The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-10-13
BIG WEEKS WORK
DONE BY The COURT
MORE THAN EIGHTY CASES
FINALLY DISPOSED OF.

Three Courts Were Kept Busy All
During the Week-H. ]. Crossley
Was Convicted of Assault and Sem
fenced to One Year in the County
Jail-sentence Suspended in the
Case of the West Side Boys--Will-
lam H. Reighard Given Two
Months.
When court adjourned yesterday af-
ternoon at o'clock it had disposed
of every case on the list that was
open for trial or disposition In any
other way, and had established the
weeks record for this county, so far
as the trial of cases Is concerned.
Over eighty cases had been disposed of,
either by a trial before a jury. plea
Of guilty being entered, or a verdict of
not guilty taken by agreement.
Judge r. w. Archibald, who was pre-
siding In the main court room, kept
the three courts going constantly. The
list was large and he wished to per-
init no dilly dallying upon the part of
attorneys. When a case was called,
unless good reasons to the contrary
were advanced, 1t was tried. Early in
the week the Judge saw that the regu-
lar panel of Jurors would not be suf-
ficient and he had a number of tales
men drawn, who served for the re-
mainder of the week. That gave the
court an ample supply Of jurors all the
time and the business of the court was
not delayed, as 1t frequently is, by
scarcity Of jurors.
1t will not be possible to dispose
Of so many cases next week, because
number of them are councilmanic
bribery cases, w1ch will take a con-
siderable period of time to try. Buff
business is expedited to the extent it
was this week in the three court
rooms, great inroads will be made on
the list.
CRossLEY FOUND GUILTY.
H. ]. Crossley was yesterday found
guilty of assault in connection with the
charges made against him by 9-year-
old Eva Marsh, and was sentenced to
one year in the county Jail.
About 1890 yesterday morning, the
Judge sent for the jury, it not having
yet agreed, and said that he had
thought the case over during the night
and come to the conclusion that he
had been more favorable than he
should have been. He had come to
the conclusion that the evidence
would warrant conviction on the first
count of the Indictment. At ESQ in
the afternoon, the jury brought in a
verdict on the second count Of the
indictment, charging assault, and
Crossey was Immediately called for
sentence. In imposing sentence, Judge
Archibald said:
Mr.. Crossey, I recognize in you man whom
] thought was person Of respectabiity, whose
face have often seen upon the streets OF this
city. l am very sorry to see you here at the
bar Of Justice. The evidence, however, was con.
vincing to me that the story told by these chill.
dren is true, and if you have not introduced into
their young minds that which will ruin these
girls it is the mercy of Providence.
There was evidence that would have warranted
the jury in finding you guilty, as l instructed
them this morning, of the most serious part Of
this charge. l thought it stopped short of that,
that the evidence would not warrant that con.
viction. but after thinking it over last night
made up my mind that if the jury could be
brought into court again I should tell them
that they could find you guilty OF the most
the side of mercy and have found that your
intent not bad as il looked and that you
stopped so far short that they were not willing
to find you guilty Of an attempt to criminally
assault these children.
JURY INCLINED TO MERCY.
If they had found you guilty Of that offcnse
i would have sent you to the penitentiary. I
could not stop short OF it. But the offcnsc is
serious, and, while desire to observe the rec
ommendation to mercy of juries in ordinary
cases, yet really can see no place for it here.
They have found you guilty OF an assault upon
these children 1t was vile assault and ! there.
fore, instead OF being inclined to mercy, am in.
clined to give you the full extent of the law in
such cases, which is not very severe, measured
by the circumstances attending it. The sentence
OF the court is that you pay a fine OF 500, pay
the costs OF prosecution and undergo imprison.
ment in the county Jail OF Lackawanna county
for the term of year. As far as the term
OF imprisonment is concerned, this is the ex.
treme limit OF the law.
BY direction of Judge Archibald, Mrs.
Margaret Scanlon was returned not
guilty Of charge of forcible entry
and detainer preferred by Thomas
Costello. The jury was sent out to dis
pose of the question of costs and di-
vided them equally between prosecutor
anu ueleHuttHt.
In the case of Thomas L. Mills. of
North Scranton. arrested at the in
stance of Annie A. Sullivan, a verdict
of not guilty was taken. The prose-
cutriX is dead.
Thomas Hall was returned not guilty
of stealing copper from the Scranton
Railway company. He has been in Jail
three months awaiting trial.
Samuel Murray and NJ. ]. Wheeler
pleaded guilty to conducting a gamb-
ling place on Spruce street, and were
fined $40 and costs. j. d. Miller and
NJ. d. Blewitt employees of the place
We're fined 81 and costs.
andre Parish, who was tried Thurs
day before Judge Gordon for placing a
large stone In front of trolley car
near Vandling, was found guilty and
sentenced to pay a fine and spend six
months in the county Jail.
BOY CONVICTED.
Alexander Slanko, seven -year-old
boy, was convicted before Judge Cor
don of breaking locks on switches on
the Delaware and Hudson road at
Priceburg, and sentence was suspended.
verdict of not guilty, upon pay
ment Of the costs. was taken in the
case of Frank Maruchim, charged
with selling liquor without q license