The Jersey City news., 1899-03-11
A BLACK CRIME.
Colored Circles Agitated by
Alexander Hunters As
sault on Charles
Lawrence.


superintendent of coal yard in sBayonne
and black as the coal he handles, and his
| son, John Hunter were tried in the Gen
teral Sessions Court Wednesday on an IN
dfctment for atrocious assault and battery
on Charles e. Lawrence. 1t appeared that
the elder Hunters wife, a young and
rather good looking mulatto, had aban-
doned her elderly husband and kept house
| for Lawrence.
The latter is a sporty COON and when
not engaged at his regular profession of
kalsomining, runs off entertainments. The
defendants were represented by LAWYER
W.sD. Saiter. Assistant Prosecutor Van
Winkle appeared for the State. The all
l. legged assault was committed on october
| 10, at Hunters house. Lawrence testified
as follows:-
II didn't go to Bayonne on purpose to
see Mr. Hunter went there to hire
| hall for an entertainment was to run
off, and I thought that while was there
I would drop in and have a talk with him.
He had been annoying me since last June,
He had put his wife and some OF her
goods on wagon and sent them to me.
Then he got coming to the house and
making. trouble for his wife and me. He
SAID tne spirit sent nllH.
"Did he bring the spirit with him or
come alone?" asked Mr. Van Wrinkle
"Well he said the spirit was with him,
but 1 didn't see it,
HE goes into the house." continued the
witness, land kneeIs down in prayer. He
prays that his wife and me might go to
church. He came again on the following
Sunday and said, This is my wife. I'm
an old man, but I'm just as good as when
T was eighteen He came again on Fri
day and said that his wife stole some OF
his shirts and gave them to me. said,
That's a lie.'
Excuse me, Judge, for being so abrupt
in the Court, but that's what said' he
continued sI don't wear no mans shirts
but my own. He came back again the
next Sunday and told me he had dream.
He dreamed that he was sitting down a.
my table and eating my meat and bread
I considered that an insult to me-"
Coming down to the date of the trouble
Lawrence said, 81 went to Hunters house
with my friend, Simon Peters. I knocked
at the door and Hunter asked, Who's
there?' 1 said, It's me- Charlie Aleyan-
der opened the door and had big, long
club in his hand. We clinched. throws
him, and as I throws him John came out
and applied the club to me. Peters was
standing in the yard crying. Hunter had
my ear in his teeth and his finger in my
eye. I saw the steel blade of a knife
braced myself and got away. I was laid
up for three months. Two bones in my
back were displaced
s.What is your business ~ asked Mr..
Salter.
.Tm renovator SIR replied Lawrence.
"a renovator," said Salter, what is
that?''
II fix up rooms, put paper on the walls
and kalsonine them
'sThen when you say you are removal
tor you mean you are a kalsominer?"
mo sir, I'm a renovator."
Lawrence testified that he is a married
man, but is not living with his wife. Mrs.
Hunter keeps house for him.
Were you drinking that night?' asked
Mr.. Salter.
"well, not to success" replied the wit
ness.
"You didn't get drunk then?"
mo sr.''
Sally Hunter, the woman in the case
testified. She did not witness the affray.
Simon Peters testified that he witnessed
the trouble but he couldn't tell which of
the two men hit first or which hit the
hardest.
s'Iow long were they under the
wagon?'' enauired Mr.. SaIter.
II didn't know, didn't have my watcn
with me 2
Don't get funny" said Mr.. Salter.
'You know that Lawrence couldn't bite
his own ear and SO you swear that
Hunter bit it, Isn't that it?''
Eyes SIR
Hunter testified that he is ffty-four
years old and superintendent of a coal
yard. 81 am responsible for the whole
business" he said, 81 went to Lawrence's
house, my wife was there. l prayed
with them and talked with them. On the
night that Lawrence came to my house
was on my knees praying. Some boys
told me that Lawrence and crowd were
coming to beat me. Lawrence was so
calm that he deceived me. / opened the
door and the next thing knew I was
struggling in the yard. l slung him back
against the hub Of the wagon. When we
got through some boys told me that
Lawrence was running way. l said, God
bless him, let him co. I didn't have
chance to get his ear in my mouth nor
my finger in his eye.
John Hunter corroborated his fathers
story and the defendants We're both
acruitpd