The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-10-08
BAT SHEA MUST DIE
New York Court of Appeals
Denounces Election
Crimes in Troy.
IDLE AND VICIOUS HEELERs
The Condemned Man and His Com
panions Forced the Fatal
Combat at the Polls.
IDLE AND VICIOUS HEELERs


ALBANY. Oct 8. 1S95-The Court of
Appeals today affirmed the judgment of
the lower court in sentencing Bartholo-
NEW Shea to be electrocuted for the
murder of Robert Ross in Troy during
an election fight two years ago this fall.
Shea is now in Dannemora awaiting
electrocution.
The opinion is written by Judge Peck
ham. and al the Judges concur with the
sent. Judge Peckham in a lengthy opin-
ion says that the Legislature should re-
strain within some reasonable limits the
printing of a vast mass of prolonged .ex-
aminatlons filled with repetitions and inn
material matter. This case is an apt
Illustration. The Court finds. that the in,
dictment was not unlawfully procured
| and that the Committee of Safety'S cir
cnlar !La did not affect the jury as The de-
| The motion to postpone the trial, the
Court thinks. was right.
VILE ELECTION WORK.
After reviewing the election practices
which prevailed in the Thirteenth ward
on the day the the murder occurred, the the
beyond belief Under the circumstances
those men who armed themselves for the
self.defence, were themselves guilty Of
a violation of law because they refused
to be driven from the polls and attempt
ed to answer with force an armed at
tack upon themselves. When the whole
case is surveyed, the criticism comes in
bad form from the defendant, and we
think that there is nothing in the evil
dence which justifies him or nlitigates the
character of the act. The fighting was
by ans and bs friends
cannot properly be said to have led to
this catastrophe.
The first ball which was fired by the
defendant at Robert Ross penetrated the
back part of his head entered the brain
and caused instant death. The autopsy
showed ed this we are entlreiy ia gaflsed can
clusion, although if. we had rational
doubt on that subject, there being at
least conflict in the evidence i!sf4 from IN
drawn, we should not feel at liberty to
reverse the finding of the jury where
such finding is not clearly against the
evidence and does not appear to have
been influenced by any proper consider
ations. The evidence tends to render
clear the question as to. the state OF de,
deIiberation at the very time when he
aimed the shot which killed the de-
ceased; it tends to show that the act
was deliberate and that in its perpetra-
ton the defendant was guilty of muir
der in the first degree.
BAD COMPANY.
ssThe rec6rd contaius 2 melancholy
instance Of the results of idleness and
bad companions upon young man The
defendant and many or MS associates
had no steady employment and appar-
emily had no desire for it. They them
selves eoncocted and entered red ~ upon IN the
dernan by fraudulent votes. and they
pursued it as if it were fair, decent
and honest election.
sIt does not appear, nor is 1t import
ant to know to what political party the
defendant belonged. Such men have
no politics. AS the soldiers OF, fortune
Of a by gone age fought. 50 these re-
peaters vote for the candidates who pay
them The goyernm;eent s,y BY the nrl49 ps4o9ps pie
continue. We cannot believe that there
are prominent public or party men ,,,ovgl,1 W5,o
an election Such practices, as are now
spoken of must be stamped out by the
most vigorous and active legal measures
and by the eo-opsration Of Al Al political ssn
nirafe. an enemy of organized and CIV
zed society and it Is the duty af fbe Of ,aM all
in the prompt punishment of the guilty.
The Importance of the subject ca cannot De
ion to enlarge upon it. Viewing this
case in all its aspects. we feel that
there is nothing for this. court to do
than to affirm the judgment"