Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1895-10-24
THE SENTENCES.
The Court Inficts Severe Punish
ment.
MANY 60 TO STATE PRISON
The Big Batch of Criminals March in and
Listen to the Scathing Words of
- Judge Hoagland.

The Big Batch of Criminals March in and
Listen to the scathing Words of
Judge Hoagland.
Wednesday Afternoon.
| Jesse Pagan was acquitted of the charge
of stealing chickens and receiving stolen
chickens.
The case of the State versus Belford
Candy, charged with stealing cunning
skiff, four stool ducks and pair of oars
| from Captain Lucius Bradford consumed
most of the afternoon.
The scene of this depreciation was in
the now notorious Turkey Point neigh
borhood.
The total value of the stolen rig was Sl2.
and all of it was recovered after Gandy's
arrest.
| The boat was staked in Oronoco creek,
and it was alleged that Candy stole it and
took it to his own place, where it was
found by Constable Downam with q
| search warrant.
The defense was that Candy had picked
up the boat adrift and took it to his home,
where it was kept in open sight and used
by everybody who came along and
wanted it. He lived near the Beaver
| Dam.
He was defended by Thos. w. Tren-
chard, who adrolity kept the defense out
lined prominent feature in the case
| He did this so effectually that the Jury
brought in verdict of acquittal. A
The next case tried was that Of Levi
| Coulter, Howard Shull, Samuel Weldon,
| and Eldridge Hickman, charged with
stealing chickens and with breaking and
entering the boat of Charles Spencer.
AS three ofthe quartet pleaded Non V1lt
and the case was therefore short, being
ready to 60 to the Jury before the Court
adjourned. The Court however, did not
send them out, but reserved the charge
to them till morning.
| Thursday Morning.
| The case of the State against Eldridge
Hickman-who was the only one tried of
he several concerned in this particular
case of stealing chickens-Jhe others hav-
| ing pleaded non vwIt-was concluded this
morning with the charge of the Judge,
and the Jury withdrew.
Another case was Immediately moved
against Hickman, Howard Shull, Samuel
Weldon and Levi Coulter who were in
dicted for breaking into the boat of Capt.
Chas. Spencer, at Fortescue bridge, and
stealing $3.50 worth of goods, and also
receiving the stolen goods.
All but Hickman had pleaded NON vult
in this case.
Hickman was defended by j. Ogden
Burt, ESQ.
Richard johnson, diminutive colored
boy, was brought in crying from the Jail,
to plead to an Indictment charging him
with stealing IS from the store of Cuno
Becker, in Vineland. When asked by
Prosecutor Logue if he stole the money,
he promptly responded ''no." He was
sent back to Jail for trial later.
In the case against Hickman, which
resumed, Capt. Spencer was put on the
stand. He testified to the particulars of
| the robbery, and described the bedding,
goods and rigging that were taken. Some
OF the goods were recovered. Eldridge
Hickman, Levi Coulter and Samuel We'll
don afterwards paid him for the rigging
| which was taken.
Samuel Weldon took the stand; he said
that he got the bed from Howard Shull,
which was afterwards identified as Cap
tain Spencer's. He saw Shull and Coulter
| coming away from Captain Spencer's
boat, carrying the stuff. Then it was
that he received the bed.
"How did you get together that night?"
asked the Prosecutor. "We all left fish
ing Creek together" was the answer.
"Who?" asked Mr.. Logue. Howard
Shull, Levi Coulter, Eldridge Hickman
and myself--we four" said Weldon.
They all went to the Fortescue House
and then to Captain Spencer's boat.
1t was then the boat was robbed. The
next day they went to Chester, Pa.
Levi Coulter was called. He said he
was not on Spencer's boat that night that
it was robbed. Howard Shull went on
the boat, while the others stood on the
bridge waiting for him. Shull, Hickman
and Weldon took the rigging and he re-
| celved the compass and Weldon the beds.
Some one was carrying the bag of chick
ems, which had been previously stolen
from Candy while on their way to For
tescue.
The questions respecting the stolen
chickens were irrelevant to this case.
The State rested when Coulter left the
stand, and the defense Immediately put
the defendant, Hickman, on the stand.
He admitted to being with the fellows
at the time of the robbery, but denied
that he had anything to do with it, and
when they offered him some Of the goods
to carry he refused to do so, and told
them he would have nothing to do with
1T in any shape. He went to Chester with
his oysters on the sloop 'Dove," where
he was frozen up several weeks. He
helped to make up the price of the stolen
rigging to Spencer, at the same time pro-
testing, he said, that he had nothing to do