The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1892-05-27

COURT IROCEEDINGS.-On Friday OF last
week the case of the State VS.. Charles W. Es-
pey, came up. Espey was indicted for break
| ing open switch near Minefeld station, on
| April Both, 1892, whereby a train ran off upon
the switch, wrecking an empty gondola car
and damaging the engine. The State was rep
resented by Mr. Walter w. Preston, States
Attorney, and Mr.. s. A. Williams, counsel for
the railroad company. Messrs. George Y.
Maynadier and }. Royston Sitter appeared
for the accused.
A demurrer to the indictment was overrulcd
w. l.. Guyton, engineer of the train, tcstiti-
ed that when he approached to about thirty
! feet of the switch he noticed it was open. He
applied the air-brakes but could not stop the
train and had it not been for a car ON the
switch the train would have plunged down the
embankment. The conductor was badly hurt,
none of the passengers were injured. EX-
animation of the switch showed that it had
been broken. There was a bolt-pin lying
! close by and he supposed it had been broken
open with this.
Robert Ayres testified that Espey went up
the railroad ON the morning of the accident
with a working crew on a hand-car He got
off near the switch and stayed with the work
men about half an hour, when he left them.
He said he was going to Il near neighbor's.
Witness heard Espey tell Mr.. John Chatter
ton that he opened the switch with spike
and the coupling-pin of a car. Espey SAID
two minutes afterwards, out on the platform
at the Rocks, that he did not do it.
TO1yln tncti cd
they saw the prisoner going down the railroad
track towards the Rocks on the morning of
the accident. VIM. w. Morris, foreman of
section on the railroad, testified that the pris-
oner asked him for work, but he was refused.
John Chatterton testified that Espey told
him that he took coupling pin and spike
and opened the switch. Also that some whis-
ky and tobacco had been stolen from the sta
ton and he accompanied Espey to the woods
where Espey showed him where the articles
were hidden. Espey, Mr.. Chatterton testiti-
ed, carried the whisky and tobacco back to
the station.
w. X. Crumpton, general manager of the
Baltimore and Lehigh Railroad, testified that
he had offered a reward of 5000, and that he
had talk with Mr.. Chatterton in his Office in
Baltimore about the case.
On Saturday the case was resumed, when
Espey testified that he first heard of the
wreck by hearing Robert Ayres tell his wife
about it ON the Saturday it occurred. He
also testified with regard to his movements on
the day the accident occurred and on the
Sunday and Monday preceding his arrest.
Also that Mr.. Chatterton asked him if he had
broken open the switch, to which he replied,
jokingly, ''Of course I did" He also contra
dicted Mr.. Chatterton's testimony that he
went with him (Chatterton) up into the
woods where he showed him the whisky and
tobacco that had been taken from the station
and upon Mr. Chatterton's advice carried the
articles back
The defence called Luther e. Henderson,
Charles F. Townsley, Everhart Hildt, VIM. II.
Chenworth, James c. Darlington and VIM.
Bavington, all of whom swore that Mr.. Chat
terton's reputation for truth and veracity is
not good and that they would not believe
him on oath in case on which 300 depended
that being the amount offered by the rail-
road company for the arrest and conviction
of the person who broke open and moved the
switch.
Mr. John Ramsay, station agent at the
Rocks, testified to missing the whisky and to-
bacco, which were returned. His testimony
was ruled out.
The case was submitted without argument
and the jury after being out an hour and a
half brought in a verdict of not guilty.
The presentments against Thomas B. Had
daway and Dillwood r. Elliott, agents of the
New York Life Insurance Company, for issu-
Ing policies in Hartford county, without a Ii
cense, were ignored by the Grand Jury on
Saturday.
The perjury case of Frank e. Fell, of Cecil
county, was called for trial in court on We'd
nesday afternoon. The jury, which is large
ly composed of talesmen, consists of j.
Thompson Frieze, Daniel j. Lynch, Alonzo
Cochran, George w. Jones, Thomas Poole,
Andrew Dunnigan, w. B. Jarrett, Alfred S.
Upton, Ambrose Cooley, John G. Norris,
George f. N Ewing and Newton NJ. Nc
Courtney. The case will probably last ten
days and excites great deal of interest.
The Grand Jury completed their work on
Saturday and was discharged, after present
ing the following report:
To the Hon. James D. Waters associate Judge Of
the Circuit C0aTtJOr Hartford County
The Grand Jury for the May term, 1892, of
the Circuit Court for Hartford county, respect |
fully inform your Honor that they have dis |
posed of all the business presented to them for
their consideration and ask to be discharged.
While in session, which has comprised twelve |
days, they have examined one hundred wit,
nesses and have found twenty-threc true bills |
and ignored two and disposed of eight cases for |
want of proper proof. We have visited the Jail |
and found confined therein eleven persons
four for violation of the local option law one |
for murder, one for breaking open IL railroad |
switch, Que for forgery, two for larceny, one |
for dsorderly conduct and one for keeping Il |
dsorderly housewife seem comfortable and |
well cared for
We express our qualification of the condition |
of the JAIL the buildings and the grounds sur |
rounding the same, but the attention of the |
court is called to the unsafe condition of the |
upper floor of the jail, also to the close prOX-
unity of the stove pipes to the wood work of
the Jail, endangering the lives of the inmates
by fire.
We tender our thanks to the court and its |
officers for their courtesy and valuable assist |
ance rendered us in the discharge OF our I'M
portant duties. Respectfully submitted,
MARTIN L. JARRETT, Foreman.
The per diem and mileage of the grand jul
rors was as follows
Dr. Martin l.. Jarrett s31.50;J Wesley |
Travers, $3l 80 James Hughes, $3.50; John
S. Hawkins, $50; Vim. II. Waters, $50; Thos |
Calhoun, $3.50; Robt n. Hanna, $3l.S0 !; |
Franklin Preston, $32. 10; J. Frank JONES'
$50. 30; Thos. McKenna, $50; James Tobin,
$50 Henry Wilson, 5000; Joseph r. Ely, |
ton, $:,4 so Richard A. Martin, $50; Alex. |
McComas, $50. 10 John C. Tucker $780, Frank
w. Maynadier, $50; John 7. Denbow, S31.20
Richard B. Mccoy, 1910; John R. Adams,
$52. 40 A. Lawrence Penniman, 5000. NJ.
5. Scarborough, bailiff, $50.