The evening world., 1903-09-01
Accused Of MansIaughter in
Connection with Newark Troll
ley Horror, They Face Jury
IND Hear Witnesses.
WILL TRY TO THROW THE
BLAME ON EMPLOYEES.
IN Army Of Prominent Lawyers
Conducts Defense and Strives
to Release the Magnates from
the Clutch of Jersey Justice.

Jersey Justice is noted for sternness
bat I. IL tempered with mercy In the tria
Of the seven millionaires composing tn.
Executive Committee OF the North Jer
say Traction Company. and the genera
MANAGER. superintendent. assistant sur
~perintendet and track master for man
slaughter In falling TO provide the safety
device which common prudence suggests
for the lack OF which a crowded trolley
a plunged down a steep hill to I
railroad crossing and nine high schoo
girls and boys were killed. The trial
was presumed In the Newark Supreme
Court to-day.
The accused had not passed the night
in cells, but they looked as hagSnrd and
Ill at case as though they had. particu-
LARRY the millionaircs-President A. J.
CasAatt, OF the Pennsylvania Railroad
John d. crimmIns. OF Wall street; Ed.
ward r. C. Young. President of the
road and OF the First National Bank.
Jersey City: DR.. Leslie d. Ward. Vice
President OF the Prudential INSURANCE
Company; Elias b. Gaddis, David ! nnng.
Wce-President. and J. Roosevelt Shan
ley, These seven formed the Executive
Committee Of the North Jersey Com
pany.
DR.. Ward returned abruptly from Eu-
rope for trial: Alexander j. Cassa:t cut
short his vacation at Bar Harbor when
one Of the regiment OF lawyers for the
accused wired him that he must appear
Tor trial.
No Exception for NilIionnircs.
Another OF tho m%illionaires SAID he
thought the Court would do way with
formallties and excuse him and the
other six from personal attendance Mt
the trial and was mortified when told
that under the law the Jury must look
upon the prisoners" and the prison
ers'' must lock upon the jury"
30 the six sit Just inside the bar. fac
Ing Chief Justice .Gummere. and look
unen the ipry'' in detected. bored atti-
tudes.
The other four prisoners. Supe-inten-
dent Charles VI, Shipman and James
Smith. Arthur W. Pratt and Richard
Eick. division men on the road, are not
half 80 bored. apparently.
Eve OF tho executive committee could
have had the Indictment quashpd as to
ourselves. according TO the laws and the
dec!sions Of the New Jersey court" said
one OF the mllllonsires to an Evening
World reporter. But 10 do that would
ibA to throw the whole burden of the de-
Tense upon tho four operating officers,
and so WI decided to ask for trial alto
ssther."
Those In court commented on the fail.
urs OF the crie:s to say when the Jury
was completed:
Jurors, look upon the prisoners prls-
0nef look upon the jury"
The law gives a defendan: twenty
perenptory challenges against pro-
posed Jurors. but although these eleven
magnates are being tried for one Of
fsnse. that OF negligently causing tho
death OF Ernestlna Miller. sixteen years
old, a schoolgirl, on the same evidence
of exactly the same circumstances In
stead Of being treated as one defendant
with twenty challenges, each was al
lowed hat number. or 30 In all.
Ex-Goy, werts had before him a huge
chart on which was the name OF every
enc OF the $50 special jurors summoned
two Teeks "a, - try the case. Against
each name was the report OF the special
deteotive for the mignates on their in
v~esttxatlons OF each juror. So that in
stead OF examining tine talesman when
called In court Gov. Werts simply re-
ferred 10 his chart and Challenged" l72
OF the ls men whose names came cut
OF the Jury vince. Twelve men wee as
Promptly and unhesitatlngly accepted.
Three Judges are sitting on the Su-
preme Court bench in this trial. Jus.
tists Van SICKLE and Dixon sitting he.
size Chief Justice Gummere.
Witness Describes Accident.
Various witnesses testified az to the
accident, how the car, crowded with
school children. slid down the steep
grade and burst through the gates on
TO tho railroad crossing just as he steam
train ~thunoered around the curve and
struck Il.
Christopher Condor, of No. l? Norfolk
street. gate-tsnder at the Clifton avenue
crossing, testified that there was ron.
slant shifting OF chrs across Chiffon ave.
nue. TO ana from the coal pockets. and
that there were several express trains
bound east between S and 0 A. NJ,
Safety Appliance Never Put In.
He had seen the contemplated iarNl'.
ing switch on the trolley hill. but sAidI
II was put in; was taken away
last fall and there was no provision by
~ North Jersey for the prevention of.
sfst -neh a catastrophe as ccurred on
-. -. when the motorman's brake
vas poweriess 10 stay the car because
~ track was Icy and the slrd.box
empty,
The seven magnates. whose millions
asgfceatn enough to pay the national
dsbt. listened with varying expresKioas1
= tina statements OF Witnesses.
Prosecutor Charles W. Riker conducts
"a the examination OF the witnesses.
sided BY suggestions from his assistant.
1zeEie W. Hood. and special counsel.
e<,auags Francis cnilds ard Edmund
Wilson.