Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1891-03-19


answer.
Lingo sat in one position, his body
just 4 little to one side OF the chair,
and bis hands resting ON the arms.
At the beginn' ing of the examination
he was sitting with his face at an angle
with the jury, and Judge Westcott,
quickly detecting II, said: Crank,
turn around more to the jury, SO that
they can hear you best" The accused
man smiled and shifted his position.
1t was apparently q little matter, but
it showed that Lingo YVES not afraid 10
look the Jurymen square in the eyes.
There We're several other small details
10 the conduct Of the witness,
which evidently worked favorably for
him in the estimation Of the great
crowd of spectators, and doubtless
had some effect Oh the jury. One was
when he left the stand to show the
court by the map where he had thrown
away the left sleeve of his blue shirt.
The sleeve was found at the edge of
the ''bush lot," and Lingo did not hest
tate to point the exact place. He ex-
planned why he tore it off and how he
came TO take such g. tortuous path to
his home. Later he again stepped
from the stand and went over in front
of the jurymen to illustrate how be
cut his. left hand with the corn knife
while working in Thomas Younge's
field on the morning of the murder.
These were salient and sensational
features Of the day.
The ingenuity OF Judg, Westcett
brought out these object lessons on
the part OF the prisoner. The cred
bility OF Lingo's evidence as 10 the al
legged corn-knife cut was enhanced by
the testimony of colored lad. Robert
Isaac Jones, earlier in morning session.
The boy said that he saw Lingo wash
ing his hands at the Sordentown
School pump on the morning of the
murder It was at least five hours be.
fore the tragedy occurred.
A remarkable feature of the exam
ination was the drawing out by Judge
Westcott the story of the prisoners
life. Lingo explained how he came to
be known as Frank Lingo instead of
Frank Burton, which he claimed was
his Christian name. From this roman
tic side of his career the prisoner-wit-
ness revealed his life as criminal.
Three arrests in his native State, Dele
ware, resulting in two convictions, of
which one was about woman;
a conviction in Maryland and a
sentence in New Jersey, besides bis
connection with the Leconey murder,
ann the present affair, naturally threw
a somewhat dark cloud upon the pris
oner's fight for life. 1t was a matter of
some speculation that Judge Westcott
should have made his client go over
this criminal record. But Lingo met
the questions SO skillfully that wave
of surprise passed over the spectators.
Not once did he say directly that he
was not guilty of the crimes for which
he was convicted, but he cunningly
iusinuated it.
But the greatest excitment prevailed
when the accused man gave an &C.
count of himself on the afternoon of
the murder. He recounted his move.
ments from place to place from the
time he left Thomas Young's farm at
noon to his return in the afternoon.
There was no attempt on his part to tell
positively what the time was at any
one place, with sole exception. This
was when Richard Robb left him at
his home early in the afternoon and
near the supposed time of the murder.
Lingo asserted that Bobb pulled out
his watch and said it was twenty min
utes of o'clock. The State contends
that Lingo was in the ''bush lot" doing
his murderous work about that time.n
1t was study to watch the court
room at this period of the examination.
Hardley one person in the audience sat
upright Everybody leaned over in
tently to catch all that was said.
Lingo's voice sounded doubly strong,
so still was the whole room. Chalkley
LeConey, on the third bench, knitted
his eyebrows and was deeply absorbed
in the testimony, while his close friend
County Clerk Burrough, leaned against
the gas fixture at the end of the judi
cial bench, with a hand up to his ear
The whole jury bent forward, in their
eagerness to let no word slip by, and
noted every slight movement of Lingo's
face and body. Judge Garrison and
his colleagues leaned back in their
easy, cushioned chairs and hardly
moved.
After recounting his movements on
the fatal day, the prisoner gave the
IT L