The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-06-15
"BILLY" WAS THERE
Thompson Kept Ex-Judge
Rankin Well Primed
With Questions.
A CLERGYMAN SURPRISED
storrs and the "Duke" Have a
Tilt-Graham Kept
Busy.
Special to the Jersey Citu Nears.

OAMDEN. July 1D1 NS56rTNff~
inquiry into the right of Assemblyman VIII
liam ]. Thompson to a seat in tine New Jerli
sey Legislature was continued yesterday In
the Camden Court House befoFese5,fa large
number of people. There was not%the sem
sational and amusing incidents in the pro-
ceedings that marked Wednesdays IdoinSs,
but at the same time there was enough spice
all the time to interest the crowdo OF listen
erS.
A feature of the session was the presence
of "Billy" Thompson, who took a seat be-
side his counsel. ex-Judge Rankin, n as
the witnesses were being examined Thomp-
son would coach his lawyer, and some very
pointed questions would result. What
BILLY" Thompson knows about politics
and politi clans, from the humble heller
to the leaders in Camden county,
would fill a large sized volume.
He seemed to now the name or
every voter in Gloucester Township, and in
every other part of the district which he
represents. When he was questioned once
OF twice as to his memory OF political mat
tiers he answered:-"It's my business to know
them" Thompson was perfectly at home
before the House Committee, He knows all
of them personally, and he did not hesitate,
at one stage of theproceedings, to be uncon7
cerned as to whether he might offend the
feelings of Chairman Storrs, who is a staunch
republican.
The ..Hicksitesa who created SO much
merriment Wednesday We're absent to a
man from the session. Their absence left a
gap which could not be filed very easily,
and the listeners anxiously waited upon the
,.,ra ~ 90 M, 1uitpaSc IN, hnnA 0f HAVING q
good laugh. They did succeed in getting
several hearty chuekles at the queer doings
and savings of The iGlouceSter voters. Tom"
FLYNN, the member of the committee from
Passaic county. contributed to fun making.
FLYNN at one time was the famous Gloucester
race track starter, and he has the reputation
of being a shrewd worker in the interest OF
Thompson.
THE REV. DE NORRIS TESTIFIES.
Rev. DR.. Morris. of Gloucester City was the
first witness. He told about a meeting with
William Hewlings, one of the Republican
election officers. The day after election he
! entered the store of Fl. G. Powell, and got
into a discussion concerning the big vote cast
in the. precinct. While there Hewllngs
| walked In and was introduced to the minister
as one who could tell him all about the cleo
tion. Hewlings said that the vote. l,l60, had
been actually cast, but the voters only went
around the booths in a row, but did not enter
them. He said that the men had pockets full
of envelopes used for voting. Hewlings told
the witness that there p1ust have been repeat
ing, butshe could do nothing because many
| were told what namesHtohvote upon. Ihe
| day before the investigation tine witness had
! heard some one say that the election en-
velopes were scattered about the race track
III large quantities. ~
DO you think the story was possible!" in
| CURED ex-Judge Rankin. :.
sAn things are possible in Glou %cester,"
was the reply.
"Yea, even to preaching" added the ex-
| Judge, in a serio-comic way.
81 heard a man in a barber shop on SOM
erset street, continued DR., Morris, SAY
that he had come over from Philadelphia,
| got his $3.50 and voted for Billy as he
called him" The witness stated that he had
hardly met anybody who had the hardi-
hood to say that fraud had not been prac-
ticed at the election. Once he had a con-
versation with Charles Hines concerning
the election of 1892, and the latter had told
him that he had met sBilly" Thompson who
asked him TO vote for him. Because Hines
refused to comply with this request, 1t was
alleged that his father was discharged by
Thompson. +,
D. Cooper Brick, the next witness, stated
that he voted last fall at the Second pre-
cinct, Gloucester City. He was handed
| tickets by a man named Lennig. The wit
ness saw a colored man come in and get the
| ticket. A race track man went into the
booth with the colored man. He asked HeW-