The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-06-29
PRISONERS ON TRIAL.
Remarkable Case Begun Be-
fore the Sessions Court
This Morning.
ROMANCE FROM BAYONN Ne.
Two Brothers Try to Kill An
ton Piebitski SO That One
of Them May Marry
the Widow.

A very remarkable case was heard in
the Court of General Sessions this morn
ing. when John and Adam Hojnacki were
put on trial for attempting to poison An
ton Prebitskf, of Bayonne, in order that
John might marry Prebitskis wife, NAL
ina. The case, as Prosecutor James ).
Erwin said in his opening, resembled the
famous vosburgh case. In brief 1t was
as follows
The Hojnacki Brothers boarded with
Anton and Malina Prebitski- The woman
became infatuated with John Hojnaekl.
and they conceived the atrocious plot OF
poisoning Anton, so that when he was
out of the way, John and Malina would
marry and live on the property amassed
by Anton,s years of toll. The elder HoJ-
nacki bought the poison, and Adam wrote
out the order to the druggist; and on the
first of January last, administered the
first dose to Prebitski. by putting it in
his food. This attempt did little harm to
Anton who attributed his slight sickne
to a dyspepsia. Another dose was given
to the husband two weeks after, ana ne
became so sick that by advice of the
n%eighbors he was removed to the Bay
onne Hospital, where he is now under
treatment.
sAfter her husband was takento the
hospital Mrs. Prebitski sold her house,
hold goods and fled to Canada. Before
she went north she visited her husband
in the hospital and stricken with re-
morse at his condition. she flung her
self at the foot of the bed and con-
fessed to him that she had tried TO
poison him so that she could marry John
Hojnacki. The fact of this confession
only leaked out after she had gone to
Canada.
When the Bayonne police heard of this
they locked up the brothers as Access
series to the crime, and Michael Mechail-
ovski as an accessory after the fact. In
iail John Hojnacki wrote q letter TO Mrs.
Prebitski, in Canada, telling her that he
and his brother were in trouble and beg
cling her to come to Bayonne at once.
She did so, and the police, learning of
her return, arrested her. She said she
was guilty, but the brothers denied their
guilt. Indictments soon followed and the
trial was begun this morning. Lawyer
Alexander Simpson defended the Hoj-
nacki brothers.
a few minutes before the trial was be-
gun Anton Prebitski was wheeled into
the court room. The poison had worked
terrible mischief on one who had evil
IDENTIFY been a fine healthy looking man.
His eyes were affected and although the
court room was warm he trembled like
an aspen. His treaeherous wife, a
young. hatchet-faced woman, with red
cheeks and shifting eyes. sat a few yards
away from him, nursing a baby a few
months old. She kept her back turned
to her husband and frem time to time
looked anxiously and pleadingly at her
companions in crime, who sat near their
lawyer. The Hojnacki brothers sat stol-
idly staring at the Judge and jury.
After Prosecutor Erwin had detailed the |
facts already stated he called Mrs.
Jankowski, of No. IL Andrew street, Bay 4
onne, a friend of all parties. This witness
said that Mrs. Prebits1i had admitted TO
her that Adam Hojnacki wrote out the |
order for the poison prescribed by his
brother John. to be given to her husband.
Mrs. Jankowski's testimony was given in
Polish and interpreted by Tony Czyman-
ski.
DR.. e. p. Luce of the Bayonne Hos
pital said that Prebitski was a patient in
that institution and suffering from ar
senical poisoning, the symptoms of which
among .other things were irritation of the
stomach and ~aesophagus, puffiness under
the eyes.and paralysis. Prebitski had all
these.
Anton Prebitski,' sang out the court
crier, and attendants lifted the ~paralytic
man into the enclosure near the Prose-
cutor. He told his story Ia an intelligen.
manner, although in broken English.
1T was before Christmas that 1 first
fell sick. / had eaten some dinner and
the meat didn't feel all right. Then I go
to the hospital, but the second time !
take sick mine wife give me medicine. !
feel better for about ten minutes and
then I feel just the same. Then 1 go to
the hospital"
WHO first told you the cause of your
sickness?. asked the Prosecutor.
M wife, Ma fina; she sits there" re-
piled Anton turning in his chair and FOR
the first time looking at his wife, who
turned her head away and busted herself
with her baby'ss cap.
Detective Griffin, of the Bayonne Police
Headquarters, described the arrest of the
Hojnacki brothers ION Information re-
ceived.p The officer said that when he
arrested john Hojnacki at the Bayonne
copper works, where he was employed.
Hofnacki admitted that he had helped to
poison Anton Prebitski, and when Anton
was dead. he Gohn) had intended to join
Mrs. Prebdtski in Canada and marry her
John also confessed to the detective his IL
licit relations with the woman.
..IIe confessed that did hep asked the
Prosecutor.
styes , ranHed the detective.
The husband turned his chair to look at
John. who fushed a deep crimson and
~nervously played with his hat. Anton
then turned to his wife who hid her face
in her handkerchief.
An .ad icnrnmanf WAS taken until two