The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-17
CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LAW.
HOW 1T WAS ADMINISTERED IN
THE COURTS YESTERDAY.

Judge speer Lectures a criminal
Convicted of Stealing Rope From
Fort OgIethOrpe-A Libel Suit for
$500 Against the Steamship ID. II.
MiIIer-A Verdict for the Defend
ant in a City Court Damage Suit.
The Solicitor General in Atlanta.
In sentencing West Johnson. who was
found guilty of stealing rope and other ar
ticles from Fort Oglethorpe, in conjunc
ton with his brother, Jim Johnson, and
others, last August, Judge Speer took oc-
casion yesterday to give the prisoner quite
a lecture with regard to what he had done
and what was before him.
He told johnson that he considered his
brother the leader of the gang. and had
given him four years. He told him that
if he insisted on stealing he had better
not steal from the United States, as he
was sure to be caught up with and it
would go hard with him. If he desired to
steal at all, he said, it was best he should
steal from some private party. But
them he said, Judge Falligant will get
hold of you, and you may be sent to the
chain-gang, which might be considered
worse than going to the United States
penitentiary. In the penitentiary you
learn a trade which may be useful to you
in your after life, and make you good
citizen, if you desire to live an honest life.
think it will take about three years for
you to learn some good trade as me-
chanic of some kind. The sentence OF this
court is that you serve three years at
hard labor in the penitentiary at Column
bus, o.. and that you pay a fine of 50 and
the costs of this prosecution
A. r. Fulgam, alias Alfred F'ulgam,
pleaded guilty before Judge Speer to
a.a4 = FarNf IN 10
county. He was sentenced to serve one
month in jail and to pay hne OF $lOO ana
costs.
George w. Jones, alias Jim Jones, plead
ed guilty to dealing in spirituous ana malt
liquors without a United states license.
In consideration of the fact that ne mas
already spent two months in jail, how
ever, sentence in his case was suspended.
| Judge Speer told him, howevr, that II he
was eyre brought up again for such an
offense the court had IL in his power TO
sentence him without a trial and that he
| had better not another time violate the
| laws.
The suit of the Darien and Sapelo Tow
| boat Company, against the steamsip De-
taken up in the United States court Sew
! eral witnesses were sworn and the testl-
! mony of a good many OF them was heard.
! The claim is made by the plaintin that
while tied to Rourke's wharf, June q,
| 1895, the Miller swung round and in doing
so struck the bow of the tug John c. Ma
| lonee, belonging to the plaintiff company,
| which was stove in, and her pilot house
| was knocked off. 1t was claimed that this
| was due to the negligence OF those IN
| charge of the Miller, and as there was
| strong ebb tide at the time, and If proper
| precautions had been taken the accident
| could have been avoided The defendant
| in answering states that it's ship would
| never have struck the tug If the tug had
not swung out from the wharf; The tug, it
| seems, was al the time the Miller started
| to swing, lying alongside the wharf, but
| swung out in order, il appears, to avoid
a collision. The Miller states that the
collision was the fault of the tug, as it
had no business swinging out into mid
| stream.
Messrs. NJ. A. Connolly and James R.
Cain were admitted by Judge Speer to
practice law in the courts of the United
| States except of course, the supreme
| court. Mr.. Connolly was recently admit
ted to practice law in the state courts,
and in order that he might also be enti-
| tied to practice in the United States courts
he asked that he be allowed to stand an
examination. A committee consisting Of
Messrs. p. j. O'Connor w. w. Gordon,
Jr., and George A. Mercer, Jr., was APP
pointed for the purpose and made a most
favorable report, recommending that he be
admitted to practice. The court passed an
order admitting him. Mr.. Cane, as was
shown, has already practiced for three
years or more in the state courts, and haV-
ing complied with the law in that re-
spect, an order was passed admitting him
also to practice law in the United States
district and circuit courts.
The case of the United States against
A. H. CASTOR will probably be tried in the
United States court this morning. CASTOR
will be remembered as the negro who was
charged with nension frauds The claim be-
ing made that he had collected pension
= money amounting to about $1,000 for Visa
Strickland, widow of a man who was in
the federal service. and kept out $1,000 Of
it. The case created considerable talk
at the time Castor was arrested.
In the city court yesterday the jury
/ | rendered verdict for the defendant in the
case of Willie Ann Butler against the
Electric Railway Company. She brought
suit against the company for 5000 dam
ages, claim being made that when she was
getting off of a car at Bull and Bay streets
some time ago, the car was started sud
denly by reason of which fact she was
thrown to the ground and seriously in
jured. The plaintiff had some difficulty
in making clear some of the material facts
in the case. The jury was out just four
minutes when it returned with a verdict
for the defendant
f The absence of Solicitor General w w.
Fraser in Atlanta on account of the hear
ing of the motion for new trial of Abe
l Small before the supreme court pract-
cally did away with the business that
+ would otherwise have come up in the su-
, perior court yesterday. He will be back
to-day, however, and the criminal busi-
! ness in that court will be taken up to-
morrow.
In the case of Anna C. Norwood and
others, against Mcleod King, Judge Fai-
ligant appointed yesterday Messrs. ]. Fl.
: Borroughs j. A Wragg, j. H
Burr, b. J. Cannon, and Thomas
Bourqin as commissioners to make
a partition of the property belonging
: to the estate represented, and report to the
court. The property will be divided into
seven equal parts.
Peter Morgan, a former subject of the
King of Greece, was made a citizens yes
terday by Judge Norwood, end Edward
Carricciola, former subject of King
, Humbert of Italy, was made citizen by
Judge Falligant.
DIR. NYDEGGER GOES TO sAPELO