The record-union., 1899-11-22
VAN NORMAN CASE ON TRIAL
TESTIMONY FOR THE PEOPLE
is ALREADY IN.
The Junk Dealer Will Know His
Fate This Evening OF
Tomorrow.

The prosecution in the case OF w. VI
Van Norman, proprietor OF JUNK
store, charged with knowingly recelV-
Ing stolen property, closed It's case III
Judge Harris court yesterday ana the
defense will present their side to-day
Assistant District Attorney Wachhors'
Is conducting the case for the People
and the prisoner is defended by Hiram
w. Johnson.
Frank Kunsting, a Storekeeper OF
Franklin, testified that on the night OF
June 9th thieves had carried OF three
bales of blue-lettered grain sacks from
a landing near CORTLAND, the sacks
being the property of the witness, and
that these l 800 sacks were worth at
that time $S7 at wholesale. He identi-
fed a sack which was shown him as
being of those he had lost
A teamster named Frye told of hav-
ing gone to the landing ON the 1ncrn-
ing of the 2Sth after eight bales OF
sacks, and could find but five
Police Officer Max p Fisher testi-
fled that he met two men in a two
horse spring wagon near Freeport on
the 9th of June. One of them was a
one-eyed man named w. H. Gestner
Norman and asked him if he had
bought any new sacks from any one.
He thoroughly described the two men
and their outfit to Van Norman.
The later so Fisher testified, not
only denied all knowledge of Gestner
and his partner, but stoutly insisted
that no sacks had been bought or re-
ceived by him, such as described by the
officer. Fisher said he asked Van Nor
man if it was not a fact that he had
bought these sacks for cents a piece,
or $50 for the lot, and if the men had
not broke their wagon cover in driving
down into Van Norman's yard, all of
which, he said, Van Norman denied.
When asked where he thought the
sacks had been disposed of, Van Nor
man mentioned the names of two other
stockholders
Fisher testified that he then told Van
Norman he was sure of catching the
thieves and would then know for GER
tainty who had bought the sacks.
The next morning. said the witness,
Van Norman came to him and said he
had made mistake-that only the day
before the officer called he had bought
eyed man and his partner, but again
denied all knowledge of the blue-let-
tered sacks belonging to Kunsting
The same day Fisher, in company
with Officers Higgins and Fitzgerald
arrested Gestner and found on the
prisoners person papers which showed
that Van Norman had other business
transactions with these men aside from
buying the one lot of plain sacks. Van
Norman, when shown one of these
papers, according to witness Fisher
was asked, How about Kunsting's
sacks now?" To which Van Norman
replied, well, I've got them down
stairs
Continuing his story, witness Fisher
testified when told by him that Chief
Dwyer desired both lots of sacks taken
to the police station, Van Norman be
came excited and said to the witness
Now, l will help you to convict those
fellows, if you will do me a favor. ]
somehow forgot to put these sacks on
my books, as required by law, and
am in a fix if the Chief should ask me
about it. Now, I'll help you to cinch
those fellows if you will allow me to
tell the Chief. if he should ask me about
it, that the reason 1 did not record these
sacks was because you told me to buy
them for you as evidence that you did
not want anybody else to know it,
In response to questions by Mr.. John
SON. counsel for the prisoner, witness
said that when he told Van Norman
the latter had bought these blue-let-
tered sacks several days before Fisher
even knew of the theft, and that nc
report of any loss of plain sacks had
been made, Van Norman still insisted
and the witness consented to this, part
ly because he was very close friend
of some of Van Norman's family, and
also for other reasons.
The next witness was w. H. Gest-
ner. He testified that after having
brought Van Norman load of other
stuff on Tuesday morning, June 9th
the latter told him and his partner thai
there We're lot of bales of new grair
sacks at a landing near CORTLAND, thai
man who had been digging horserad-
ish on Senator Johnstons place ha6
told him SO. Van Norman asked wit
ness and his partner to get load OF
these sacks. Witness and his partne,
uiONt " the pIdce, DIS directed Dy var
Norman, and about 10 o'clock at nigh
cut open three bales of sacks anC
brought these sacks Q,500 to- Var
Norman's junk store early the follow
ing morning. Witness went to Var
Norman's house and called him. ant
Van Norman said he could only Civ,
them two cents apiece for the sacks
as they were dangerous to handle OF
account of the lettering on them, tina
he had to keep them shady for quite e
while on that account. and that all tina
time his money would be tied up.
Gestner said that for quite a while
he shielded Van Norman and refused
to tell the officers anything. Abou
three weeks after the arrest of wit
ness another man who had been &
partner of his in other thefts was ais
arrested. This man. Frederick Steph
an, alias "Flat-Nosed Fritz" who wa.
suspected of burglarizing L. Laurid