Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1902-02-13
CUMBERLAND COURTS.
The Closing Up Of the January
Term.
SENTENCES WERE IMPOSED.
Henry Bishop and John Burns. with
Others, Go To States Prison.

The big trial of John Burns, the
wire thief, is over, and another i'm
portant conviction is enrolled on the
criminal records of Cumbeland county,
due largely to the able efforts of Pros
ecutor Fithian in handling the many
links of circumstanial evidence in the
case and welding them into chain
of guilt SO strong that even the
shrewd Camden lawyer and ex-Judge,
Mr. Westcott, could not break it.
1t was two O'Clock yesterday after
noon when the jury in whose hands
hung the fate of this professional
crook, whose past record shows seven
teen years and half of his life al
ready spent in various States prisons,
retired to deliberate on the case to
which they had sat and listened ever
since ten O'Clock on Tuesday morning.
Shortly after adjournment last evening
verdict was reached to the effect
that the defendant, John Burns, was
guilty as charged on two indictments
out of the three on which he had been
tried. The State had abandoned the
effort for conviction on the indict-
ment of the Millville Traction Com
pany, and on this the jury had really
nothing to do but to aoquit. On the
indictments of the Bridgeton and
Millville Traction Company and the
Delaware and Atlantic Telephone
Company, the jury found the defend
ant guilty.
Immediately after the jury had gone
out on the Burns case the Prosecutor
moved the indictment against Anna
Hoffner, the 16-year-old girl of Mill
vile charged with the larceny of
$10.77 from Florence Carter, young
LADY OF the same age, also of Millville.
Harry o. Burt represented the de-
fendant, but feeling the Importance of
the case and this being his maiden
effort in Court, he had John S. Nit
chell associated with him in the trial.
The story in the case as adduced
from the testimony of Florence Carter,
the complaining witness, is as fol-
lows: Witness testified that she and
Anna Hoffner both worked in the Mill
vile cotton mill both worked at the
same machine. On Friday, Decem-
Der 9Th, it was pay day and the girls
went to the office and were given en-
velopes containing the amount of
money due them. They then returned
to their machine where they attended
to the bobbins, and witness remarked
that she had no place to put her en-
velope. Anna had placed hers in the
bosom of her dress, it being loose fit
ting, but viiness's dress was so that
she could not do the same with her
envelope. Anna suggested letting her
keep it for her, and being on the best
OF terms each with the other, the plan
was agreed to. Later in the day the
envelope containing the money was
put in big drawer where the girls
kept their hats, coats, dinner baskets,
etc. Anna put the envelope in the
drawer and witness saw her do it.
The girls got through work early
that day and assisted each other in
putting on wraps. When leaving the
mill witness asked Anna where her
money was. Anna replied that it was
in her basket, as she saw il there her
self. When witness looked in her
basket for the envelope and money it
was not there, and she at once boldly
accused her friend with taking it.
On GROSS examination Miss Garter
said that hundred or more girls
worked in the room in which this
drawer was, where the money had been
put by Anna Hoffner and that the
drawer was not locked and that any
OF the hundred girls might have stolen
the money.
Nora Jordan testified that she was a
spinner on the machine where Anna
Hotfner and Flora Garter worked.
That on the day following the robbery
Anna Hoffner, the defendant, came to
her with $l0.77 and asked her to keep
1t for her and to say nothing to any
one about it.
The oross-examination of this wit
ness was a very searching one by Mr..
Mitchell. Witness acknowledged that
she knew of the alleged robbery when
she took the money. Witness said she
mad paid the money all back to Anna.
quo she also was made to tell of the
good times she had at Minotola shortly
aieer Miss Garter had lost her money.
hyiand Hughes, bookkeeper at the
uiii and the man who did the paying