The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-09-16
SUPERIOR COURT,
Before Judge Bonney.

Iuesday-In the case of Bertha R.
Taylor, indicted for keeping house Of
Ill tame, her counsel, Gen. Mattooks, has
nieo plea in abatement on the ground
tnae two of the grand jurors were not
properly drawn. The return of the Off
Ger from Harrison mitted the month on
which the meeting was held, but the off,
Ger was called in and he amended his re-
turn in accordance with the fact, and
the court overruled the plea as to that
venire. The other venire from the town
of Standish Is claimed to be defective
because the return of the officer does not
state the place where the drawing was
held. The state claims that it is not
necessary that IL should. A hearing will
be held on the Standish venire this
morning.
John Green alias John Cunningham,
was put on trial for attempting to escape
with others from the County Jail on the
evening of Monday, September 2.
Theofficers had been suspeoting for sew
eral days that conspiracy to escape was
brewing, and while watching outside on
this evening they heard someone work
on the shutters to window in the poor
debtors cell, so-called, because it was
Mr.. Grover, the turnkey Immediately
went up and found four in the room.
among them this defendant, with his
coat off and in state OF Precipitation,
while the others were cool. Several bars
were found to have been partially sawed
off and one large bar entirely cut in two,
while outside the shutter had been part
ly pried off with bed slat taken from
the bed. On the bed where it had been
hastily thrown was the saw with which
the work had been done.
Green testified that he belonged In
Philadelphia, that he came here ten days
before his arrest for larceny. On this
evening his cell was in the corridor be-
low. The prisoners on the upper corri-
dor were out for exercise and Grsen.
who roomed below with GRAHAM, got
leave from the corridor boss to 60 to the
CORR 'or above, as ne says after some but
tons that one Sullivan had promised
him. Green claims that he wasn't up
there more five minutes and that at
the time Grover came up he was en-
gagged in putting the buttons onto his
coat, and that he had not heen into the
poor debtors cell and didn't know what
was going on there.
The officers of the jail testified that
Immediately after the discovery Green
said that there was no use in beating
about the bush, they were all in it, and
he intended to 60 with them. This
Green denied.
One Jerry Sullivan created some
amusement by ease with which he
Topped out of one misstatement into
another. He first said that Green asked
him for the buttons that night in COM
ing from the workshop. The state
showed by the Jail officers that there was
no labor IN the shop that day for it was
a holiday. Jerry took the stand again
and said he made mistake-t that it
was Saturday night when they came out
Of the shop. "Are you sure you've got
it right now," said County Attorney
True. o yes. no remembered it perfect
IL. Saturday night between five and
six?" Eyes. SIR" said jerry, "I'm
sure OF that. "Now, don't you know
that no work is ever done in the shop
Saturday afternoon?," Jerry stopped,
choked, attempted to speak, but the
words didn't come freely. lie muutered
something about having been twisted.
and the county attorney told him to step
down.
The jury returned verdict of not
guilty after being out two hours.
G. A. True. county attorney.
j. B. Kehoo for defendant.