Bridgeton pioneer., 1890-10-30
CUMBERLAND COURTS.
JOHN BOGAK FOUND GUILTY
AS CHARGED.
BRIANT JOHNSON ACQUITTED
BY THE JURY.


BY THE JURY.
THE GUILTY AND INNOCENT.
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.
The first case to follow the tedious
Dufdeld case, was little affair, in
which it is charged that Daniel Robin
son, of Cedarville, stole pair of oars,
valued at about a dollar and half.
Lorenzo Harris was called and testi-
fed that he was an oysterman and
last Fall he lost pair of oars. He had
hidden the oars in the elder at Smiths
wharf. When he went to get the oars
they were gone. He saw nothing
more of the oars until one day he was
at the wharf and Daniel Robinson
brought them to the wharf. Witness
asked him where he got them, and he
replied, he bought them. Afterwae d
Robinson refused to give them up and
witness had him arrested.
The oars were produced in Court.
Each of the blades had a letter III :"
burned on it. The handles had
been cut off, shortening their length.
Mr.. Harris left the stand like man
that had done bis duty. and took
seat behind the Prosecutor.
Benjamin Newcomb came next and
told the Court and jury that he re-
membered selling Harris a pair of
eight feet oars some two years since,
or thereabouts. On cross-examinatIon]
Mr.. Newcomb said he sold pair of
eight feet oars in 1887.
Horace Blizzard said that Harris
came into Johnson's blacksmith shop
at one time with a new pair of oars
and burned a letter I'll" in them.
The "H" on the oars in Court was like
the one made by Harris. Blizzard
further said the oystermen were in the
habit of leaying oars near their boats.
Robert johnson was q witness to
the marking of the oars by Harris
with the letter "H." The mark on the
oar in the Court, was the same as
made by Harris.
For the defense Robinson took the
stand and said he purchased the oars
at Newcomb's three years ago, and
went longing for oysters. He put out
his oysters and he took some tacks
ard put them in the oars to mark
them The tasks were then covered
over with dirt to hide them. After
six weeks the witness hid the oars un-
der rail pile and they were stolen.
Afterward he found them in some
elders, scraped off the dirt and found
the tacks. Robinson claimed the oars
in Court as bis property.
Capt. Richard Bennett next came
forward to shed some possible light
upon these much claimed oars. Capt.
Bennett is ths commander of the
sloop "Castor," ard he furnished the
tacks which marked the oars for Rob-
inson. He swore to the location of the
tacks and described the tacks. The
Captain looked critically over the oars
that had been offered in evidence, and
said the tacks resembled the ones he
had furnished to Robinson.
Rufus Bennett, q brother of the pre-
ced,ng witness, swole to about the
same thing as Capt. Richard.
"Taat's our case, if the Court please"
said Mr.. VanSyckel.
Mr.. Logue called Harris to the stand
again aud asked him few questions,
the answers of which went to show
that Robinson had opportunity at any
time to see the oars while they were
in the witness's possession. Robinson
never claimed they were his oars until
he was charged with stealing them.
Before Mr.. VanSyckel began his
summing, the jury in the Dnff1eld dis
orderly house case, came in, and rem.
dered verdict of guilty as charged,
and recommended him to the mercy of
the court.
The summing up and the court
charge the oar case, was soon over,
and the jury retired, taking the oars
with them, with the evident intention
ps G{iiipE their own canoe.
Samuel R2dmap, who has been in
Jail since the little unpleasantness that
occurred between him and Geo. Culp.
came in the court room looking happy
and in mood to prove that his prose-
cution was d conspiracy. His counsel.
james Ware, was rot present, and
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