The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-12-18
JOURNAL
PARKHURSTS
Editor Rappelye and His
Agents Give Testimony
Before the Grand Jury.
SIGNS OF WEAR AND TEAR
Mr.. Dear's Futile Impressive
ness-Pen Sketches of
Pidgeon and Beck.
The Evening Closes with a Mys-
terious Conference With Com
boSsy the New York Crook.


The atmosphere of the Court House
was full of suppressed excitement yester-
day afternoon 1t had been announced
that the Grand Jury would resume its
investigation of the Journals allega-
tions against Assistant Prosecutor
Joseph M. Noonan and Lawyer Alexander
Simpson, and that the journal would
produce the men whom it had hired, ac-
cording to the Journals" own story,
to entrap Noonan and Simpson into the
commission of crime.
Two o'clock was the hour fixed for the
Grand Jury to convene and at that time
the majority of the members were in at
tendance Shortly afterward Mr.. Elbert
Rappleye managing editor OF the
journal and his two men, Edward
Pidgeon, a reporter, and Louis Beck, a
former reporter who is now connected
with a private detective agency in New
York, alighted from a car. Quite num-
ber of men had assembled in the corridor
of the Court House prompted by curiosity
to see them The three men walked along
the corridor down to Prosecutor Win
Assistant Prosecutor William M. Klink.
Prosecutor Winfield was there, but as he
is very sick man he sat in chair In a
corner of the outer room and listened TO
what was going on
Mr. Rappleye is a man about thirty-tWo
years old. He is slimly built, wears a
light brown mustache, and would scarce
ly be taken for a literary man: His
countenance betokened the satisfaction
he evidently felt in having been able to
bring his witnesses with him to appear
before the Grand Jury. There is nothing
about Mr.. Rappleye's facial characters
tics to indicate that he would be capable
of hiring one set of men to induce an
other set of men to commit crime Tor
the purpose Of providing his newspaper
with sensation. He wore long blue
Melton overcoat, with a deep velvet col
lar Until he was called into the Grand
Jury room he spent his time in conversa-
ton with Pidgeon and Beck.
the journal arrived few minutes
later, and paced up and down Hogan's $
Alley, as the Court House corridor has
custodian of the Court House. Mr.. Dear
looked solemn, impressive and impatient.
He was solemn probably because his
financial interests are largely at stake IN
this issue. He is always impressive and
his impatience arose from the fact that
the Grand Jury kept him waiting for
three or four hours. He and Mr.. Rap
pleye talked with each other occasionally.
Chief of Police Murphy was on hand in
full uniform, and was kept waiting until
nearly eight O'Clock. According to the
nished the s'Journal" with the Boczkow-
ski case as a basis for its operations.
Sheriff Heller was in his office apparently
taxing no interest in the proceedings, z,,ea
shortly after two o'clock and the jury was
convened directly afterWard. Mr.. Rap
pleye was the first witness summoned.
Constable William Thompson, who was
guarding the door, ushered him in The
managing editor reappeared in about half
an hour and looked slightly worried, but
not as much as he looked last Wednes-
day.
Louis Beck was summoned next. Beck is
a medium sized, dark complexioned, maa
about thirty-ffye years. and wears black
moustache. He looked entirely self-pos-
sessed and approached the ordeal smiling
He was kept in the witness chair exactly
two hours and seventeen minutes, ana
not exactly smiling, but he did not look
particularly perturbed.
AS he walked into the Prosecutors Of
fee, Mr. Rappelye grasped him by the
fee, Mr.. Rappleye grasped him by the
aAll right" replied the detective, "I
don't think made any bad break"
Joseph A. Dear called out a Con-
stable from the door of the Grand Jury
room. Mr.. Dear started toward the door,
but on reaching it the Constable said !:
You will have to wait few minutes;
they want Mr.. Pidgeon.
Edward Pidgeon," shouted the Con-
stable, his voice ringing through the cor
ridor.
"Catch that pigeon said somebody in
the crowd.
Shoot him." exclaimed another, and
the crowd laughed.
Pidgeon walked from the Prosecutors $
Office down the corridor to the Grand
Jury room He is a well built young
man, with a smooth face, and was dressed
in the height of fashion. Mr.. Rappleye
whispered a word of encouragement to
him as he started. Pidgeon was Gagged
with the jury for fully an hour and a half
and when he reappeared he showed some
slight signs of the ordeal through which
he had passed.
Mr.. Dear was called next and his inter-
view with the jury was very brief.
Mr.. >Rappleye was recalled later on and
after that Mr.. Dear was called in again.
Assistant Prosecutor Klink, who had
gone across the street to get some sup
per, was sent for and taken into the
room When he reappeared he looked
quite serious.
About eight o'clock the Grand Jury ad-
that the hearing would be resumed next
Tuesday. What took place in the jury
room is, of course, known only to the
jurors and the witnesses.
After the Grand Jury session. Mr.. Rap
pieye dlned at the Hotel Washington.
During a portion of the time that he
was there, Gombossi the notorious New
York dive keeper and all around crook,
sat talking with him. Rumor has it that
Gombossi Is the jury fixer," who was
mentioned in the Journals article, last
Saturday, and whose name Mr.. Rap
pleye refused to tell to the Grand Jury.