Bridgeton pioneer., 1895-01-31
COURT AGAIN.
VIM. Martins Case Goes Over;
An Oyster Case in New
Dress Comes up.

The Court of Oyer and Terminer
convened again this morning, Judge
Hoseland presiding and lay Judges
Hendee and Ludlam on the bench.
The jurors for the January term who
had been recalled for to-day were In
Court and answered to their names.
The constables of the county were also
on hand.
The Court House was filled with
crowd of spectators.
Prosecutor Logue moved the case of
the State against Willis Henderson, in
dicted for stealing 14,000 oysters from
Lehman Turner.
BY request of the Law and Order
Society, the case OF the State against
VIM. M. Martin, the Prosecutor said,
would not be moved at this term, and
the witnesses on the part of the State
were discharged.
A panel was put In the jury box to
try the Henderson indictment.
Ex-Judge Westcott. of Camden, and
J. L. VanSyckel appeared for Mr..
Henderson; they had a stenographer,
and 1t was apparent that determined
fight OF the case was to be made. As
many Jurors as came from the oyster
region were challenged by the defense
This is a casa of simply stealing
oysters off the oyster grounds of the
plaintiff, and Is not case of illegal
dredging. It was claimed that on Nov.
13 last. the defendant was seen dredg.
ing forsovsters with his boat "Etta" on
Turner's grounds. He was seen there
again on Nov. 18th; he was seen heav.
ing and winding his dredges.
Prosecutor Logue stated that this
was IAN old case with new dress.'
The laws for illegal dredging were
found 70 be defective, and indictments
brought under them were quashed.
This indictment was accordingly
brought for larceny of oysters.
Captain Turner was put on the
stand, 4 map which had been prepared
showing to location of his grounds,
of which he had four, was suspended,
and he pointed out his grounds to the
jury and detailed the incidents he
noticed, on the day of the stealing the
oysters,
He said hei saw the sloop "Etta''
upon his grounds on the 18th of Nov
ember, aud she was dredging nearly
the whole day. He could not get to
the "Etta'' on that iday, because his
boat drew so much water, and the
tide was low. He saw the "Elta''
there again on the 18th, he saw g
watchboat Estates Rights making
for the Eta" but the "Etta" seeing
her approaching sailed away. Saw
her there again on the 10Th dredging,
about 8 O'Clock In the morning. Saw
oysters In his, Hendersions, dredges:
saw him empty his dredges on his
deck, overlook him, boarded him and
saw the oysters on his deck;.. asked
Henderson what he was dredging
there for; he answered that he was
dredging on his own grounds; had
oysters In couple of baskets and had
oysters on the port side of his boat,
covered with sacks, he had not
abandoned the grounds where he saw
Henderson at work, the oysters on 1t
he, Turner, had planted.
TUESDAY AFTERNOON.
The entire afternoon over in Court
was taken up with the defense of Willis
Henderson who was charged with
stealing oysters from Captain Lehman
Turner. The State had made out a
strong case, and the defense made
every effort to break down the charge.
How we'll he succeeded, the evidence
shows for itself.
The defendant Henderson went upon
the stand. He said he was an oyster.
man, lived In Fairton and came there
from Leesburg. He owned small
boat and has been oystering about
four years. He owns five different
grounds.
On the 10th of last November Hen.
derson said he was dredging on his In.
shore ground, and caught his oysters
there. He had some on deck-about
thirty-flve baskets, and thirty baskets
In the hold. Those ON deck were
culled.
All the oysters he took In November
he sold to Uriah Lee. These oysters
were river and bay oysters. After Lee
came home on the 10th, he tied his
boat up in Leesburg and on Sunday
went to Fairton. He returned to his
boat the following Tuesday. After
going to the store, he went to his boat.
The oysters In the hold were still there,
those on the deck having been culled
and laid out. He had not time to Gull