Waterbury Democrat., 1901-03-07
THE TOWN WINS
Jury, Rendered Verdict For
 Nearly $9,oOO.
ATTORNEY O'NEILL'S ADDRESS

In Closing tie Case Lasted for Two
 Hours-The Case of Mrs Haggerty
 Against Town of Naugatuck Taken
 Tp-Criminal Term of District Court
 to Open Next Week-The Bill Aboi-
 ishing Criminal Jurisdiction Is With
 out q Sponsor
 The jury on the case of the gown vs tue trolley company, after three hours and half deiiberation gave q verdics for the town for SS9O3:.S:c Notice os appeal was given to the supreme cucrl or errors. It was remarked while waiting for the jury to repo-. tha: l. was Judge Thayer's charge 10 Inc ;.ry th"t saved 1ha case Tor tie town. 1sn.. iiaal argument was made by At.oroay O -Ncii fer the town and he spoke ;or tWo hours. Attorney Carmody fpai.- half an hnu:. The case or Peter Burns'S appeal from Droba;e haviag dropped out there was Eo mo:e busi- ness for the jurors and they were ex- cuscd for the term.
 The case cc Mrs George Hag- 1 gertE Of Naugatuc: against that borough for :5.G00 was ,Eec begun. , This is q suit tC recover fo. injuries received through a defective highway. Mrs Haggerty stepped :rto q hole on l the sidewalk cn Ward street. fell anal | broke her left leg and received other injuries which sne claims cost her T good deal iE doctors bli:s, besides considerable physical pain and a,f.ie. 1 ty.
 COntributory negligence is the de- i fence. It is set up that Mrs Haggerty did not use ordinary caution. The hour at which the accident occurred was o'clock in March during a slight snow storm. Attorney O'Neill l and Senator Kennedy appeared for the plaintiff and Attorneys Sweeney and Stoddard for the defence
 The criminal term of the district court will open a week from to-day. 1 Very little business is on the docket. All the appeals in the liquor cases brought by the private detectives, Bedell and Adams. agents of the law and order league, have been disposed of. all the accused having settled up. Many of them believe that. by this action they have a clear record. Tn this they are mistaken. Had the cases | gone to the district court on appeal l and were settled there by the prose cutting attorney the liquor dealers would have clear record. The con
 
 cated and the only record that would stand against them would be that Of settling in the district court. The cdses on the criminal docket thus far are against Joseph Pitch. an Italian, for assaulting his wife; Mary kehoe, for selling liquor without license: Martin Blansfield, non support and Joseph Sandiford, hoycotting. The last named is the walking agent of the carpenters union. and he forced. it is alleged against him. a contractor to discharge a man by threatening him with ordering q strike on the job.
 The state comptroller's report for last year does not agree with Judge Burpee. That document shows that while the district court paid over to the state in fines. forfeiture of bonds S2. .OS}S0 it cost the state in salaries and fees S6.12O.06 A petition signed by all but five of the local lawyers op- posing the bill was presented to the l committee. These five were sick or could not be reached.
 The proposed hearing on the bill to abolish criminal jurisdiction in the district court did not materialiZe yes terday. Half a dozen lawyers from this place were on deck to oppose any support for the bill. Among them were Judge Burpee and Judge Brad- street against who the bill was main- ly directed. he being the next prOse- cutting attorney of the district court. Judge Burpee stated this forenoon that the court in question is one of the few that are a source of income to the state. The others are the criminal courts in New Haven. Bridgeport and Hartford. though in the average they are not as profitable as the district court. They had facts and figures. he said. to prove this to the committees yesterday and was rather diSappoint- ed when they he found that no ona had appeared in support of the bill. They had armed themselves with sta- tistics against which no argument, however eloquent. could prevaiA'
 ''You may be not aware, sail Judge Burpee. that the Judicial dis- trict, or the limits of criminal iuris- diction of the courts here is far larger than that of either Of the counties Os Holland, N'intll1am or Li:chfield. Therts , ] are more peopla living within the lill:> it's Of tine criminal jurisdiction heia ; thai, in any or he above named dis trictc. No individual court ie citaes, i New Haven. Bridgeport or HSrtfG'rl , has been so profitable to the state as the lccal district court. The amoons of business done there during the pa>I few years during which it has obs tained criminal jurisdiction, would sur> , prise S'ou.'
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