Bridgeton pioneer., 1890-05-22

moses Strauskneckt, asked through
his counsel to retract his plea of not
guilty and enter a plea of guilty.
John Harmon was placed on the
stand in his defense, when court re-
sumed in the afternoon.
Johns testimony was very, very
black against his wife, but he stuck to
his statement that he did not strike
her, neither had he been drinking
liquor that day. He said he and his
wife quarrelled, for, said he, ''some-
times she'd git drunk and sometimes
I'd git drunk"
He explained his wife's black eyes
by saying that he had had a 'sixer" of
beer few days before this alleged af-
fair; his wife got drunk on the beer
and fell down stairs, bruising herself.
There were no other witnesses offered
for the defense.
Short shift was made of his case
both in the summing up and in Judge
Hoagland's charge to the jury.
just as this jury went out, the jury
in the case of Henry A. Cotton, came
in and rendered a verdict of guilty.
A most pathetic scene took place when
the verdict was announced. Mrs.
Cotton, the wife of the prisoner, burst
into sobs and wailings, and was con.
ducted from the Court room to the
yard, where her sobs resounded for a
long time.
The Jury was out about two hours
and half. An arrest of judgment
was moved by Mr.. Berault, but Court
took no action yet.
The case of Isaac Bergin was the
next one called. He was indicted for
assault and battery on Temperance
Frisby, an old colored woman, Of
some so years of age. The old woman
appeared to be nearly silly, but she
claimed that Isaac had come into her
house and knocked her up against the
door and tried to scratch her eyes out.
She declared that like Bergin was an
ornery Niger" She said he Knocked
her against the cupboard door and
hurt her,.
Two female witnesses gave testimony
corroborating the old lady's statements
as well as they could, but showing
what Isaac had done by pushing the
door against her. The prosecution
rested.
Isaac Bergin was put on the stand
in his defense, and innocently told a
plausible story.
His wife was called to the stand and
testified in behalf of her husband.
Her testimony put a very different as
pect on the state of affairs.
Her evidence went to show that it
was wifely and parental devotion on
one part, and grandmotherly interfer-
ence on the other part.
Mrs. Frisby is Mrs. Bergin's grand
mother. Mrs. Bergin wanted to take
her child to- see its father Isaac; the
grandmother objected to let the child
go, and Mrs. Bergin went for her hus-
band to go and get the child, which
he did.
Isaac's name is quite familiar to the
court, but singularly enough, he has
never yet been convicted of any of the
offenses with which he was charged.
This looks like very small case.
JAS. s. Ware has charge of the de-
fense.
The jury was out but short time,
and returned with a verdict of not
guilty.
Following these came the case of
Francesca Soncini. This is the first
disorderly house case of the term, and
comes from Vineland Most of these
cases have been abbreviated by the
defendants pleading guilty to the
charges.
William O'Connel, boy apparently
about II years of age, was called to
the stand, and testified in a very
straightforward way that he had went
to "Frank's'' (Francesca's) on Sun
day in November last. He said that
he bought beer there that Sunday
morning; he bought it of Frank.
John Beckett, or John Baker, another
boy was with him. Baker paid for the
beer; they got six bottles, the two of
them; they sat there talking, poured
the beer into glasses and drank it.
The place is located at Cherry and 8th
streets, Vineland.
He went there again in the after
noon of the same day, and bought
three bottles himself, of beer, which
he paid for; in the evening he was
there again and bought more beer.
John Baker corroborated Williams
evidence in every particular.
Mrs. O'Connel, the mother of Will
liam, was called, and gave testimony
as to forbidding the defendant to sell
her boy any more beer.
Contrary to expectation, the Jury
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