The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-02-15

enth ward, was put on trial yester-
day afternoon in the main court room
before Judge II. w. Archibald. and
several sensations followed. District
Attorney w. II. Lewis stated that
some one had taken the transcript.
on which the charge of illegally draw
ing money from the county treasury
against Lentes is founded, from the
county commissioners Office and that
1t cannot be found. He followed this up
by the statement that he has this
week called four Of the cases against
magistrates OF the county who are
accused in a similar manner to Lentes,
and in each instance found that i'm
portant witnesses for the common
wealth had suddenly dropped out OF
sight.
Il do not want to make any ac-
cusations at this time" said Mr.. Lew
is. but there Is something mighty sus-
plcious about these cases."
Because of the absence of the tran
scripts court continued the Lentes
case until today.
When II was called for trial Attor-
iIcys Il. c. Newcomb and C. Ballen-
tine, who appear for Lcntes, asked
that the three cases against him be
tried at the same time, but the dis
trict attorney objected, saying he was
not prepared to try all of them at
that time. He elected to go to trial on
the case which charges Lentes with
Illegally darwing fees for the case of
the commonwealth against Jennie
Robbins, Fanny Brockway, prosecu.
trix. The warrant I'm the case was is
sued on July q last. and it is alleged
by the commonwealth that Fanny
Brockway died on March preceding
the issuing of the warrant.
MRS. BROCKwAY DEAD.
The commonwealth proved that the
warrant was issued and served by
Deputy Constable Charles Mirtz on
Jennie Robbins at Wilkes Barre. 1t
was shown by Harry May, Mrs. Brock
ways son, that she has been dead
since last March. The docket from
the county commissioners office was
offered in evidence to show that Al
derman Lentes collected the fees in
NV 'uSV' iiiS was ODleClGu MT.
Newcomb. He said the docket was
made up from the alderman's tram
script. and was therefore secondary
EVIDENCE. He called for the produc-
tion of the transcript.
District Attorney Lewis thereupon
told the court that soon after the
grand jury which indicted the alder
metn had been discharged he was in
formed by the county commissioners
that the transcripts in a number Of
the cases had disappeared from the
office. L. L. Robathan, deputy com.
missioners' clerk. was on the stand
with the docket at the time and was
questioned as TO the persons who have
access to the transcripts. He said
clerks in the offices and attorneys
have the right to inspect them un-
questioned, and on cross-examination
at the hands of Mr.. Newcomb he ad-
mitted that c. NJ. DeLong had taken
great many transcripts from the
office and could not say that all Of
them had been returned.
MADE A SEARCH.
AS to the particular transcript in
question he could say nothing definite.
w. G.. Daniels, the commissioners
clerk, who was called to Schuylkill
county yesterday to the funeral of a
relative, might have some knowledge
concerning it. Mr.. Robathan was re-
duested to make a search of the office
for the transcript, and did So report
ing that he was unable to find IL.
District Attorney Lewis asked that
the case go over until to-day TO give
Mr.. Daniels time to return and if pos
sible throw some light On the mysterl-
Gus disappearance. Mr.. Newcomb OBJ
jected to "a postpcnement but Judge
Archibald decided to allow It to go
over until this morning.
The transcript is of the greatest i'm
portance, for the reason that the de-
Tense will be that the prosccutriX is
not the dead Fanny BrockWay, but Il
Fanny HrockTay that is very much
alive. All tho entries in the commits
sioners contained the name Brock
way" while Lentes' docket has II
"Brookway" The transcript is neces-
Sary to show whether or not a mis-
take was made III putting synopsis
OF it in the commissioners docket.
In the commissioners office Il was
stated last evening that search had
been made at periods during the lasr
three months for the missing tram
script, but without success. II is i'm
probable that Mr.. Daniels will he
able to clear up the mystery, and the
court will be asked by the district
attorney to admit the docket as ser-
ondary evidence. 1t will then be n
case of docket against docket, with
the advantage in favor of Lentes' as
the book of original entry.