The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-09-27
Ex-L0vER IN JAIL
Miss Marteka Proved Her
Charges Against Drug
gist Hellstern.
HIS ARDENT LETTERS READ.
The Prisoner Didn't Like
Hearing Them, But That
Made No Difference.

spectacle and we'll dressed ,ladleS as were
assembled there yesterday. Most of them
were residents of North Hudson, many of
them school teachers who had come to
testify to the good character of Miss Mary
| Marteka, a young woman of No. 415
Spring street, West Eobo0en, who had
preferred a criminal charge against Gus
tav Hellstern, formerly a clerk in Union
Hill drug store, who now conducts store
of his own on Broad street, Newark.
In connection with the same charge two
civil suits in which Hellstern is the de-
fendant are pending in the Essex county
courts. In one Miss Marteka asks $4,000
damages from the young druggist, and in
the other her father sues him for 5000
for the loss of his daughters services.
The jury was out less than half an hour
after the case was concluded at $3.50
o'clock yesterday afternoon, when they
returned with verdict of guilty as
charged. Miss Marteka smiled triumph
affianced lover to the County Jail, and
her friends crowded around and extended
their congratulations to her.
While waiting for the case to be called
the complainant a pretty and vivacious
brunette of twenty-one sat inside the
| rallied enclosure conversing with a num-
Der of other ladies and occasionally steal
ing furtive glances at Hellstern, who sat
| by the side of his counsel, ex-gudge An
derson, of Newark, and Counsellors Nor
man Il. Rowe and John l. Weller. As
sistant Prosecutor Marshall A. Van
Wrinkle alone represented the State against
this formidable array.
| All eyes were turned on the pretty COM
| plainant, who was neatly dressed in black,
as she walked confidently to the witness
stand when her name was called. She
answered the questions asked by the
States representative promptly and in
| telligently and told her story in a way
| that went far towards convincing the jury
of it's truthfulness. Once when interrupted
| by her counsel she said impatiently:-
'T might convince the jury if you would
permit me to continue and they would
Hsten.''
Miss Marteka testified that she first met
the defendant four years ago when she
was introduced to him by mutual
friend, Mr.. Judson. About two years ago
she again met him and then began the
friendship which she says eliminated
in November last in their engagement to
marry in the following February. He
bought her candy, flowers, music, two
diamond rings and was in all respects an
ideal lover until February 8, last, when
after escorting her home from the Herald
Square Theatre in New York, he seemed
to lose all interest in his fiancee and
thereafter discontinued his visits en-
tirely.
Miss Marteka looked contemptuously at
her erstwhile lover as she testified that
he had asked her to marry him in secret
and she had refused. In March last, she
| said, Hellstern took one of the diamond
| rings he had given her, saying that he
was going to have wedding ring made
the same size. Neither the diamond nor
the wedding ring ever came.
The complainant then told the story of
the occurrences of the night of February
3, which had made it necessary for ser
to bring suit against her former lover.
She said that she had repeatedly inn
portuned him to redeem his promise and
marry her, but without avail.
Several letters were produced by the
Assistant Prosecutor with the object of
corroborating the complainant's story of
the engagement Judge Anderson object
ed to the reading of the letters and a
lively argument resulted. Judge Blair
overruled the defendants counseps OBJ
jections and the letters were read to the
jury. In one Hellstern wrote
I'VE can't marry right away, but I'll
never go back on you.''
In another he said:-sI love you and
will respect you more then, for then 1
shall be sure of your love-
In connection with the proposition for
secret marriage ne wrote:-"N Nobody will be
the wiser and what occurs will be only
between u.s.
Hellstern looked very sheepish during
the reading of these letters He sat by the
side of his counsel with his eyes cast to
the floor, and only occasionally glanced
in the direction of the witness box where
his former fiancee was telling the story
of their love making.
Miss Marteka said that the understand
ing between Gustav and herself was that
they would be married when he passed
his examination as a druggist
In November last her sister wrote an in
sulting letter to Hellstern. He replied in
kind, and the witnesses mother took the
side of her sister, making it so unpleas-
ant for her that she left home and went
to live with Mrs. Hellstern. She STAYED
there six weeks. On December q she
quarreled with her prospective mother-in-
law and returned to her parents home.
At that time Gustav said to her, Never
mind, we'll be married soon. Witness
said that the quarrel with Mrs Hellstern
was due to that lady's opposition to their
contemplated early marriage.
..About the middle of February" Miss
Marteka continued, che wrote saying:
we can't marry right away, but I'll new
er go back on your Afterwards he wrote
that he could not marry me now as his
mother was against it. Mrs. Hellstern
wrote me to the same effect. In another
letter Gus said: You had better look out
for some one else, if you can't watt =
( Miss Marteka admitted that dspairing
Of seeing her lover alone in any other way
she had gone to New York and telephoned
fer him to come there He promised he
would, but he didn't. She said she thought
II she could have got him alone she might
have induced him to marry her.
The cross examination OF the complains
ant was devoted to an EFFORT to show that
she had gone ont with other young men.
|s'rhis Miss Marteka admitted but visor-
ously denied that she had done SO after