Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1902-02-06
CUMBERLAND COURTS.
The Terrapin Case Takes Most of
the Past Week.
JURY COULD NOT AGREE.
John Burns, the Trolley Wire Thief
is Put on Trial-Evidence All In
The Case Goes to the Jury.

from Daily Pioneer, Thursday, Jan. 30.1
The jury n the case of John Curry,
who was tried yesterday on five in
/ dictments for larceny, returned ver-
dict of guilty to four of them at noon.
\ Immediately after the noon recess the
defendant was called before the Court
and sentenced to the States Prison
for term of six years Curry has
served time at Trenton before, having
been sentenced from Camd. county.
Paul Kell, the young man who was
indicted with Curry and who pleaded
guilty to the charge, was sentenced
to the State Reformatory at Railway
The young man is 16 years old.
Osborn Clark, the young oysterman,
| convicted last week for illegal dredg-
ing for oysters, was sentenced to the
county Jail for four months, also fined
$50.
The case of the State against Mrs. :
Anna Bell Hinson, the young colored
woman charged with the offense of
Y stealing articles from the graves in
Broad street street cemetery, occupied
portion of the afternoon session of
Court yesterday.
The first witness put on the stand
by the State was Mr.. Lewis M.
Bowen. He testified that he had been
Superintendent of the Broad street
cemetery for twenty years or more,
and that for some time past he had
been missing articles, such as vases,
flower pots, jardinieres, flowers and
ribbons from the cemetery. On No
vember 9TH, just at dusk, witness said
that he saw the defendant in the
cemetery and that the next morning
4 ne missed from a newly made grave
lot of ribbon which had been taken
from bouquets left upon the grave the
day before. He Immediately had
with officer John Woodruff searched
the house of Mrs. Hinson on Bergen
i street, finding number of missing
articles there. Defendant was subse-
quently arrested. Witness said he
did not see Mrs. Hinson take any
thing from the cemetery, except on
one occasion he saw her take some
! flowers.
I Officer John Woodruff was put on
the stand and corroborated Mr..
Bowen's testimony. He said that
when he arrested the defendant she
told him that some "nigger" had put
the articles in her house. Witness
further said that a big bunch of white
satin ribbon had been handed to him
by Fred Apley, with statement from
Mr.. Apley that it came from the Hin
son house.
Miss Sophie Maier was called to
. identify piece of the ribbon as that
she had put upon bouquet of flowers
for the grave of the late John Nc
Pherson, her former employer, from
which grave superintendent Bowen
had missed the ribbon on November
7th.
Mr. Fred Apley was called to tell
how he got the bunch of ribbon
which he had given to officer Wood
ruff. He said that Mr. Hinson gave it
to him.
The defendant was then put on the
stand in her own defence, and she
made a complete denial to the whole
charge. She set up defence that her
husband, who was all the time beat
ing her, and who she had threatened
to have arrested, had taken this means
OF having her put in Jail and out of
the way. Isaac Green, father of the
defendant, testified to the frequent
quarrels of Mr.. and Mrs. Hinson.
Witness had never see any of the ar
tlcles stolen from the cemetery in the
possession of the defendant. The jury
retired at three O'Clock.
The Prosecutor then moved the last
D case for the day, that of the indict-
ment against Chester Nickerson, for
a the larceny of case of liquors from
the platform of Manumuskin station
on the w. J. & S. r. r., valued at
Sso, on October 18th last. Nickerson
was indicted together with Samuel
/ oclles, who pleaded guilty to the re-
'elylng some of the liquor from Nick
| erson
clarence Wills, the station agent at
uaha muskin, was put on the stand,
y ana testified to the liquors having
Susa taken. Witness did not see
l0kerson or Stiles take the goods but
- nao seen them loafing about the