Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1903-01-22
DDlNCS OF THB
COUNTY COURTS.
Detailed Proceeding of the Last
Weeks Sessions, Including
Sentence of Prisoners,
From Daily Pioneer, Thursday, Jan. l5.l
Thursday Morning,


The jury in the case of the State
against John Faunoe that went out
just before the noon recess yesterday,
returned verdict of guilty of assault
and battery upon Frank Riley, imme-
diately after the Court reconvened at
1. 45 O'Clock
Prosecutor Fithian then moved the
case against Pasquale Matera and
Carmine Mersa, two italian boys in
dicted jointly for forging and utter
ing checks for money.
The Grand Jury found three indict-
ments on separate checks against
these boys, and Lawyer Elmer, who
had been assigned by the Court to
defend them, consented to have the
three indictments tried together The
two boys-bright looking chaps-were
brought in from the Jail and given
seats beside their counsel; the jury
was put in the box and the case
opened by the Prosecutor
A brief outline of the case is as
follows THE payees of the checks in
question are Italian fruit growers and
shippers. Some time last August
shipments of fruit had been made
from Landisville station. Failing to
receive settlement for same, investiga-
tion showed that checks had been sent
and that the letters containing same
had been taken from the post office by
the defendants. The checks later had
been cashed by the Tradesman's S Bank
at Vineland, having been deposited
by Vineland merchants, who had re-
ceived them from the boys in ex-
change for articles of merchandise.
A long line of witnesses-with un-
pronounceable and unspellable names
were called to testify in the case on
part of the State. Officer Spencer,
who made the arrest of the boys, tes-
titled that the boys had confessed to
him of taking the letters from the
Landvisville post office, and that they
had forged and passed them.
The defense was one of mistaken
identity. Lawyer Elmer working on
the theory that all Italians look alike
to him
Pasquale Matera, one of the de-
PENDANTS, was put on the stand and
denied the charge in toto, when asked
where he worked, witness said:
Don't work anywhere, I belong to
the union - Witness said he could
not write his name, but on cross.ex-
animation of the Prosecutor said-''I
wrote me name but l cam understand
it. - When asked by the Prosecutor
how many times he had been con-
victed in the courts, witness said,
two times. this is three. -
Carmine Mersa, the other defend
ant, also denied all knowledge of the
forgery. When asked what he did
for living, replied that he was ''out
on strike and belonged to the
union "
Jail awaiting trial on charge of for
gerry also. was brought into Court and
told of q conversation he had with
Pasquale Matera in the Vineland Jail
relative to this forgery mixup His
evidence elicited nothing new in the
case except to implicate Carmine
Mersa.
John Green, another one of the
forgery gang, was brought from the
Jail to testify, and the case rested.
In charging the jury, the Court said
that the charge against the defend
ants, that of forgery, was very seri-
Gus one because it struck at the very
foundation of the business system of |
the public, and that it demanded very
careful consideration at the hands of |
the jury The Courts charge was
brief but very clear.
The jury retired shortly before four
o'clock
The next case moved by the Prose
cutor was that of the State against
Pasquale Mignogna, who was indicted
together with John Green and John
Mastrandrea for forgery, Green plead
guilty to the charge. The evidence
in the case was largely similar to that
in former case. The defendant is one
of gang of forgers recently arrested
at Vineland Two checks figured IN
the case, one of which was uttered IN
Philadelphia and the other in Vine
land by the defendant. The checks |
had been given by New York parties
for produce shipped by the payees to
them. The checks were for $40 10
each and were taken from letters re-
ceived at Lsndisvi'le post office.