this is all
q mistake-a simple mistake. We will
show you that twenty of these men voted
legally, and that they are all right. One
name we have been unable to trace. that
of Lacy, but the others we will show had
legal and perfect right to cast thsir
vote. The State has tried to show you
that men have voted who had no right to,
that is another mistake, gentlemen, as we
will show you. Take for example the
first of the twenty-one names in the in
dictment. IL is G. Homan. 1t is claimed
it was not registered, but lis found on the
poll book as G. Hornan. Now on the
register we lind name that looks like G.
Honan, it should have been G. Hornan.
He lives in the precinct. Look at the
name. gentlemen, and you will see that
it only looks like G. Homan; so you see it
is only mistake"
MORE CURIOUS MIST,laaigzIE igzIES ~
~. Gately is the next name in the in
dictment We are accused of listing him
from No. 81 Sussex street. There is a
John Gately who lives there and we will
produce him.
f. Shaughnessey is charged with living
out of the district and voting in it, He
it is said lives at No. 204 Grand street. 1t
turns out that ex-Freeholder Tom
Shaughnessey voted in this precinct and
the election officers recorded his address
as Grand street instead of No 204 Wash
ington street. Simply mistake on their
part
And SO on Mr. Vredenburgh went
through the entire list of twenty names
discovering nothing but mistakes" He
claimed that even If a man was not regis
tered but legal voter he could swear his
vote in, that he had that right, and that
by so doing it was no evidence of con-
Epiracy on the part of the defendants. In
regard to voter who lived out of the
district Mr.. Vredenburgh disposed of it
to his satisfaction by calliug it simply
mistake. His explanation Of the name
found on the registry was original.
1t was. he claimed, an example of
phonetic spelling The clerk wrote it for
Dalouski: that was what 1T sounded like
to him. 1t was simply a mistake. The
jury could readily understand how it
might occur.
G. Wharton. on the poll book as voting
from No. 66 Sussex street, should have
been G.. Martin of that address. 'Whar-
ton-Martin," said the counsellor; ''see
how alike they sound. Any one could
make such mistake
I'VE are charged" the speaker con-
tinued, with falsifying the registry. No
one can imagine there was any conspir-
acy in the recording of these names when
W
were copied from the old registry book
on which were 523 names written. / will
guarantee, gentlemen, that not one of
you will run over that many names writ
ten by MIR. Winfield hurriedly and not
make as many errors as have been found.
We will show you that no one was regis
tered not entitled to be--with perhaps the
exception of two or three by mistake.
Why the errors are so few that am sur
prised there are no more" Smiles in
the court ROOM.
TWO DEAD MEMS NAMES.
In the presidential election q personal
registry was made and filed with the City
Clerk. It contained list of all the voters
in each district. Last fall both parties
thought all voters should register again,
because the precinct lines had been
changed. Mr.. O'DonnelI obtained the
copy OF the personal registry from The
City Clerk, including the new portion of
the district. These names were copied
and were taken to the Board of Registry,
who were told it was a correct list of the
and had been taken from
the personal registration. Two of the
men who registered for the Presidential
election died before the last fall election,
and that is the way the names of two
dead men appear upon the registry. Is
that proof of conspiracy?"
s'There are, too, a number of voters
L
other part Of the precinct before election.
When they went TO the polls to vote they
were told the law required them to vote
where they were registered, which they
did. and that is why the Prosecutor
could not find them at the recorded ad-
dresses. Perhaps the main question raised
is in regard TO the joker ballots. 10 do
such terrible crime as these defendants
are charged with committing" said the
speaker, solemniy lowering his voice to a
whisper. sit must appear that il was
done by some agreement by them to do
it. Ifit is true it is bold crime The
State has not told you how the lag
''joker" ballots got into the ballot
box, and has left the impress
sion that in some way they were placed
there by the defendants. He produces a
DOLL book on which are but 258
names and he says why. when
over that number had been polled the
election officers Kept on countingf" It,
would be indeed bold crime to commit
for in the ballot box was placed the poll
book showing the number OF votes cast,
and statement OF the same was fled
with the county clerk, and II there was a
doubt whether 500 men voted or not,
would these men be stupid enough to
permit the existence Of these proofs?
No. gentlemen. these ballots were