Norwich bulletin., 1909-06-12

Friday, and after the reading or the civil and criminal dockets the trial or the case of the state against John CISCO was commenced. Cisco was charged wfth the larceny of railroad ties, nine ty- five in number, from the New fork and New Haven Railroad company. taking them from the yar1 in Westerfy known as Eurdick's switch.
 Frank B. Johnston of Groton, tie in spector, the first witness, was exam ined by Attorney Harry B. Agard TOT the state and Judge John w. Sweeney for defendant. He testified that on Nov 8, 1908, he had inspected the ties at Burdicks switch, which were the same as 1t was alleged Cisco had st2ler Tl4ey were received from Orrin c. Main of North Stonington, as they bore his | initials-O. c. M. These marks were on the ties before their purchase and afterwards the railroad company mark was added. The ties were valued at fifty cents each for No. 1 ties and thlr- ty cents for No. 2s. He said he did not know MT. Main personally.
 Herbert J. Sabre of Bridgeport, chief clerk in the tie department, testified ! tl'at on Nov. 14 the company purchased l 120 No 1 ties and 20 No ties from Orrin C.. Main.
 orrin Main testified that he had sold ties to the railroad company on three different occasions and that he delivered the ties at Burdick's switch | in westerly. His last delivery was in June of 1908. Twenty-two of these ties were condemned. He gave his nephew, William c. Spsrgof authority to sell these condemned ties, which were In | separate pile from the rest. A week or more ago he saw some of the ties | he had sold to the railroad company in a yard in Pierce street.
 l John Robinson of Westerly, section | boss for the railroad company, testified | that the ties in question were stored ir- | the company's yard at Burdick' . sN itch, which is used for the receipt Of | carloads of bulky freight and also for l the delivery of like freight and for railroad storage purposes.
 Robert Walsh of Warren, R. |. for | the past seven years a special scent for the railroad company, in company | with Chief Bransfeld. visited the | pi mises of John Cisco in Pierce street and saw the missing ties piled up | against the side of a barn in his yard i ani the ties were subsequently, taken back to the yard at Burdick's switch, wtere they are at the present time
 William c. Sparao testified that he had a granite yard in Oak street, near the Burdick switch, and that on May 21 last he saw John Cisco carting away the ties. He ordered him to stop and 1 informed him that he had no right tc take the ties. for the witness had sol. | them to the Smith Granite company, | meaning the ties that had been con- | 6emned and which Mir. Main had su- | tho rized him to sell. Cisco said he had | purchased the ties, but he stopped | taking any more away, so far as the 1 witness knew. He never saw Ciscc take ties at any other time. At the time Cisco had ten ties in his wagon and he drove away with these.
 Chief RransfieII testified to seeing two piles of railroad ties in John Cis- cos yard in Pierce street. Cisco sai( he had bought the lot from a Nortt l Stoningt )n man for S3S5. Witness asked Cisco if he thought that the man who sold him over a hundred tie: for $3.s5 came by them honestly. Chiei
 Bransfield said he made the complaint against Cisco at the request of Mir
 Walsh. Mir. Cisco produced a receipt sigred by Charles Colbert 10 show that he had purchased the ties.
 Section Boss Robinson, recalled, sait there were 104 accepted ties and 9 rejected ties in Cisco's yard.
 Charles H. Brown of Ncrth Stonins 4 ton testified that he was sccosted by Z
 man whom he since learned was JohT Cisco and accused of being the persoI
 who had sold Cisco some railroad ties
 but he denied 1t. Then Cisco said wit
 ness looked like the man and he wal escC rted to the police station, but wal
 not held by the chief. Witness de
 clared he lad never sold any railroad
 tics and had never sesn Cisco until h.
 held him up in the street.
 John Cisco, the accused, said he wa
 49 years of age and had lived in West
 erly for twenty five years. He testi
 fed that he had purchased some rail road ties from a man who said hi
 name was Joe Main and was given
 receipt for the same. He met Mali
 in Pierce street and he offered the wit ness some railroad ties cheap. Wit ness went with the man to Burdick'
 sweteh who there pointed out the tN,
 piles of ties that he would sell fo s3.s5. He gave the man the money ar, l carted the ties away until he wa stopped by Mir. Spargo. Witness toll Spargo he did not want any troubl
 and he asked Spargo to find out as t the real ownership of the ties and tha F if all was not straight he would retGr the ties to the railroad yard.
 Stephen Reynolds testified that h
 was driver of a1 ice wagon and wa getting a load of ice from the hous
 Iesr Burdick's switch when John Cisc
 q q two men approached him and Cisc
 said he had bought some railroad tie
 from one of the men and asked tn
 witness to write him off a receipt fo
 the mans signature. This the wit
 ness did and the man signed the nam
 of Charlas Colbert and Cisco paid ss.S'
 Chief E1ansfield, recalled, testiiie