Bridgeton pioneer., 1898-01-13
CUMBERLAND COURT.
A Week Occupied in The Cas-
sedy Case.
A VERDICT WAS REACHED.
The Bills Found by the Grand Jury. The
Prisoners Plead to Indictments.
Wednesday Afternoon.

Wednesday Afternoon.
There is a continuation of court. The
sessions will probably be continued for
another day, but few people are inter-
ested in the proceedings. The lawyers
probably know thor oughly what is going
on. The court is beginning to grasp the
situation, and the counsel, through wit
/ nesses, are endeavoring to impress the
jury with the real facts. But court pro-
ceedings are dull music to the spectator,
and the reading for the newspaper is far
from being tempered. with spice or inter-
esting information.
When the case is all over the jury will
probably say whether or not the Cassidy
the West Jersey Railroad Com
pany. If the verdict is to the plaintiff
then the railroad company will be obliged
to take up its tracks. That ought not to
be serious matter TO the company, for
certainly the tracks are scarcely used,
| especially since the Getsinger glass
works ceased to be operated. But on
general principles railroad companies do
not like to give up title to any property
they own, hence this fight is on in real
| earnest.
All day yesterday the jury listened to
complicated questions and answers hard
to understand. They gazed upon maps
and tried hard to get the run of lines and
| figures pictured upon them. They heard
| read ancient deeds, describing prop
erty in the vicinity of Cassidy brothers
place, and learned beyond possibility of
ever forgetting that Old Mill Creek was
at one time quite an important stream.
| Before the case is ended these jurymen
will understand, too, that things about
South avenue and Grove streets have
materially changed in recent years.
Where is now fast land, stone bridges,
graded streets, railroad tracks, etc., etc ;,
there was one great batch of mud flats,
covered most of the time with tide waters,
and later converted in meadows. They
will understand tha. Song South avenue
there was row of willow trees, not one
of which is now standing. From all these
facts, from all these circumstances, from
all these conditions, the jury will make
up it's mind whether or not the railroad
! OthPohy las any iiSut W h00p tIdChS
upon this bit of property in question.
The Grand Jury.
Now down stairs, all is different.
| There is activity and interest shown
there. The Grand Jury is of course sit
ting behind closed doors. Councilman
Joseph higgins is foreman, and Justice
of the Peace Joseph Powell is acting as
| Clerk. Prosecutor Logue is not before
| the Grand Jury very much. The various
cases are presented for him by the Clerk,
who seems to fully understand his
business.
| Nobody knows what the Grand Jurors
are doing excepting the witnesses who
are singly called before that august body.
The constables outside the doors closely
guard the entrance, and keep inquisitive
people away. The corridors are thronged
with people, most of whom have upon
their persons regular issued subpoena.
The county is paying these citizens fifty
cents per day for beiug in attendance.
One who has knowledge of criminal
business as it comes up from the Justices
aud Mayors Courts, can keep pretty
close tab upon the Grand Jury by watch
ing the witnesses as they go into the
Grand Jury room. That is, one thus in
formed can come pretty nearly saying
what cases are being considered. Of
course no one will know what the result
of the nvestigations are until indictments
are returned to Court.
1t is safe to say that the charges against
the tongers for taking oysters from Oro-
noken and Fishing Greeks have been
taken up, but no one knows what the re-
suit is. Many people would very much
like to know. Yesterday several Bridge
ton cases were looked into. One speak
easy matter was certainly investigated.
The Grand Jury may not get through
its work before Thursday afternoon. An
impression prevails that an unusually
large number of bills will be handed back
to the Court.
Thursday Morning.
Court resumed this morning, with
everybody's head filled with the details
of the Cassidy brothess-railroad case.
How long it will continue is problemati-
cal.
DOWh SttlIS tuo vi 10 "OI Mig
on. It's in the air that pretty much
everybody who have been arrested from
time to time npon charge of illegally tax
ing oysters are being indicted. 1t is not
unlikely that the bills will number in the
neighborhood of fifty.
The Grand Jury pretty nearly made a
record. They came in just before six
O'Clock, having found forty-nine indict-
ments, which the foreman handed to
the court.
In all Foreman Higgins and his CO.
laborers investigated seventy four cases,
and for the length of time the gentlemen
were in session made a record. Some
three hundred witnesses were called and
examined by the inquest
The following are those indicted, who
are restrained either in Jail or on bail: