The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-04-18
INNOCENT BURGLARY.
Men Acquitted Of Robbing
Farrier's Plumbing
Store.

| William H. Bailey and Joseph Thomp-
son, colored men, and Hugh Donnelly' a
white man, were put on trial in the Cen
| eral Sessions Court this morning for COM
mitting the bold burglary at the William
| W. Farrier plumbing establishment at
| No A Montgomery street, on the morn
| ing of March IL A side window of the
| plumbing shop was forced open, lot OF
stuff taken out to the hall and kept there
| until a truck drove up, when it was load
| ed on the truck and taken to New York.
Officer Thomas Dillon of the Sixteenth
precinct, New York, found the truck
| standing in front of a pawnshop at NO.
| 103 West Third street, with all the plum
| der from tn eplumbing shop on 1t except
| a typewriter. Former Judges Hoffman
| and Paxton and Lawyer Dabrarien OF
New York appeared for the defendants
and Assistant Prosecutor Van Wlnkle
| conducted the case for the State.
In opening Mr. Van Winkle recited the
| facts of the burglary and said the theory
| of the State was that the burglars re-
mained in Jackson's saloon near by until
| it was time to get to work. Then they
went out the back way and entered the
| shop through the window. They packed
| lot of lead pipe and other stuff in bar
| rels and bags. took it out in the hall,
after which it was loaded on the truck
and taken away Mr.. Van Wrinkle SAID
| he understood that the defendants would
| endeavor to fasten the crime on fourth
party who has not been arrested.
| Edwin H. Moore, a member of the com
pany, testified to the goods that We're
taken away, and which he subsequently
identified at the Mercer street police sta
| ton in New York.
| Policeman Thomas Dillon testified that
at 5:45 A. M. he saw truck and two OF
| the men, Thompson and Donnelly, stand
| ing in front of the junk shop in west
Third street. He asked them what they
| had or the truck and they said they
| didn't know. The witness looked for HIM
| self and found three barrels filled with
lead pipe three bags of smaller stuff
| long brass pipe and some rugs. The men
| said that their employer was inside the
building.
| Just then Bailey came out and he also
| said he didn't know what was on the
] truck. He said that a man named Will
| ianns. whom ne had never seen before,
/ hired him on the previous afternoon to go
to Jersey and get some crockery. Will
| iams, he said, was inside the building
Leaving Thompson and Donnelly in
charge of another officer, Dillon took
Bailey into the building and searched for
him. Dillon then arrested the three men
and took them to the Mercer street police
station.
Detective Daniel Lee told how he had
examined the plumbing shop and seen
how it was entered. He also told about
I recovering the gods in New York and the
typewriter in pawn shop.
Bailey, the owner of the truck, told on
the witness stand the same story he, had
| tol dthe policeman about William hiring
| him to take crockery from No. 46 Mont
gomery street to New York. The other
defendants told similar stories.
Several witnesses from New York ttsti-
| fed to the good character of the defend
| ants especially Bailey's and Judge Hoff-
| man asked the court to direct verdict
of acquittal on the ground that no evil
| dence had ben produced to connect the
| defendants with the burglary except in
| an innocent way. Judge Blair consented
| and irected the jury to find verdict of
not guilty. The defendants looked happy.