Morning journal and courier., 1892-08-27
WEST HAVEN NOTES.


lore improvements In Progress In
the Borough-Eirst Avenue Crow
1ng-Nev Streets and Houses-The |
Diamond Robbery Case-The JUS
tice,s Reasons-Talk and Comment.
West Haven continues to grow and is
growing rapidly. Real estate improve
nents in West Haven continue to be tax /
ing decided impetus. On First avenue
Mr.. Henry A. Howe, superintendent for
David d. Clark, the builder, this city, has
completed and moved into his new
residence. It is very cosy and comfort
able house of tasty original design. In
front of this house there is an oak tree
which is one of the largest and most beau
tful oaks in the county. Its proportions
are gigantic but graceful, and remind one
of the old English oaks of which much is
written.
Four other houses are in the process of
erection on this same avenue, and the cellar
is being dug for a fifth. Lawyer julius
Twiss of this city is the man who is MAX
ing these improvements on a number of
acres of land which he recently purchased.
Mr.. Savage, manager of the Boston Branch
shoe store, this city, has bought one of the
houses and will soon move into it. Mr..
Twiss has opened two side streets at right
angles to First avenue. One is called
Thompson street after the family who
originally owned the land, and the other
Mapel street.
The authorities are very favorably con-
sidering the project to widen First avenue
to make it of uniform length throughout
its entire extent.
Owing to the electric cars a great many
more carriages coming out Washington
street pass through this avenue from the
city on their way ia The shore. It will
thus eventually become one of the main
thoroughfares.
Mr.. G. P. Jordan has recently shipped a
number of his fine Leghorns and Plymouth
Rocks to Florida These fine fowls were
purchased by Mr.. Kingsley, who formerly
conducted the Rock Ledge hotel at Rock
Horace P. Shares of this city. Eggs bring
high prices in Florida. Mr.. Kingsley and
his wife are on east visiting old friends
here. His wife is New Haven lady. Mr..
Kingsley has 100 acres of land in Florida
and is going into fruit and produce rails
ing.
The decision of Justice Adams in the
diamond robbery case, binding over the
accused to the superior court having awak-
ened considerable comment and criticism,
many having expected that the accused
parties, especially Mrs. Mcdonald, would
have been acquitted, the justice has given
his reasons for his action, stating that all
things considered he felt it his duty to
decide as he did, giving the higher court a
chance to scrutinize the case further.
His action, he maintains, was fully justi-
fed by the circumstances surrounding the
case, making it difficult and presumptuous
for him to take 1t upon himself to acquit
the parties, no matter If their standing
did speak in their favor.
In summing up the evidence he consid-
cred that testimony given at the first hear
ing had been changed at the second so se
| to show that any bathroom key would un-
lock the room which Mrs. WEIGH had in
| use when her diamonds were stolen-this
in order to give the idea that the occupant
of any of the other bathrooms might have
perpetrated the crime. Another thing
Mrs. Macdonald could not remember that
she went out to dinner on this particula,
| day in question. Again, what did Malone
and Bridgeman have to do with the man
with the blue suit of clothes on that day
who cannot bo found. He was the one
| who asked young John Sweeney tc
dive and when Sweeney had dived
and returned to the platform all three Of
the men had gone. Mrs. Mcdonald was al
the head of the bath house alleyway and
acting suspiciously. What did these men
want Sweeney to dive for? Why did they
disappear before he returned? Lambert
did not prove an alibi, although he tried
to. Anyway, take it ali in all, I thought
the best thing I could do was to give Mr.
Doolittle chance to probe the case. If he
| finds the parties innocent the binding ove1
can do them no hurt.
| Mr.. Wynn, counsel for the defense, sayi
in statement of the case, after rehearsine
about the robbery and the evidence: 1t il
an incontrovertible fact that it was the
busiest day of the season at the batt
houses for Mrs. Mcdonald. She was over
driven with business on that day, August
II. The receipts showed that over two
hundred people hired suits and rooms thai
day; that high tide was at 1910 that day
and the rush for suits greatest from 10 to
o'clock. Mrs. Macdonald swore that sh,
did not and could not leave her room from
| the time the rush began until it was over
That she had the charge of large amour
of vslusbles and that as many as five t.
fifteen people were waiting for suit
and keys to rooms, which wer
furnished as fast as the keys wer
brought to her by Skeeles and Bridgeman
In this she was corroborated by SkeeIes
who said he was back and forth to he
room constantly and that she did no
leave it, also by Bridgemsn. Mr.. Parker
superintendent of the Electric Ligh
works, also testified that he was Their
that day at high tide and saw Mrs. Mac
Donald at her post of duty very busy an,
he had to wait fifteen or twenty minute
before he could get room. That other
came in while he was waiting and had t
await their turn. 1t was also proven tina
Lambert did not leave New Haven tina
day until 1890; that he met Malone in tn
grove when he reached there, about
o'clock. That they bid not go to Skeeles
place until about o'clock, over an hon
after the theft was discovered, and afte
Mrs. WEIGH, her mother and sister ha
left Skeeles' place.
This was sworn to by all the accused AN
also by Mr.. Skeeles. The only contradic
ton to this was the evidence of youn
Sweeney, who admitted that he occupie
No. 3 bathroom, across the aisle from Nc
| %, and it was proven that his key woul
| unlock Mrs. Welch's room.