The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-12-27

wound between the seventh and eighth
ribs. 1t was about one and a half inches
in length, extending internally downward
n outward to a depth of seven or eight
inches. 1t penetrated the right lobe of the
liver, the gan bladder into the stomach,
on the inside and back of the right arm
was another wound about an inch and a
half long. This wound was only skin deep.
On cross examination DR.. Rogers said
that the wound on the arm and chest
could only have been caused at the same
time If the arm of the n man was
in front of him and held d~ownNclose to
his body.
Deputy Keeper Jacob Reinehart, who
has charge of the prison commissary de-
partment, was the nex witness. He
said he was sitting in his Office opposite
the bake shop a few minutes after six
O'Clock that morning When Weise came
staggering in. He was very pale and
when he sat down on the chair Mr..
Rhinehart saw blood on his clothes. He
at once summoned two conc1ctS and or
dered them to take Weise to the prison
hospital.
Rhinehart accompanied them and on
| reaching the bake room he looked in and
saw Brown at the far end OF the room.
1AIl1lCDdIL lGlQ pIOHL IN Ddu 0O4C w CAoC
a nasty trick, but Brown made no reply.
Rhfnehart then ordered Brown to fold
his arms and walk in front OF him to the
center. Brown was slow about folding
his arms and Rhinehart told him if he
didn't do it he'd knock his head off.
Rhinehart said there were no marks on
Browns body, nor were his clothes torn.
Charles Cole, a convict who acted as
runner for Deputy Rhinehart, testified
that he heard Weise say .sOhi' and then
saw him go into R~hinehart's office. Cole
went into the bake room and asked
Brown what the trouble was. Brown
said Nothing" Cole saw Brown throw
something under the step in front of the
bread trough. He went to see what it
was and found the knife, which he ave
to Rhinehart. Cole said Brown and
Weise were not friends. Back in June,
1883, they Quarreled about a bread knife.
Cole said he had heard Brown threaten
to stab Weise.
Harry Brooke, another convict, and a
very Intelligent young man, came as near
any witness produced by the State.
According to Brooke's story, the prison-
ers were released from their cells about
six O'Clock. The bake house gang at once
Brooke had finished his work in the
kitchen and went across the hall to wash
his hands at the sink in the bake room.
He had just finished this operation when
Brown stepped upon the little platform
surrounding the sink and commenced to
wash his hands. Having finished this he
formed a basin with his hands and was
washing his face. Weise stepped up and
dipped his hands in the basin. Brown.
his eyes closed, dipped his hands into the
basin to get more water when ne struck
against Weise's hands.
well. We got a GALL said Brown.
What's the matter with your asked
Weise.
Don't you see I'm washing here re-
piled Brown.
well. there's room for two, amt
thereg' asked Weise.
mo, there amt" said Brown.
At that, Brooke said, the two men
clinched, eacn striking at the other. Then
they separated, each still striking blows.
At last Weise backed off several feet.
a big bread knife that lay on it. Weise
ran after him, clinched with him from
behind and pinioned him arms above the
elbows, Brooke saw brown nj Weise
the knife, and then, as he said, thinking
1t was only a bluff, and that nothing
would come of it, he turned. In a moment
he heard Weise utter an exclamation.
Turning he saw Brown standing with the
knife in his left hand ard Weise was
walking toward the door holding his hand
table and walked to the end of the. room
Brooke looked at the knife and said, MY
God, Fritz, you've cut Welse bad; look at
the blood on that Knife" Brown made no
reply, but wiped his face and hands on a
towel and then picked up the knife and
threw it under the bread trough.
On cross-examination by Mr.. Backes,
Brooke asserted positively that Weise
struck the first blow in the quarrel He
also said that Weise was a big man and
very powerful, while Brown is slight and
small.
Louis Layton. a convict, who has
charge of the dining room in that part of
the prison, proved himself a very pecu-
liar witness.
Crossley, Layton said he knew both
Weise and Brown by sight, but could not
cal Them by name. Some time before
June last one of the two men told him
that If there was any more trouble be-
tween them he would use a knife.
On cross-examination Layton said the
man that made that remark was a bigger
man than Brown.
On redirect examination. Layton said
he had heard both men make threats.
About April | he heard Brown tell
stronger mar than he, and that he would
put a knife through him. AT that time
Weise replied hat he would put Brown
out Of business before he got a chance
to use a knife.
Gustav Huilburt, another convict en-
ployed in the bake house, gave some GU
mulative testimony as to the occurrence
in the bake room at the time of trag-
edy. He said that some time before the
fight, he heard Brown say that eWise
would nave to be taken to the hospital
before eight days had passed.
On cross-examination Huilburt said that
on election day, 1898, Brown and Weise
had a fight in which Weise knocked
Brown down, kicked him in the face and
knocked two of his teeth out. 1t was
Immediately after this light that he heard
Brown say that Weise would have to be
taken to the hospital within eight days.
Deputy John Fitzgerald testified that
in the prison hospital Weise identified
Brown as the man who stabbed him..
Ex-Coroner William N. Disbrow testi-
fed to the same effect. A dying state
ment, taken by Coroner Disbrow from
Weise, was offered in evidence, but the
Court ruled it out.
County Detective William G. Maddox
and City Detective John J. Clancy iden-
titled the knife produced by the State. |
1t was offered in evidence and Prose
cutor Crossley rested the States case.
MIR. Backes, in outlining the defense,
said there was no doubt that a homicide
was committed in the State Prison on
June l last, but the defendant would
contend that this homicide was neither
murder or manslaughter, but a 5ustif-
able killing. Brown, Mr.. Backes said,
killed Weise tosave his own life Brown
and Weise Mr.. Backes said, were both
Germans and were the best of friends
during their terms i'm prisonment until
election day. 1898. On that day Brown !
had stolen or in some way secured some
lard with which he intended to make
short" bread as a treat for the
men employed in the bake house. Weise
demanded of Brown to give him the lard,
but Brown refused to do son and a fight |
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