Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1894-12-14
The wheels Of the Contest Case
Were PUT In Motion, Tuesday.

Judge Rice of WilkesBarre and
Judge Archibald of Scranton, arrived
in town on the p. m. train Monday,
and Judge Searle of Montrose, came
on Tuesday morning on the 8 a. m.
train.
On the adjournment efcourt on Mon
day evening Judge Sittser announced
that court would stand adjourned un-
til Tuesday at 2 p. IN. and give up the
court room to the contest case, and
if at this time the hearing OF the
contest was not at an end, the room
would be resel in their behalf.
AS announced in the REPUBLICAN
the contest case was taken up at a.
M, Tuesday. Judge Rice occupied
the seat of the President Judge
on the bench with Judge
Archibald on the right and
Searle on the left. The Attys.
employed in the case were: Ernest
Little and Jim Piatt of Tunkhan-
mock A. L. Grim, Laporte; b. j.
Mullen, R. j. Thomson an j. G.
Scouten, Dushorc, represented Judge
Sittser, and D. G. Dewitt, of Towan-
da; E. j. Jorden and James E. Frear,
of Tunkhannock J. H. Cronin, Du.
shore Judge Ingham, F. Ii. Ing>
ham and A. J. Bradley, Of Laporte,
represented Judge Durham.
The Democratic body sat on the
left of the bar while the Republican
side of the question occupied the
right side of the inclosure. Sheriff
Mahaffey sat with the Democratic
groop and was on the right side to
prevent riot.
With the court organized the case
was taken up. Atty. Little who
wears heavy bunch OF whiskers and
who appeared to be the right bower
on the Sittser side of the fence, argu-
ed that Sullivan county was not the
proper place to hear the case. That
it should be taken to Wyoming coun-
ty. Attys. Dewitt and 1nsham
protested, and the court knocked
whiskers out on his motion. 1t took
the Judges some little time to decide
the question, however, but after due
consideration all three agreed that
Sullivan was the proper county in
which to hear the proceedings, both
Judges, Rice and Archibald, gave
their reasons for so deciding. They
said that the officials of Harrisburg
named this the place and in their
opinion the law was clear in the
matter. After several motions had
been made by attorneys and argued
pro and con Col. Dewitt presented
to the court petition containing
the names Of those who had with
drawn from the original petition,
nearly one hundred in number. This
paper read that Mr.. Dewitt was
given the power of an attorney in
behalf of the signcrs on the same
and also stated that their names
were obtained by Misrepresentation
of the matter. Mr.. Dewitt said that
the paper had been given him on
Monday evening and that he had not
familiarized hemself with the con-
tents, and asked that the arguments
on the same be postponed until later.
This request was granted and court
was adjourned until ? o'clock p. M.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
Court convened at Up. m. Court
crier, John X. Farrell opened court.
This John overlooked at the morn.
ing session, but John isn't that kind
of fellow that makes two mistakes
in one day. Well, after Johns
voice had echoed and re-echoed
through the court room and was
knocking the trees down over the
hills, the wheels of the contest case
was resumed in motion. Business
was taken up where left off at the
close Of the morning session, relative
to the disposition of the second petit
tion, or in other words q remons-
trance. Atty. Dewitt argued that
if the names were obtained by mis-
representation they should be strick-
en- from the original petition. There
were one hundred and thirty-hve
signers in the district to the petition
Of this number ninety-five placed
their names on the "remonstrance.
This leaving on the original petition
the names of forty residents. Atty
PiaLt, for Sittser, argued that the