The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-08-29
SLANDERED FOR DAY
The Champion Runners
Death Breeds Scandal
in Bayonne.
PHOEBE LEoNARD's CHARGE
causes Two Arrests for Coupling
Her Name With the Dead Athlete
Both Dismissed.
PHOEBE LE0NARD'S CHARGE

Ulol1lcSCus
Another phase of the tragedy of Poor
Willie Day, the amateur champion run
ner, came to light yesterday in Bayonne.
Soon after the body of the unfortunate
young athlete was discovered hanging
to a Wild cherry tree in the Bayonne
woods, slanderous stories began to cir
culate through the city connecting Day
with Miss Phoebe Leonard, the sixteen
year-old daughter of H. w, Leonard,
the lawyer for the Manhattan laundry
Company, which cause Days arrest.
Mr.. Leonard traced these stories to
Miss Helen d. Lawrence, a yivacious
young lady about eighteen years old.
n Nicholas Roderick, a young man
about town He caused their arrest and
yesterday afternoon they had a hearing
before Justice Mcdonald in his stuffy
underground Office on Avenue D.
AS the time for the hearing approached
the excitement among the village folk
increased. They clustered about the
entrance to the court room. and the
room itself was soon completely filled.
The Judge held his court in a low-ceiled
basement under a shoe store. In addi-
ton to his judicial duties Mr.. Mcdonald
is an auctioneer, notary public and pro-
prietor of a general store.
When court was opened Will Leonard
asked for a postponement of three days,
as the plaintiffs counsel. Norman Rowe
of Jersey City, was not present.
we will not argue that point" aid
Lawyer Benny. w contend that the
court has no jurisdiction whatever in
this case. and cannot even make an adj
journment of it. The prisoners must be
discharged.
NOT A CRIME.
'The charge against both of my eli
ents is Islander, pure and simple, which
action for damages. No one ever heard
before of an arrest for SANDER in this
State. If the charge were libel, the court
would have jurisdiction if the plaintiff
We're properly represented.
"Such, we contend, is not the case.
The plaintiff is the State Of New Jersey
and Mr.. Leonard, who secured the war
rant. has no authority OF any kind to
appear in behalf of the State. He has
misled the court in having the Warrant
issued"
to prove his contention. The more he
talked the more the Justice grew perplex-
ed. Before the lawyer had finished his
argument, young Leonard, addressing
HlIlSell 10 NIL. bGIluy, dShSds-
Are you through"
IF you have anything to say" replied
the attorney, address yourself TO the
Court. l don't care to hold n CONVEX
I m pretty particular about whom 1
talk to myself"
You don't seem to be- was Mr., Zen
psar f here anyway" @I he Vent we fi ON pound 20 II nd
ing his law books. 'If you represent the
State Of New Jersey n will show your
credentials, l will apologize and treat
you.
The Justice looked on bewildered while
this discussion was in progress, and
seemed unable to stop it. The elder
ground up to his point, now came for
ward, and all eyes turned toward him.
He broke through the crowd, and, plac-
ing his cane and a folded paper on the
table, at which the amazed Justice of
the Peace was sitting, he exclaimed
dramatically
81 am herer",
you may be here, but you have no
right to Be" broke in Mr.. Benny. You
are not the District Attorney, and you
do not represent the State of New Jer-
sey."
DISCHARGED THE DEFENDANTS.
A CLEAN of hope came into the eyes
of the perplexed Justice.
rs the plaintiff present in court"'
mo" said young Leonard, sullenly,
mot if the State is the plaintiff"
The I discharge the prisoners on
AS the Justice gave his decision a great
cheer went up from the 200 spectators
in the room, and in their enthusiasm
they cried, "Hooray, Benny! Good for
Il view of the decision" said the ell
der Leonard, after the court proceed
ings;, there is now no refoarse but onca a
and 1 will leave no stone unturned now
till this thing has been probed to the
bottom and the guilty persons properly
punished"
During the hearing no interest was
shown in the proceedings by the two
prisoners. Roderick is a good-looking fell
light mustache. He kept his eyes on
the floor in a shame-faced way until
the decision was announced, when he
sprang up and hurled defiance at Mr..
Leonard as he left the room. He init
mated that he would say what he pleas
ed about his family in the future.
GOING ON THE STAGE.
Miss Lawrence was equally ~unconcern-
ed while her lawyer was wrangling with
Will Leonard. She is a pretty girl of
IS, with blue eyes and golden-brown hair;
hat hat Of plain black. She smiled con-
stantly and appeared to him her ar
rest g great joke.
Very little is known about her in Ber-
gen Point, where she has been living
only since lsst April. She says hat she
has lived in Paterson and Passaic, and
that her parents are now IN FiOflQa. FOF
several weeks she was employed as a
seamstress by relatives Of the Leonardss;
she said at, her boarding place after the
hearing, by advice of my counsel"
Eyes, it is true that I am going on the
stage, but how did o know about it?
1 have been rehearsing right along, but
am going to begin in New York in about
fore, if L had not heard that I was to
be arrested. | am going to leave to-
night, and shall be gone a week or ten
days..
II have been on the stage before, but
1 was under 16, and my parents stopped
me from appearing. 1t was at the Casino
three years ago. but positively won't
Roderiek's family, who are among the
are greatly chagrined at his arrest; His
brother said that he would never think
of making such statements when in his
right mind, but that he was intoxicated
on Monday night, and young Leonard
provoked him. His sister has been made
III by the excitement attending his ar
rest.