The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-10-20
MINOR COURT CASES.
They Were Heard Before Judges
Mcclure and Gunster.

MINOR COURT CASES.
| They Were Heard Before Judges
Mcclure and Gunster
Judge Mcclure, sitting in court room
No. 2, yesterday morning heard two
assault and battery cases from Green
field. George Rivenberg was defendant
in the first case and was charged with
having struck Joseph Sheck. the prose-
cutor, with stone on the Sth of June
last. The defendant did not deny the
charge, but stated that he knew moth
ing about it until he wakened the next
morning and found he was consider
| ably bruised. He stated that he Mas
subject to epileptic fits and thought he
had had one about that time. The jury
didn't seem to think that a man in an
epileptic fit would throw stones and
/ fight, and returned a verdict of guilty
The court sentenced the defendant to
$40 fine and costs of prosecution. The
| fine was afterwards remitted by the
| court.
In the other case Lewis T. White was
| defendant and was charged with hav-
/ ing struck aud knocked down his
! mother-in-law, Mrs. +. L. Taylor, on
! the night of July 16. The difficulty in
| this case grew out of a dispute con-
corning the defendants eight-year-old
| boy who was in the custody of Mrs.
! Taylor. The defendant asserted that
he was attacked by his mother-in- law,
who scratched his face and that he
| simply showed her away. The verdict
| was not guilty, the costs being equally
| divided between the prosecutriX and
defendant.
SHAFER TRIED.
Adolph Shafer was then tried on
charge OF felonious wounding, the
prosecutor being John Hall, a bar
tender at 'Fidler's hotel in Providence.
Hall testified that. on the evening of
Feb. 10 last the defendant and several
others came into the saloon and began
shaking dice with him. The defendant
| became angry and Hall ordered him
| out, and on his refusal to go said, II
will put you out" and picked up
club from the back bar and started to-
wards the defendant, who pulled a re-
| VolVer and shot Hall in the side. Sew
| eral witnesses corroborated Halls Ver-
sion of the affair and testified as to the
| difficulty with which the revolver was
taken from Shafer and his arrest eff
fected.
1t was also testified that the revolver
| was aimed directly at Hail. who avoid
ed fatal wound by stepping aside.
| The commonwealth put in evidence
Halls shirts and vest showing bullet
| holes on the right side. The defense
was that the defendant was unable to
get away, was in fear of his life and
shot i'm self-defense when Hall was but
nine feet from him, rushing towards
him with an upraised club.
The jury in the case of Thomas C.
Williams, charged by Chief of Police
McAndrew with keeping a dsorderly
house, returned a verdict acquitting
Williams and dividing the costs be-
tween the prosecutor and defendant.
Judge Gunster promptly, and with evil
dences of indignation, set aside that
portion of the verdict placing half the
costs on Chief McAndrew.
William Burke was returned not
guilty of larceny by bailee of milk
can claimed by Spencer Martin. The
costs We're placed on the county.
mol pros on payment of costs was
charged with having passed a forged
check on NJ j. Norton.
BOTH ABSENT.
Both prosecutor and defendant hav-
ing absented themselves for two sue
cessive terms. District Attorney Jones
advised that the case of Mary Hayes
of the South Side, charged by Gather
inc Collins with keeping a tipplns
house. be quashed. Court agreed To
this and it was stricken from the list.
4 verdict of not guilty was directed
, by advice Of District Attorney Jones
in the case in which A. w. Brundage
of Peckvile. was charged with main
tanning a nuisance in not conducting
his slaughter house as ii should be, the
nuisance having been abated
William Williams. the boy accused OF
having been an acComplice of youne
Harvey i'm the robbery of Fosters store
on Hampton street, was acquitted
Harvey swore positively that Williams
was with him when the theft was com
mitted, but the Williams boy swOrC
with equal positiveness that this was
untrue; that his participation i'm the
crime consisted solely in buying ter
cents worth of tobacco from Harvey
The larceny by bailee case in which
George Jacobus was defendant and l.
, Fl. Williams, of the American House
Carbondale prosecutor, was settled
amicably.
William and Maggie COlborn were or
trial at adjournment for keeping 2
house of ill-repute and selling liquor
without a license. Maggie Dimmler /!
Ia prngapntIiN