Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-01-01
NOTEWORTHY TRIALS
IN THE LOCAL COURTS

The application OF the injunctive power
of the District Supreme Court as a rem
edy In labor difficulties. Is regarded by
many as the most notable event OF the
past year in the annals Of that tribunal
The temporary restraining order recently
granted by Justice Gould against the
American Federation of Labor. which
comprises in its membership 1000, 600
workngmen. out Of an average population
Of 100000. one-eighth the census figures
for the entire United States. is undoubt-
eddy the-most far-reaching. at least in
the number affected. Of any order ever
passed by the court in the half century
of its existence. The order forbids the
boycotting Of st. Louis corporation by
threatening with boycott persons purchas-
ing the product of the concern.
Local interest was conferred more prob
ably in the ruling made last July by JUS
tice Wright that murder Is bailable He
directed the release on $4,000 bail Of
CASTOR P. Philip. indicted for the killing
of cabman. The court held that the
law merely contemplates the securing of
the attendance at trial of a person charged
with crime. and IL party indicted for
murder could furnish such security he
was entitled to his liberty pending trial.
as much as though he were only charged
with burglary. This upset the practice in
this jurisdiction. where. heretofore only
three persons had been released on bail
when charged with murder, and these on
account of illness.
No year in the history of the District
Supreme Court was more replete with in
teresting and important criminal trials
and indictments than the year just closed
1t Is in that feature of court work more
than in any other that the year 1907
will be most remembered. or the persons
indicted. two hundred and twenty-nina
were convicted and required to pay the
penalty of their crimes. The first case Of
general interest called for trial was that
against Kate MaXey and Paul Meagher
charged with having performed a criminal
operation upon Claudia Parrish, girl Of
sixteen years from the effects Of which
she died. After a hard legal battle the
defendants were convicted and the woman
was sentenced to the penitentiary for ten
years. while the man. whose participation
in the crime was that of an abettor was
sentenced to serve four years in the same
institution. The defendants appealed
from the sentences. but the appellate
tribunal affirmed the lower court and the
defendants were taken to the penitentiary.
Jennie L. May was the next person
called for trial whose case excited more
than passing interest. The 9th day of
September 1905. Mrs. May shot Lucien
Cohen. while he was returning home with
his mother from a concert given by the
Marine Band. of which he was member
AS a result Of the shooting. Conen's lower
eXtremities were paralyzed and in this
condition he fingered for one year and
eleven days after the shooting. The fact
that Conen did not die within year and
dav from the time he was shot pre-
cluded the finding of an indictment against
Mrs. May for an offense higher than as
sault with intent to kill She was ac-
cordingly indicted. tried and convicted OF
that ofrense and sentenced to the peni-
Tertiary for ten years.
Former Representative Binger Hermann
was then called before jury to defend
against the charge of destroying omcial
records while he was commissioner OF the
general land office After a protracted
trial that occupied ten weeks of the
courts time. the defendant was acquitted.
What is generally known as the cotton
leak case" was then called for trial. The
Indictment charged Edwin s. Holmes, jr..
assistant statistician of the Department
of Agriculture; Moses Haas and Fred
erick A. Peckham with conspiring to de-
fraud the United States by obtaining and
using in advance of the statutory time
for its publication. certain information,
which, 1t was alleged. Holmes had secured
by reason of his official position. The de-
PENDANTS Haas and Peckham successfully
resisted extradition to this jurisdiction.
The defendant Holmes, however, stood
trial. and the jury. after hearing great
deal of evidence, failed to agree upon q
verdict and were discharged.
DR. Edward Leon was convicted OF nav
ing performed a criminal operation upon
Sadie Volk and sentenced to Imprisonment
in the penitentiary for two years. He
appealed his case to the Court Of Appeals,
In which tribunal 1t is now pending.
Joseph Paolucci was convicted of muir
der in the first degree for the killing of
Elizabeth Dodge. a young American girl
of whom he was enamored and who had
declined his attentions. He was sentenced
to be hanged November last, but OBJ
tanned a stay of execution until January
20, 1908, by taking his case to the Court
of APPEALS for review. The judgment OF
the lower court was recently affirmed.
Benjamin Aizicorici and Max Lichten-
burg, two pickpockets from New York.
who were on their way to the Jamestown
exposition. were arrested in this city after
they had robbed six people in the Center
Market. They were tried and convicted.
and for their crimes AiZicorici will spend
the next fifteen years in the penitentiary
at Trenton, n. j.. while Liclrtenburg will
be eight years in the same institution.
George l.. Goodacre, one of the persons
indicted as a result of The Stars crusade
against gambling, was brought to trial,
charged with setting up house for