Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1893-01-19

Jurymen and witnesses who came to
the Court from distance exchanged
experiences with the weather. One
juryman drove seventeen miles to
reach the Court room, and he had a
bitter time in the face of the cold, driv-
ing storm. s e.
The jury in the case of the State
against Walter Thomas, charged with
criminal intimacy with Phebe Simp-
kins, were charged by the Judge and
retired.
Business was resumed by the Prose-
cutor by moving the case against
Joseph Campbell and Robert II.
Wheatley ,-indicted for Illegal dredging
This was an oyster case, and is the
only one that is before the Curt this
term, and 1t promised from the be-
ginning to be very interesting, and the
defendants were evidently ready to
make hard fight, Messrs. F. M. Porch
and James s Ware appearing as
counsel.
There is always more or less interest
in the cases and u.ually one or more
of these cases come before the Court.
Previous to 1882 there has always
been much difficulty in convicting
people charged with stealing oysters,
for it was encumbent upon the prose-
cution to prove that dredges pulled up
actually contained oysters. 10 1882
an act of the Legislature was passed
which made 1t a misdemeanor to dredge
upon, cast or throw a dredge upon
the grounds of another, without the
consent of the owner, even If oysters
were not seen In the dredges. There
are usually two means of defense upon
this cherge-either that the defendant
was actually not upon the ground
charged. or that the ground belonged
to the defendant. oa1.
. The prosecuting witness was Lucius
E Cosier, of Newport, and at present
engaged in shipping oysters. The case
boiled down In a nut shell, is about
this. Down in the Maurice River
Cove there Is q little f4t-irop shaped
piece Of oyster ground known as the
wreck" ground. This piece is claimed
to be owned by Cosier, and his mother
Mrs. Emeline Cosier. Mr.. Oosier has
owned one-third of this ground for
twenty-five years, and his mother has
owned the remainder of 1t since 1876.
The ground is quite valuable for prop
agation. About four years ago Cosier
planted ten or eleven deck loads of
oysters and shells, which included
about 5000 plants. In FIVE years these
plants should have amounted to about
5000 bushels oy sters which should have
netted the owners about $4,000.
This land adjoins lands of Robert
Ogden and Michael McGuigan, and
has always been careful ly staked up
by It's owners. Captain Cosier was in
formed on the 9Th of Dec last that
Campbell and Wheatley were working
this ground. On the 18th Of December
Coser went out and tri-d the ground
and learned that the ground was bare.
Afterward at the office of White s.
Cline, Cosier charged Campbell with
stealing bis oysters. Campbell ad-
United that he had been working upon
the ground but claimed to have owned
it, and further that he had planted up
on it. Campbell also claimed that:.fhe
officers of the Watch Boat had put
him to work upon this ground.
Capt. Henry Yates gavs pretty posi-
tive testimony in support of the prose.
cutiop. He is master of Capt. Cosier's
schooner the valentine Cosier." He
had knowledge of the "wreck"
ground and on October last he tried
the oysters that had been planted in
1889, and found them plentiful but
small. On the 9th of December last
the Captain went out again to try the
oysters. As ne neared the grounds
with his boat. he saw the schooner
George Candy" working upon Co.
sier's ground. and Joseph Campbell
and Robert Wheatley were on the
boat. Campbell called to him and
said "What are you sneakiug around
here for?"
Yates replied that he was there
simply to look around. Campbell then
said to Yates do you own any ground
around here?n
Yates replied ayes, and you have
been working on it."
Campbell replied that he had been
put to work upon the grounds by the
officer OF the Watch Boat.
Yates saw Campbell wind the dredge
In once. When bis boat got there
Campbell stopped dredging and began
putting mp some stakes. He put five
stakes on the grounds belonging to
Cosier.
William Campbell, Horatio Yates,
Zephaniah johnson and Arick Lore