Gloucester County Democrat., 1894-07-26
THE KIRWAN CASE ]!
THE CLOSINGDAYS
Judge Clymer's Charge to the
Jury.

At 10 o'clock last Saturday morning, tn
Jury that had for ten days listened to tn
evidence and argument Of Counsel, an
nounced their unanimous verdict, and Pat
rick Klrwan walked out of the Court Hous,
free man, judicially purged Of the helm
GUS crime with which he was charged.
Probably the criminal ANIMALS of thi
State record no parallel to this case, and nj
writer of fiction has ever conceived q NOR,
startling and sensational romance than ths
statement of facts that followed the disap
pearance of Charles Cans from Germans
Park on the evening OF the 18th day Of lasI
January.
Our report last week carried the evidence
to the close of Court Wednesday evening
The first witness Thursday morning was
Esquire Waters, who testified that Kirwan's
reputation in Swedesboro was bad.
MFillmore Cattell-tbe statement made
by Armstrong that unlocked the prison
door and asked him out to talk on the
subject and that 1 said it was better for
him to expose the matter so as to get rid
of it, and that if he would give up all he
knew and turn States evidence and that
that would be all of it-all this is not
exactly true; did not take him out OF
the prison into the Jailer's Office
with or without Kirwan's knowledge; I
made no suggestion to him to turn States
evidence, but told him it was always best
to tell the truth did not want him to tell
me the story of the Cans aft lir or make a
confession" and don't know who used the
word.
Dr. Clarence G. Abbott-Have had ac-
cess to Drs. Reading and Lees testimony /;
did not, from the first position in which
wss standing, see the scar on the leg, but
when had changed position and the leg
had been lifted up again by some one else
did see it and make note of it; did not
refuse to see any mark or scar made NO
effort to conceal or not to find any marks
whatever Immediately after removing
the shirt 1 called the attention of DR..
Reading and the others to the marks upon
the collar and what they were, but not on
the Shirt saw scar on the hand.
Walter s Gourley-Chas Cans body
was on ice from 8 o'clock Sunday night
until the physicians came and made the
autopsy.
DIR. Thos. G Lee-Scars were found on
the body DIR. Abbott found them on the
hand and calf of the leg aud l saw them,
all recognized the scar on the hand; DIR.
Abbott made no attempt to conceal any
thing; the undershirt was placed across
the loins and waist while the examination
was being made by the physicians. On
cross examination could not say who first
lifted the leg and called attention to the
scar
The State here announced that it finally
rested its case.
Patrick Kirwau was recalled in sur
rehuttal by the defence. Heard that Bell
rad been talking hard of me met him on
the street where he offer ed to shake hands
with me; said, aMr. Bell, don't know
whether to shake hands with you or not,
heard you had been talking hard of me,
and / don't care to shake hands with q
man that talks two ways" he said, 81
never said anything wrong about you :"
i answered, "a frier d of mine told me you
did )" he asked, "what was it ?" and said,
! you said l was always in trouble in Sa-
lem county, I lived in Salem county and
never was in trouble in my life there to
the best of my knowledge !" he said, "well,
that is all said ]" said, ~ think You
said more than that )" he said he did not
L said, II lived good while in Salem
county and never killed or hurt anybody
in that length of time, and how do yon
think have done anything now?" That
was the whole conversation.
Amos Hurff-Heard Kirwan and Bell
have con versation in Swedesboro; Kir-
wan offered to shake hands with him and
he refused; Kirwan said re had lived in
Salem and Swedesboro as peaeeahle citi-
zen and found fault with Bell for what he
had said while in Jail.
This closed the tes stimony in the case.