The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-25
LAURA BlGGAR ACQUITTED,
But M. HENDRICk AND JUSTICE
STANTON ARE GUILTY.
Jury Acauits Her OF Conspiracy to Get the
Tsrtuse o. Old Man Bennett by Means
81 IN Alleged Marriage and Birth, but
Convicts the Men Indicted With Her.

81 an Alleged Marriage and Birth, but
Convicts the Men Indicted with Her.
FREEHOLD. N. j.. Dec. 2i.--Iaura Biggar,
the actress, u innocent and Dr. Charles c.
Hendrck and Justice Of tie Peace Samuel
Stanton. who with her were charged with
conspiracy. are guilty according to the
remarkable verdict Of the jury this after
noon after almost twenty-four hours Of
sleepless elaboration
Altar the first two or three minutes OF
Mysteries on the pnrt OF the women inter-
esfed in the case had passed public inter-
es't In Misc Biggar and her less fortunate
associates was transferred TO the twelve
j,,rors They had been neglected during
the trial, but after the verdict they were the
whole show and all Freehold wanted to SEE
them and hear them speak. Some per-
sons were 40 curious as 10 ask one juror
TO explain how they had done 1t and yelled
After them In the street.
Say. Aaron. hold on there was one hail.
Who had that baby anyhow How'd
you get q marriage conspiracy without a
woman"
Most OF the jurors live in townships out
aide Of Freehold and friends and acquaint-
ances here offered to see that they got on
the right trains and TO tell the conductors
TO put them OF at the right stations.
To show what a remarkable verdict this
really Is the main facts of the case should
be recalled. Laura Biggar, who lived
with the late Henry NJ. Bennett for the
four or I've years preceding his death last
April, was beneficiary under his will
TO the extent Of 90 per cent. Of the entire
estate. She was to receive that 90 per cent.
al the end Of Ave years. In the meantime
she was to receive 81 800 a year from the
estate. She not only made no objection
TO the will at the outset but. over the sig
nature Laura Diggar.' fled petition for
the probate Of the will. Subsequently she
affirmed. at a session Of the Orphans Court.
that she was not Laura Biggar. but Laura
Bennett. the widow of Henry NJ. Bennett.
and the mother Of a posthumous child by
him. Under the law the child born after
the death Of its father would inherit,
regardless OF any will. The actress fur
ther declared that her posthumous child
bad died eleven days after birth and that
abe a. the child's heir should inherit the
whole Of the Bennett estate.
The three main points in Miss Biggar's
story were corroborated by Samuel Stan
ton, Q Hoboken Justice Of the Peace. and
Dr.. Charles c. Hendrick. proprietor Of
anitarium In Bayonne. Stanton swore
dat he married Laura Bggar and Henry
n. Bennett on Jan. 2, 1898. DR.. Hendrick
swors that the child was born and died at his
ssnitarium. Laura Bigsar also swore to
the marriage and to the birth and death OF
the child.
Stanton also swore that a certificate Of
the alleged marriage was tbs original Ger
tihcate filled out by him and given to
the woman on the night Of the ceremony
IN ieee. II was afterward proved that
q blank on which tho certificate was made
out was not printed until 1870. The whole
case hung on that fact when the State OF
New Jerrcy csused the arrest of Laura
Ngsar, Hendrick and Stanton on the charge
Of conspiring to prove a false marriage
and birth TO defraud the other Bennett
hsirs for the benefit Of the Biggar woman.
Here are the jurors who found the ver-
dict:
James King oil. Marlboro. foreman.
tsrcn Sarti. "Ps rsr 1 f1sesoid s"Ano'
Edwin Bolles. Asbury Park.
f,ssTs E.. M %S5I51at t ,SnS Branch
Charles II Coembs. Manalapan.
Eukene johnson. Holmdale
Emerson Baird. Bairdtown.
Ellsworth Brown. Manalapan.
All Of the jurors were asked by what
process Of reasoning they had arrived at
their verdict. but none would explain.
Most Of them refused to say anything and
referred all in9utrers to their foreman.
James King OF Marlboro. II Foreman
ks Of Asnspsn %ads the
longest speech. He said
Il know amt very well educated. but
] know whats right and what's wrong.
We argued all night by spells. Soon as
shut up for while and sit quiet till every.
body was calm. Then we'd argue it all
over again, and We kept on that way till
we got a verdict. The first vote was TO
convict all three and tx to acquit all three.
j was that way all night Jill we heard from
the Judge. Then IL was three Of us TO acquit
all for a while ana nine to convict the men
and let the woman 60. Then, by .golly,
We finally got our verdict with all HANDS
for the lady and against the men. .u,
Another Jurors statement was: well,
We thought that verdict would be more
popular than anything else We could do
Juror Robinson was asked II sympathy
for the lucky one OF the three because she
vas a woman had anything TO do with the
.Oh, no, he replied, .our oaths wouldn't
ut VA have any sympathy for any one"
Did you And Stanton guilty." Robinson
vas asked. because he swors TO the mar
riags7"
.Of course not said Robinson. for that
would make the woman guilty too
StAnton's sole connection with the case
vas with reference TO the alleged marriage.
Ons Juror was asked what Hendrick
Vaa guilty Of He didn't seem to know.
A hint Of tho mental capacity Of the
turora was given this morning when they
He'd into court TO ask Judge Heisley for
further Instructions. They wanted to know
4 they could convict two Of tho prisoners
and acquit the third. The Judge told them
Very explicitly In his CHARGE yesterday
that they could do that very thing. Judge
Heisley repeated his Instructions on that
point and the jury retired for another
Aye hours.
When they came in for advice from the
Court everybody naturally took 1t for
granted that they were getting ready to
aoquit ono Of the men, and the general opin-
Ion was that Stanton was TO be the lucky
nan. Dr. Hendricks wife thought 80, too,
for she exclaimed. Il knew II, my God
/ knew III" and then tainted once more in
court. Miss Bigger. who has plenty Of
common sense. also took 1t for granted that
ono Of tho men was TO escape and that the
jury would como in later and declare her
auilty. She was "a astonished "a every
body else whom tho twelve men made their