Bridgeton pioneer., 1890-05-22
FRIDAY MORNING,

ne sopDed and cried as If his poor
heart would break. John is big burly
fellow and made noise which could
be plainly heard.
The court resumed business this
morning with the case of Francesca
Soncini on trial
Before this was begun, J. Boyd
Nixon, Esq., representing Charles
Fisher, of Dorchester, who had plead
ed guilty to an indictment, charging
him with assault and battery, stated
to the court that Mr.. Fisher had had
great provocation for knocking the
man down, on whose account he had
been indicted, and asked the leniency
OF the court for him. Mr.. Nixon ex.
planned the circumstances leading up
to the assault.
The case of Soncini was resumed, the
State closing, and Mr.. Soncini taking
the stand in his own defense. Being
an Italian and unable to speak Eng
lisa, an interpreter was given him.
Mr.. w. Berault conducted the defense.
The defendant admitted having given
Willie O'Connel a glass of beer, on q
Sunday in November, but he declared
he never kept beer or liquor on sale.
He sometimes had a box of beer for
himself and family, and sometimes
gave it to his friends as treat.
Several witnesses for the State had
testified that they had purchased beer
of Soncini, some as much as a dozen
bottles at a time.
The case dragged YEARLY along un-
til nearly noon, when Mr.. Berault be-
gun the summing up. The lawyers
were limited to fifteen minutes on a
side. .-..I
The witnesses for the defense, being
all Italians, and being accustomed to
wine and beer drinking, especially on
Sundays and holidays, could hardly
comprehend the utility of making any
very forciable denials of having met at
Soncini, and drank beer on Sunday.
To follow this case came chicken
case. Thos. Berry and the two Smith
boys had been charged by John 0.
Langston, with breaking and entering
his chicken coops and stealing there
from lot of chickens on the night of
March 18th last. Hon. T. w. Trench
ard appears for the defense.
The parties were all colored and
lived in Fairfield township.
The Jury in Soncini's case was not
out long, and brought in verdict of
guilty.
FRIDAY AFTERNOON.
There was very little of general in
terest in the session of Court yester-
day, and the attendance was decidedly
small, and those present were only in
duced to remain because they held
little ticket issued by the magnates
cf the Court. During the afternoon
the chicken thieving case was dis
posed of, and a breaking and entering
case begun.
Before the wearisome chicken thiev-
ing case was re-opened, John Harman,
an elderly colored gentleman, put in
appearance, and became bondsman
for Nicodemus Brown, the colored
lad, charged with chicken stealing.
The bail amounted to 5000, and
Browns case goes over for the term.
The case of tine State against John
Coffey and others, several terms ago
charged with conspiracy against the
Cumberland Glass Company, was MOLE
prosed and the bail discharged. This
disposes of a case, which it was ex-
pacted at one time would interest the
labor circles of the entire country.
Ia the chicken thieving case, impli-
eating William Smith, George Smith
and Thomas Berry, Hon. T. w. Tren-
chard put his clients upon the stand in
their own defense. William Smith
first went on, and made a sweeping
denial of about everything that the
State had offered in evidence George
Smith followed, and equally positive
was he that the witnesses for the
prosecution had made grave mistakes
in telling the story of that eventful
night as they did.
Neither of these young men were
feeling very comfortable under the
fire of cross-exam;naton conducted by
Prosecutor Logue. There was one
young man missing from the trio of
the prisoners, whom the Prosecutor
seemed to want to locate. 1t was
brother John, who mysteriously left
home just after the chickens referred
to, were stolen, Neither William or
George knew anything of his where
abouts.
Thomas Berry has the honor of be-
ing step-father to the boys. and he
went on the stand to tell the jury that
he knew nothing at all about the al
legged theft.
Mrs Rarrv wife of Thomos and