The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-06-26
M'LAUGHLIu' PLEA.
New Trial Asked for New
York's Convicted Police
officer.

NEWBURGH N. Y, June 26 1S95.-At
1910 this moraing Judge Gaynor occu-
pied the bench at the Court House. this
city, for the purpose of hearing an ap-
piication for certificate of reasonable
doubt in the case of Police Inspector
Mclaughlin, of New York, convicted Of
the crime Of extortion and sentenced
to term of two and half years at
Sing Sing.
Judge Daniel o. Rollins. the law part
ner of Colonel John r. Fellows. New
York's District Attorney, came to New
burgh last evening and registered at
the Palatine. Col. Fellows was expect
ed to sail for Europe today on the
Friesland, and Judge Rollins came to
this city to attend to the case of the
prosecution in the Mclaughlin matter.
This morning McLaughli was represent
ed by Colonel James, who was attorney
for Russell Sage in the Laidlaw case,
and the following named were associat-
ed with him:-General Horatio G. King,
Abram T. Ell1us. w. w. Wilson and
Edward Mccall From the District At
torney's office were Judge Rollins, Bar
to M. S. Weeks and George Perkins.
Colonel James began the argument
say.ng:-".We are here in the action Of
lin, Inspector of Police, to apply for a
certificate of reasonable doubt as to
whether the Judgment Of CONVICTION re-
Gently obtained against him n Oyer and
Terminer of New York county for the
crime of extorticn will stand. The il
dictment against Inspector McLaughlla
was found on March 49, 1885, 1t con-
tanned five counts, four of which charged
him with the crime of bribery. The fifth
charged him with the crime of extor-
ton. The fact or facts upon which the
fivd re credited
single transaction, alleging TO have oc-
CURED on the 21st of November, 1891.
Francis ". seagrist, Jr., dealer IN
! second hand building materials part
of whose occupation was taking. down
or dem2iishing buld,ngs IN, n New s,VSl YORK.
| It was charged that in four counts of
| the indictment Segrist paid $50 to Nc
I1aughhn as bribe to omit or foreso
| enforcing laws and ordinances affecting
| oegr.sl ana his men IN doing the work
Of taking down the b1lld1lngs va,i1, ,r IN me me
Laughlin was then Captain. 1t was
charged in the fifth count of the indicI-
ment that Mclaughlin extorted this s5o
| induced by threats to DO unlawful in
jury to the property by interfering with
! the lob. TO that Indictment the. defend
ant pleaded not guilty, and April Is last
| was set for his trial. The trial was TO
occur in Oyer and Terniaer before JUS
| tlce Barnard. FROM lApIll 10 ulltlI May
ie the court was occupied every day
ing iae'n to six in the evening @
| weeks and four days were occupied in
procuring a jury for that trial. In that
procedure something over fifteen hundred
| talesnlen were summoned, and nve or SIX
| hundred examined. Great numbers OF
| them were rejected. The trial before this
| Jury occupied but two days and resulted
| In a disagreement, being ten for con-
| vietion and two for acquittal. The pro-
| ceedings which preceded the discharge OF
! hat -jllry- W perhaps the most ex5 rfl7
4 ordinary proceedings that ever took place
before Oyer and Terminer. The jurors IN
| the minority accused those in the major
| ity Of threatening them with State
| prison If they did not agree with the ma
! jority in conviction"
CRITICIZED THE COURT.
| Col James then gave a detailed his
I tory of the proceedings in court leading
| to the second trial, telling how motions
were made for removal of the place
\ of trial and for a stay. He spoke OF
| the hurried action in obtaining the sec
| ond trial as indecent haste. and referred
| in severe terms to the procedure of the
| courts such as having two courts in
1 session at the same time. giving ce-
| fendant no time to catch his breath pc
| fore being hurried from court to the
| other Liberal extracts from the huge
| volume of testimony were quoted Col
! James caused some amusement by de-
| scribing the method of questioning the
| talesmen summoned in the Mclaughlin
| case, including the perplexing queries
| which have become famous as knock
| -