The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-04-11
MR. GARDENERS CIRCUS.
He Acted as Ringmaster
and Made Weak Women
Tremb1e.

There was large number Of prominent
citizens in the Ohancery room this morn
| ing when the Senate Investigating Com
mittee took up their monotonous search
| for election frauds among the boarding
house keepers of the lower part of the
city. Ex-Governor Green, the Vice
Chancellor, dropped in for a few minutes.
State Treasurer roffey was another inter-
ested listener.
Ex-Mayor O'Neill, DR.. Benjamin Edge,
Alderman Hoos, Charles Corbin, Ex-
Congressman John Kean. of Elizabeth;
Mungo j. Currie, Reformer Sheeran,
others helped to make up the audience
that smiled at Senator Abrams jokes.
The first witness called was Mrs.
Johanna Becker, a little gray haired
woman who almost tainted when DR..
Roe presented the Bible to her to swear
upon. She trembled yisibly, and in a
| shaky voice declared that she knew moth
ing about it,
She was reassured, however, by the
benevolent-looking Senator from Glou-
cester sufficiently to testify that she lived
at No. 76 Essex street and did not know
two or three men who were supposed to
have voted from that house.
THE CLovEN H0oF.
Another illustration of the manner in
which the committee jump to the conclu-
| fion that all the names on the books are
fraudulent was afforded in the testimony
| ST Mrs. Lizzie Hartman, Of No. 66 Essex
street. Mrs. Hartman was lady who
| poke with strong Garman accent.
| She was asked about four men with
German names who appear to have voted
| from that house. She did not know two
| of them, but gave the names of Germans
| which sounded like those on the books as
| an American or one unacquainted with
| the German language would be apt Co
| spell them Theoretically. Nevertheless
| the chairman intimated that the names
were fraudulent
BRIGHT SPOT.
| The monotony of the proceedings was
materially relieved by the testimony of
| Thomas Evans, of No. 107 Hudson street,
and the laughter it provoked awoke with
| q start Mr.. Patrick Sheeran, who had
been peacefully slumbering during the
| testimony of the last four witnesses.
| Mr.. Evans was asked what his name
was and ne replied:-"Some calls me
| Ebers and some calls me Abers."
We'll, what do you call yourselfr'
Evans"
When he was asked to name the mem
bers of his family he said:-sWell, we
commence with the old woman first, then
| there's John and Thomas and Ed and
Denny and meself, that's Thomas"
When asked about a man named John
Hogan he fatty declared he would not
tell, and when DR.. Roe attempted to rea-
son with him he frOwned upon the good
doctor savagely. The COMMITTEES settled
to their entire satisfaction that there was
one fraudulent voter in that house.
Yesterday Afternoons Tedium
The presence of Senator Adrain yester-
day afternoon was all that saved the ses-
sion of the Investigating Committee from
becoming absolutely stupid. The Senator
from Middlesex, with his fund of humor
and good nature, managed to infuse some
life into the proceedings.
Counsellor Corbin relapsed into his
monotOnous rut of placing some tired
woman on the stand, and proddlng her
with questions about those who lived in
the house last November.
The nature of his witnesses and the
form of his questions generally elected
from them a statement that many of the
men owning the names he mentioned as
being registered or voting did not live in
the houses.
Then Judge Garretson would take the
witness in hand ana the fact would be
brought out in almost every case that
there were some families In the house
with whom the witness was not ac-
quainted, and, for all she knew, might
be the persons mentioned by Mr.. Corbin.
AuObucT lulpUTbhub. ldC0 uIpugub W
light was that the copies OF the poll book
which Mr.. Corbin and Judge Garrettson
had did not agree.
For example, a witness was placed on
the stand, who testified that there was no
dwelling house at No. ~ Stenben street,
yet John Turvey appeared to have voted
therefrom. When this had all been care
fully noted by the stenographer, Judge
Garrettson stated that his book showed
that John Turvey had voted from No. 127
Steuben street. The Judge thought that
this was the man and the discrepancy in
the books was due to some one blunder-
ing.
Twenty-Five witnesses were examined
in the afternoon and disclosed thirty-six
repeaterS to the satisfaction of the Re-
publican majority of the committee,
though of nobody else.
Senator Gardner said at the close of the
session last evening that all the gentle
men mentioned by Sheriff Davis in the
morning in connection with the Republi-
can attempts at corruption would be
summoned before the committee. The
Senator further said that the committee
had most concluded to make a report,
but that recent ntdevelopments will compel
them to keep on taking testimony for
some time to come.
Didn't Know What "Ruied orr Meant
William Thomas, typical Southern
darkey, hailing from Baltimore, sah."
was arraigned as disorderly person in
Justice Stilsing's court this morning
Thomas, who said he had been all his life
around the race tracks in Mobile, New
Orleans, Montgomery and Louisville,
drove Mr.. John Bells horses from Balti-
more to this point. He was on his way to
his lodging honse early this morning
when he was arrested by the police, VINO,
since the burglary on Fourth street. had
been ordered to arrest any suspicious
character found lettering about the
street.
The Judge commenced to question the
darkey about race tracks. Thomas said
he ''had been ruled off de track fo' de
past fo' years" s'What do you mean by
being ruled off the tracksn asked his
Honor. Good Lawdl' answered the
African, ''You is a Jedge yo' certainly
ought kno' what bein' ruled off de track
means'' His Honor acknowledged he
was not up in race track slang. Thomas
was demanded.
Rosseau Indicted for Numbering Murphy.
SpeciGl to the JERSEY Citg Neics
Toms RIVER, April II, 1880. The Ocean
County Grand Jury today indicted jules