The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-08-08
IAN AMPLE PRECEDENT
The Minority Report of the
Ballot Box Grand jury
and How Judge Knapp
Received 1t.
From The Jersey city Neaos Of Tues
day, May 81, 1890.


day, May 81, 1890.
After Clerk Gritten read the roll
call, Judge Dixon asked Foreman
Gordon if he had anything to present
TO the court.
"We desire to hand up these bills
with this" answered the Foreman, at
the same time handing the clerk a
batch of indictments and communi-
cation. These were handed the Court,
who, after reading the communica-
ton, asked the Foreman if he desired
it to be read in court.
I'VE do" was the response, and
then this remarkable document. the
like of which was never read in the
old Court House before, was read by
the clerk
JERSEY CITY, N. J., May IS, $780,
To the Court of Oyer and TermIner of ths
NouuSy VI uuuSou.-
The undersigned, members of the Grand Jury
now in session in and for the County of Hudsoa,
respectfully show to the Court that at the gen.
eral el ion held in said county on the fifth Of
last Nov ember certain fraudulent and illegal
acts were alleged to have been committed by
the officers and clerks of elect ion or soms of
hat
the State of New Jersey in vestigated said
election; that such Investigation was alleged to
have disclosed the fact that many ballots were
fraudulently cast and counted at said election;
that the result of said investigation has caused
great public scandal; that as the result of these
unusual and extensive frauds. His Honor Mau-
length upon the opening of the April term, de-
clarng 1t to be their imperative duty to invsst-
gate said frauds; that the statements made
have been confirmed beyond question by the
evidence before us; and while majority Of the
Grand Jury have been unwilling to find indict-
nents covering all the offences proved in these
| cases, the undersigned feel that their duty to
the State and themselves is incomplete without
| in this way announcing to the Court their deep
regret at this miscarriage of justics, so fraught
with danger to the integrity and perpetuity of
representative government, and respectfully
request that this minority pressntmsnt be filed
as part Of the court record.
| L. J. GORDON Foreman,
BENJAMIN EDGE,
JOHN RAMSEY,
JOHN j. ScHEFLrNa, in.
The three Judges conferred several
minutes over the minority report, and
then Judge Dixon said, turning to
Foreman Gordon:-"I infer from the
language of this document that some
| indictments have been found against
election officers based on fraud"
There have, sir; large number"
"The Court" said Judge Dixon,
''of course knows the Grand jury
only as body. 1t does not deal with
minority of it. Under ordinary cir
cumstances the Court would have to
say that as the paper does not bear
the stamp of the Grand Jury as a
body, it ought not to be received by
the Court.
But the Court recognizes that
facts as public as the air make the cir
cumstances surrounding this investi-
cation extraordinary, and we think
the rule should be so far relaxed as to
receive the communication and allow
it to so on the files of the court as
part of the record. The Grand Jury,
having no other business before it, is
discharged for the term with the
thanks of the Court for your atten-
tion to public business"