The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-06-29
GRAND JURY
DISMISSED
Refused to Indict Gamblers
at Justice Collins
Direction.
EXCITING SCENES IN COURT
Jurors Claim Had They Act.
ed Otherwise They
Would Have Stulti-
fed Themselves.

Supreme Court Justice Collins sprang
q genuine sensation yesterday afternoon
when he sunmarily discharged the~Aprh
term Grand Jury without even giving eX-
preston to the usual formal thanks OF
the Court. This unusual action was tax
en- in the face of the announcement OF
Foreman James N. Davis that they had
not yet concluded their work.
The reason given by the Court for its
summary action was that there was no
necessity of keeping the Grand Jury IN
session during the summer months at an
expense to the county; but from the
events that preceded the sudden termina-
I tion of the official life of the body, ana
from the emission of the usual formal
thanks of the Court, there are those VINO
believe that the Courts action was
prompted in part by the failure OF the
Grand Jury to find an Indictment IN the
"Gene" Sullivan pool room case, wnlcn
was also thrown out by the December
1900 term Grand Jury.
The announcement that Justice Collins
would himself receive the Grand jury
when it came into court to make the
usual eresentment of indictments found
by them gave rise to the rumor that
something unusual was going TO happen.
This was confirmed later IN the morning
by Chief of Police Murphy, who gave
several newspaper men tip that there
would be something doing at the Court
House in the afternoon.
1t was generally known that the kind
lest of feelings did not exist between
Chief Murphy. and Foreman James N.
Davis. and when the Grand Jury was
sworn in last April it was freely predict
ed that before the term was concluded
the former Police Commissioner would
make things interesting Tor the Chief
who had refused to recognize the Board
of which Mr. Davis was president at the
time of the new Charter wrangle of
dozen years ago. When the announcement
was made that the Grand Jury would
continue in session all summer and would
NOT ask to be discharged until just be-
fore the time fixed for the swearing in
of their successors of the September,
1901. term there were those who thought
!. that s=spart of this time would be de-
voted to an inquiry into the conduct OF
the Jersey City Police Department by
Chief Murphy.
This belief was strengthened when, dur
ing the investigation of the Gene Sulli-
eraI of the police witnesses about money
being given to them by their superiors to
play the races. He afterwards made this
action the basis of adverse criticism, and,
1t is said. declared before his colleagues
that the action of the police officials in
making their subordinates break the law
in order to detect other law-breakers
should be investigated.
Nv
years has scene anywhere approaching
that enacted yesterday afternoon occurred
in the Hudson county courts. The first
was when the late Supreme Court Justice
Manning M. Knapp dropped dead on the
bench while upbraiding the Grand Jury
for its failure to indict Siegfried Cronheim
for giving Sunday performances az the
variety theatre he was then conducting
in HoBoken. The second affair of the
kind happened a year ago this month
when a dispute between Justice Lippin-
colt and the Grand Jury of the April 1900,
term, on account of the failure of that
body to find certain indictments was only
terminated by the sudden death of the
Justice on July 5 of last year.
Justice Collins went step further than
did either of his predecessors in the Su-
preme Court bench of this circuit. He
not only declared that the evidence in the
Gene Sullivan case was sufficient to base
an Indictment on, but he handed to the
Grand Jury indictments prepared by the
Court in that case, under the old common
law. The Court disciaimed any intention
of coercing the Grand Jury in the matter,
but Immediately after they returned to
court with a point blank refusal to find
the indictments asked, they were dis
charged for the term.
The members of the Grand Jury felt
keenly what they considered as a reflec-
tion on their action, but as the Court has
control of the official life of such body
they had no redress when they were sum
marily discharged for the term
1t was exactly 3:15 o'clock when tba
members OF the Grand Jury, headed by
Foreman James N. Davis, who walked by
the side of Under Sheriff John Heavev
filed into the front court room and form
ed in a semi-circle in front of the bench
on which sat Justice Collins ana Judge
Blair.
After the roll of jurors had been called
by Deputy County Clerk Edward w. Grit
ten, the foreman handed up batch Of
indictments In minor jail and bail cases.
which were closely scruhnized by JUS
tice Collins, who then asked the Prose-.
cutor some questions in relation to the
character of the indictments in the
batch. After receiving a reply the Jus
tice addressing the Grand Jdrors, said:
"Gentlemen-There is one subject on
which the Court desires to speak to you.
You will recall that the Court at the oper-
ing Of the term asked the special atten-
tion of the Grand Jury to certain cases
Of violation of the law with respect to
the keeping of places where gambling and
pool selling were carried on. The court
read the statutes with respect TO such
practices and pointed out that they were
unlawful whether habitual or otherwise
II llabitnal the place becomes a disordely
house. asked that special attention be
given to that. The Court has learned, and
finds that knowledge verified by an in
specfion Of the indictments handed in to-.
day. that no indictments We're found in
any such cases. And the Court under-:
stands that such case was submitted to.
You concerning place on Pavonia ave-
nnc- jersey City, BY the Prosecutor and