The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-10-02
ON TRIAL.
Garrabrandt Is Cool and In
different to the Pro
ceedings.
ONLY THREE DAYS ALLOWED
Justice Collins Asks the Law
yers to Lose No
Time.

/ Seldom has a cooler or more uncon-
/ cerned prisoner faced jury than nine
/ teen-year-old John Cara brandt the self
| confessed slayer of fourteen-year-old
Henry Mass, who was placed on trial
for his life before Justice Collins and
Judge blair in the Court of Oyer and
/ Termdnef this morning. This youthful
murderer sat by the side of his couns i,
Alex. T. Simpson, watching with apparent
indifference the preliminary proceed ngs
| of the trial by which he was to be con-
! ssgned to the gailows or to a long term
| of Imprisonment. Never once did he ex-
hibft the slightest interest in the proceed
| lngs. He was neatly dressed in a suit of
! light colored material and wore a turn
down collar and light co.ored silk
| crayat. The PRISON pallor caused by his
| fve months confinement and, the absence
| of the single curly lock of hair which
formerly hung over his forehead changed
the youthful appearance of the prisoner
and he looked several years older than
when first arrested.
Not since the trial of Murderer Edward
Clifford has so much public interest been
manifested in the trial of a murderer.
Long before the Court House bell rang
the Court of Oyer and Terminer was
crowded and even the gallery at the rear
of the room could not contain any more
spectators than were crowded into It's linn
tied quarters. There was a buzz of excite
ment just as the bell stopped ringing, and
Under Sheriff John Heavey walked up the
centre aisle of the Court rooom by the
side of the youthful murderer. Cara
brandt gazed indifferently at the crowd,
tn, fo1 e., f-;, IL,
acquaintances. When he reached the seat
occupied by SO many murderers who have
ended their careers on the gallows he ex-
tended his right arm to the Under Sheriff
to have the handcuff removed Only once
did he ever notice his counsel and that
was when Lawyer Simpson addressed a
remark to him Among the spectators
were DR.. Corning, the New York expert on
nervous diseases, and several other in
sanity experts, who closely watched every
movement of the young murderer. DR..
Corning will probably be the States chief
expert to disprove the insanity defence
which Lawyer Simpson has announced his
intention of setting up.
Every detail of the uninteresting pre-
liminary proceedings was closely watched
by the spectators, and young Garrabrandt
was the cynesure of all eyes, although at
no time did he appear to be conscious of
it. When his eye caught that of another
/ booking closely at him he would turn
quickly away as if to avoid any inquiry.
Shortly after ten o'clock Justice Collins
and Judge Blair came from the judges
chamber and the former at once directed
the Garrabrandt's case to be called.
Prosecutor James S. Erwin announced
his readiness to proceed.
As Crier George H. Bowly was about
to draw the name of a juror from the box
Lawyer Simpson entered the usual OBJ
lection against the panel as irregular. He
said there were only one hundred and
fifteen names in the box and one was
that of a nonresident. Justice Collins
promptly overruled the objection, granted
an exception, and the drawing of the
jury proceeded.
Considerable difficulty was experienced
in obtaining jury. Never before has
there appeared SUCH a general desire on
the part of those summoned to avoid ser
vice. Fully two-thfrds of those called
asked to be excused. Some produced
physicians certificates, few said they
were above the age limit of sfxty-five,
one pleaded military exemption, and an
other exemption as a veteran of the Civil
War. The Court refused to allow the last
named excuse, but the others were allowed
to stand aside until it was seen that a
trial panel could be obtained without
them. -
The jury finally sworn was:-William
Meehan, foreman; Lloyd H. Nettleton,
Clayland Tilden, Robert G.. Lambert, Wal
ter Davidson, Louis w. Lindblom, VIM.
Hagberg, Harry B. Cathness, Alfred Gall
man. Henry Kampe, Frank Flentze, Har-
ry H. Holmes.
After the jury had been sworn Justice
Collins announced that he would only be
able to devote three days to the trial of
the case. He said that if necessary night.
sessions would be held in order to end the
trial in that time. Counsel on both sides
agreed to proceed as rapidly as possible.
Prosecutor James s. Erwin then began
his opening address to the jury. Young
Garrabrandt listened to the States law
yer's story of his crime with the utmost
Indifference Mr.. Erwin said that the case
was most important one, and that the
State would prove that the murder of
fourteen year old Henry Mass by Cara
with robbery as the motive.
Garrabrandt, he said lived with his
parents at No. 1872 Eighteenth street, Jer-
sey City, and at the time of the murder
was in charge of probation officer for a
crime of which he had been convicted and
released under Suspension of sentence.
The Prosecutor said that the State would
show that Garrabrandt lost his position In
the factory where both he and Mass
worked, and in order not to let his father
know that he had been discharged Cara
brandt determined to rob young Maass
of his weeks wages. Mass lived at No.
30 Coles street and worked for the firm
of Sharp & Allen In New York.
.4Garrabrandt, the State will prove, con-
ceived the crime several days before he
committed 1t. He selected the woodshed
in the cellar of his hom as the death
chamber and make blackjack out OF an
oval piece of lead and then procured
piece of clothes line. intending TO strangle
his victim should the blackjack fail,' said
the Prosecutor.