Evening journal., 1901-04-17
TOWNSEND is
CHICKEN THIEF F.?
Mock Trial Court Imposes
Sentence for Crime
IT j WAS MIRTH PROVOKING
Witnesses Tell Of Chicken Fight
Which MCSSTS. Todd, Prickett and
AddickS Attended


AddickS Attended
How say you, Mr. Foreman, do yot
find tho prisoner before the bar guilt,
or not g,iilty?" asked Judge Charles
NJ. Curtis in the Grand Opera Hous,
last night of the jury empanelled K
try Sylvester d. Townsend on the
charge Of the larceny Of a rooster fronl
William Lawton.
Guilty" replied Richard Croker alias
Samuel ii. Baynard.
The jury has found you guilty, q
continued Judge" Curtis, "and it now
becomes the duty of this court to sen.
tenee you to pay the costs Of the suit
Including a new suit for the court. and
be imprisoned in the Municipal Courl
room every day from a. m. until 10
p. m, without salary, or until you be-
come married.
You are now committed to the Gus
tody Of the chairman of the Police
Commission, or your best girl, until
this sentence is carried into effect.
So terminated the mock trial given
under the auspices Of the Y. NJ. c. A.
IN the Opera House last evening. As a
fun-maker it was a success, for from
the time George Black, in stem
torian tone opened the court unul Mr.
Townsend, with the weight of shame
wringing tears of anguish from his
eyes, was led from the court room
there was meIviment that knew no
bounds.
That Mr. Townsend was Justly con
yicted there can be no doubt. Testi-
mony against him was positive. and
although he attempted TO prove that
I"Bill' Lawton was the thief the fury
could not believe that LaWiton would
steal worthless rooster-when arti-
cles Of much higher value were in
sight
According to the testimony or Mr.
Lawton Townsend was not guilty oi
the larceny Of any ordinary fowl. but
of rooster that had been raised bacl
in 1914, and brought 10 this country OF
the MayfOwer in 1920 1t was tru,
that the fowl had spent the interven
Iing years on Cherry Island marsh flats
and was satisfied with the solitude aDC
mud Of that vicinity, therefore its
theft was to be deplored and severely
punished. Even the rooster was OF
this sentiment" There could be nc
doubt of Townsend's culpability. as
Lawton swore on the book, entitled
l"Christiana River Improvement, OF
When Will the Work be Finished2'
that he had seen the prisoner leave his
coop on Christmas eve with the
ooster in his possession.
Witnesses for the prosecution subse-
quently detailed the story OF q chicken
fight, in which Townsend had entered
Lawtons rooster and bet money that
his fowl would win. Much to the sur
prise of the audience. it was proved
that the fight was conducted in a barn
on the property of George W Todd
Members of the Purity League i'm the
audience thereupon Ostracized Todd
ITO add to the shock Mr. Todd had
permitted the fight to take place OF
Christmas morning. No surprise was oc.
casioned by the testimony that Doc
Shortlidge collected the tickets. One
lunkind fellow in the audience remark
ed. "The doc. looks It"
! William S. Prickett Of the Law and
Order Society, was off duty orthetime
Having been the promoter. and many
icther men who always have stood FOL
moral purity. but whose morals were
not working that day We're there. They
We're Judge Marvel Philemma Chan.
der, Professor Goldey, Willard Sauls.
bury with Anthony Higgins Samue
NJ. Knox with Caleb r. Layton, Fran
els J. McNulty with Howard d. Ross
and J. Edward Addicks. and what /
roll of the Tong green" Addicks die
sport. He wagered the price of 50l
lshares of Bay State Gas stock "a:
lcents) with a political bed-fellow'
that Lawton's for Townsend's) roostes
would win, and that he (Addicks'
would finally-well, they we're not a
that chicken fight to discuss politics
but for sport
While this animated discussion wal
on, tho house was raided by Captain o
Police Black and a squad of officerl
land Addicks was the first to be pull
led" Todd, Prickett and the entirl
l''push," excepting Townsend, who es
lcaped with his Cor Lawton's) rooste
we're arrested. Townsend was after
ward captured. Thus closed the prose
lcutions case.
Fer the defense it was testified tha
Lawton was a monomoniac on the sub
ect Of roosters. This was denied b,
witnesses called in rebuttal. who sal,
. that If Iawton was crazy, it was OF
/ the subject of Cherry Island marsl
; and Christiana river improvement
lOther testimony was given by William
{ IT, Williams, Lewis B. Morrow an
Francis H. Hoifeeker, whereupon bot
r sides closed. Argument before the jun.
was effective and amusing. The vel
, dict was followed by a motion to dis
] bar Townsend from the New Castl
/ county bar, but the court ruled tina
such a motion could not be made a
that time
Al Previous TO the opening OF tn
/. rooster case. several offenses were dis
posed Of. George II. Hollis pleade
. guilty TO a charge Of over-exertion. an
iwls sentenced to ten days imprison
/ 'ment in the Home for Aged Womel
d. P. Barnard, indicted for havin
manifested a great desire for an offiC
I, that will never be his. was granted a
4 Indefinite continuance OF his trial tn
Hon. Mr. Frisby, indicted for blacl