Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1898-04-27
|THE COUNTY COURT
Still IN SESSION.

Second Round Of the p1easant1i11e
Incense Fight.
BRAUHSTEIH CASES OCCUPY THE CIRCUIT COURT
The MINOR CRIMINAL CASES vARIOUsLY
DISPOSED oF-A NOTED SEDUCTION
CASE.
1t is still "courting time" for
Judges, iurymen and lawyers at
Mays Landing. but the mills are
grinding out justice rather slowly.
The entire week since our last issue
has been occupied in the Circuit Court
by the long series of replevin cases, in
which Sheriff Kirby is nominally
defendant against the creditors of S.
NJ Braunstein, of Atlantic City.
These cases are tedious, tiresome and
expensive, but they ought to be use
full in conveying a lesson to those
who are disposed to resort to un-
businesslike or crooked" methods in
trade.
In the criminal court, all day We'd
nesday, and a part of Thursday, was
taken to dispose of the charges of
assault and battery, and atrociOus
assault and battery preferred against
Louis Layton by his wife. Layton
defended his own case and succeeded
SO well that the jury found him
guilty on both indictments and the
Judge sentenced him to the State
Prison for ten years. The case
served to show, mainly, to what
depth of moral depravity men can
descend. Altogether it was probably
the most revolving case ever tried in
the Courts OF Atlantic County, and
nearly all the testimony was utterly
unfit for publication.
Henry Boehm, of Pleasantville,
was sentenced to pay a fine of 500,
for selling liquor without a license,
and William Riley, colOred. who was
convicted of assault and highway
robbery was sentenced to the State
Prison for two years.
Thursday and Friday the principal
case was that of Matte Booye, of
Atlantic City, against Theodore
Price, of -Bakersville. The plaintiff
charged Price with seducing her under
the promise of marriage.
The testimony was very lengthy
and much of it was rather too
strong to be printed in modest
and pious paper like The Press. The
whole case hinged upon the point
as to whether the seduction took
place prior or subsequent to the
alleged promise of marriage-Miss
BOoye affirming that it was after
and the defendant denying the time
but admitting the fact of illicit rela-
tions withher. A large number of
very respectable witnesses testified
to the excellent character OF Miss
Booye, previous to her acquaintance
with Price and they made q strong
showing in her favor.
Price did not create very favor
able impression by trying to still
further smirch the character of the
girl he had ruined. and close
observer could read in the faces OF
the jury a look of Indignation and
disgust when a self-incriminating
witness was called to help him.
At 4 O'Clock, Friday afternoon,
Prosecutor Abbott made the opening
address in behalf of the State and
scathingly denounced Price and
his oprincipal witness. He re-
viewed the evidence briefly and
confidently expected the jury to con-
yict the man who would use his
wiles and Establishments and prom
ises to accomplish the ruin of an
innocent girl"
Lawyer Higbee whose clerical ap-
pearance and solemn voice would
make a cast-iron lamp post shed
tears, opened for the defence and pic
tured his client as an innocent young
conspiracy on the part OF Miss Booye
and her family. In less than half a
minute he had old Julius Caesar in
the case, notwithstanding the fact
that Julius died 1941 years ago the
fifteenth of last month, and could
not possibly have known anything
about it. He resurrected other. de-
parted Romans and several Bible
characters-none of whom were COM
petent witnesses land none of whom
had been subpGnaed by Sheriff
Kirby's deputies. Mr.. Higbee evil
IDENTIFY never had any intention of
calling them into court, and the
ghosts of old Caesar and his contem-
poraries were only paraded to do
duty as metaphoric dummies in the
passing show.
The case was concluded Saturday
morning when Lawyer Harry ScOvel,
of Camden, forcibly summed up for
the defence and stated all it's
strongest paints infOrcible language.
Samuel E. Perry, the late Prosecutor,
made the final argument for the
State, as the case had been prepared
by him, and he was more familiar
with the facts than the new Prose
cutor, Lawyer Abbott, who only
recently became connected with 1T.
Mr.. Perry argued the case in his
usual impetuous manner, and vehem-
emily scored the defendant and his
principal witness. Judge EndicOtt
charged the jury clearly and forcibly,
and the case was given to them
shortly after eleven O'Clock. They
were out until nearly four O'Clock
when they came in and reported that
they were unable to agree upon a
verdict. The jury stood nine for
conviction and three for acquittal.
John Allen, a colored youth from
Atlantic City, who stole money from
James Henry Mason, was sentenced
to six months in the county jail.
James Tyson, convicted OF stealing
jewelry from a lady guest of the
Allen House, Atlantic City, was SEN
fenced to three years hard labor in
the State Prison.
On Monday another of the Braunstein
cases occupied all day in the Circuit
Court and there are still some more ol
them left.
In the lower Court room the hearing
on the PIeasantville license case was re.
newed at 3.3O and the room was hall
filed with PleasantviIle citizens who
went up in large numbers on the 2 81
train. The first witness called in behal
of the applicant for q license, Milton W
Early, was Detective E. G.. Petit, o
Atlantic City, who said be was unable te
find accommodations at Pleasantvillt