Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1893-01-19
CUMBERLAND . COURTS.
Convicted of Oyster Stealing: the
Convictions. are Very Few.
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOI N.

WEDNESDAY, AFTERNo NJ. q
This term of Court seems to furnish
more than usual interest to spectators,
Judging from the number of people
gathered with 10 the walls OF the big
room, at each session. There seems to
be strange fascination for many in
the proceedings of the Court. and they
will stand for hours in the aisles in
tently listenipg'to every detail of the
most trivial cases. This afternoon
they were unusually entertained, for
the case that was first named by the
Prosecutor, was serious one-the Of
fence being of the most serious char
acter.l 49,
Walter B. Thomas, a young man of
possibly 25 years was called upon to
defend himself from charge of being
criminally intimate with Phebe Ann
Simpkins, girl under the legal age of
consent-16 years. Lawyer Jas. 8
Ware essayed to pilot the yonng man
safely through the ordeal.
Prosecutor Logue began putting the
case before the jury in a business like
way by calling the girl first. She gave
positive and damaging testimony from
the first and apparently put the pris-
oner in hole. She was from Vine
land and lived with her father JosS~h
O. Simpkins. On the 9th OF .
Thomas boarded with the family,
they went out on the Carton road
some mile and half to pick straw
berries. They started to return about
one o'clock, and the couple were &C.
companied by the girls brother. When
about half mile on the way Thomas
sent the brother back after his pipe,
which he had left. Then 1t was that
the young man induced the girl to go
into the woods and while there accom-
plished her ruin.
Lawyer Ware then went into most
severe and searching cross-examina
ton, and he managed to show very
disagreeable state of facts.
The girl lived with her father at the
time of the offense, but the mother of
the girl did not live with her husband.
''Your father is living with another
woman, isn't he7" asked Mr.. Ware.
II don't know that that's got any
thing to do with this case" she re-
piled and the Court sustained this law
yer-like conclusion.
Mr.. Ware said he desired to show a
very unhealthy state of morals regard
ing the family, but the Court would
not admit it.
The girl said that Thomas had prom
ised to marry her and care for her, but
he did not, and she made complaint
against him. Then Lawyer Ware
t,ok another tack. He brought out
that the girls step-sister was also her
m mother, the step-sister having mar
rled the father of the witness, and was
livir g with him.
Then Mr.. Ware wanted to know
whether the girl had been talking this
morning on the train with her step
sister-step-mother," and the girl said
yes. She d, MED that the woman had
sad on the train that Phebe was sew
enteen years old. As the girl left the
stand she said that Thomas had always
SLED on her and wasn't good for any
thing but to lie."
The real mother of the girl, Sarah
@. Simpkius, went on the stand and
gave testimony that corroborated en-.
tirely the story of the girl. When her,
suspicions was aroused as to the con-
dition OF the girl, che charged Thomas
with being the cause of the trouble,
but he denied 1t and said he hoped he
would be shot if he had. Then the
old lady said, "A few weeks ago Wal.
ter came to me and said he heard I
was going to sue him I told him I did
not want to il he wonld take the
trouble off my hands. and he said he
would marry my daughter, but he did
not, and went off and married another
girl instead.
On cross examination Mrs. Simp-
kins told q story that indicated what
sort Of people they were. She said,
she was married first to Samuel
Thomas, and she thought she was
married to Joshua .. Simpkins but
after she came to Vineland folks told
her that her certificate was not legal.
HE was weakly man." she said,
land l did not want g man anyhow,
and reckoned that il I had to sup
port him I would let him go. So he
went off, and married my Oldest
daughter, although she Is no relation
Of bis. They have had five child.
rem and I rsed her through 'am aIl.
She was married before that; her man
was q worthless thing and is 10 Tren.
TOM
''Mrs Simpkins," asked MY. ware,
ISN'T walter Thomas your nsphsw,