The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1908-10-13

Held for the Grand Jury.
At the Court House, on Saturday morn
ing, Justice Charles Fl. Ziegler gave
hearing to eight men who were charged
with assault and fornication. The ex
animation was conducted by Prosecutor
Samuel A. Atkinson, and the evidence
was deemed sufficient to hold Charles
Nelson, Harry Vansciver and FREQ
Vanamburg in 81, 900 bail for their ap
pearance at the December term of court
Others who were placed under 5000 bal
are Howard Bush, Oliver Loveland, Ed
ward Leon, Joseph Fl. Ulmer and Charles
Stockton. All furnished the necessary
security but Stockton and Vanamburg'
Stockton had no counsel. Bush was
represented by Blanchard 81. White, and
V. Claude Palmer represented the Other
six.
The crime is the one which occurred at
Riverside on Saturday night, September
20, when fourteen men assaulted tramp
woman on the road to Cambridge, about
one hundred feet from the home Of Mrs.
Rena MANI. who gave important testi-
mony.
Mrs. MANI found the nude body of the
stranger about 7.30 o'clock on Sunday
morning and took her into the house. The
woman then told Mrs MANI how she had
been treated by the men, who burned her
with matches and committed other
atrocities Continuing she said to witness;
"My name is Mrs. Stevens. and / live at
Bordentown. / want to inform the
authorities about this matter and want a
physician" She was told where to find
Justice Ziegler and doctor, but she did
not go to either place.
Joseph MANI followed his wife in the
witness chair. His testimony was i'm
portant from the fact that during the
night he went out and saw Nelson and
others assault the woman. He did not
want to get mixed up in the matter, so he
crawled on his hands and knees through
the grass back to the house. He heard
the woman crying and she asked to be let
alone.
Miss Alice Stewart, night telephone
operator at Riverside, while on her way
home Sunday morning, saw the woman
lying on the ground She was nude. but
skirt had been thrown over the body by
MANI and James Brown when they saw
the young lady approach. The woman
was unconscious when seen by Miss
Stewart.
Charles Stelwag, of Riverside, a trolley
conductor, bore out the statement of the
woman that she lived at Bordentown, as
she got on his car at Church street that
night and rode to Riverside. After she
alighted she Joined Nelson. and the first
thing she did was to drop bottle of
whiskey, Stelway declared under oath
that he had not talked to Nelson, brother
in-law, about his connection with the case,
and Prosecutor Atkinson became annoyed
because of his apparent inability to salts
factorily handle the witness. But when
the state recalled Stelwag to the stand a
statement was drawn from MIN, In which
he related the experience of Nelson In the
latter's attempt to assault the woman. 1t
was quite apparent that some other wit
nesses were trying to shield the defendants
While at Cambridge, after the woman
left the MANI house, she stopped at the
home of Mrs. Carrie Hoffner and Lydia
Shields and at each place asked for cup
of coffee. The woman told these ladies
that she had had a little trouble, the
nature of which she did not describe. The
woman had the appearance of being q
dissipated tramp.
There was no evidence that the woman
had been tortured with matches, and John
Perry, of Riverside, who examined the
spot where the woman was found, saw no
burned matches there.
After Constable John Throckmorton
had been assigned to assist Constable
Borton, of Riverside, he arrested Vansciver
and Vanamburg, and from them he
secured the names of all the guilty parties,
six of whom are yet to be arrested.
After giving himself up on Friday
night, Charles Stockton made damaging
statement to Justice Ziegler and this was
read in court. Although given the
privilege to do SO by the Prosecutor, after
being properly warned that whatever they
might say would be used against them,
none of the defendants would speak.
The woman in the case proves to be
Mrs John T. Davis, Lying at Chesterfield,
and it was near her home that she was ar
rested yesterday by County Detective
Parker and Constable Borton. Her maid
en- name was Margaret Halpin, and she
lived in Ocean County at that time. In
1900 she married Davis, who died three
years later, leaving one son at Gloucester,
to which place the woman was going when
she was assaulted. After being confined
in Jail Mrs. Davis said she had been read
ing the newspapers and had been keeping
out of the way of the officers, as she was
ashamed to appear and make complaint.
Now that she had been found, however,
she would make full statement at the
proper time. She says she was shametHlly
treated at Riverside, from the effects OF
which she was seriously i'll for several days
after the assault.