Gloucester County Democrat., 1909-07-08
THINGS TALKED ABOUT.

In II
during the past week if it is really
true that no penalty attaches to a
person who harbors, screens from Off
GERS and aids in the escape from JUS
tice of a person guilty of such crime
as the negro Owen committed in Wood
bury four weeks ago. We have asked
Prosecutor Rogers about this and he
says that under the common law shoot
! ing with intent to kill is not a felony,
but a misdemeanor, and there is no
penalty for aiding the escape of a per-
son guilty of misdemeanor. While
the common lay makes larceny fell
ony, shooting with intent to kill was
considered less heinous crime, indi-
eating that the old English lawmakers
| field human life cheap, and earthly
possessions dear Where punishment
| for crime is not fixed by statute, the
common, or old English law applies
and the Prosecutor is Of opinion that
the criminal code of this State gives
mo warrant for holding one guilty for
harboring and aiding in the escape of
a person guilty Of the crime of shoot
ing a fellow man in the stomach with
a big calibre revolver We have the
criminal code at our elbow, and quote
| 795, paragraph 6, Any person who
shall knowingly and wilfully obstruct,
resist or oppose any sheriff, constable
or other officer, or other person duly
authorized, in serving or attempting
to serve or execute and mesne process,
writ warrant, rule or order of any
court of this State or any legal or
/ judicial writ, warrant or process what
4 c c1 10 hn O17i nf IS,
.denaeanor.
Paragraph 8 of the same act, says:
| "All rescues of any person guilty of
misdemeanor, and every person so
ished by Imprisonment not exceeding
80 years.
Paragraph 10, says: All rescues in
criminal cases not punishable by
death, and in all civil cases, shall be
misdemeanors." "
! Paragraph 21S of the same act says.
Any person found guilty of any
crime which by this statute or any
other statute, is declared to be mis-
| demeanor, shall be punished by fine
not exceeding ST 1000, with or without
4 hard labor, as the court may direct,
years, or both.
Il, We have been told that owen ac-
counted for his ability to get to New
York from the fact that the 6lisby s
harbored him from early Sunday morn
ing till late Monday afternoon, then
/ he was driven to Camden clothed in
Widows weeds and rode to New York
on Penna. train.
urtA n or,,o nh q o11of cd
above, the New Jersey law-makers
have made considerable provision for
Furnishing persons who aid law break
ers to escape from the officers of the
/ law. hence we cannot advise that it
will be legal or safe for the average
citizen to do so.
An article signed "a Parent and
dated Barnsboro, July 5, is not pub
lished because the identity of "A Par
ent" is to us unknown. We have no
doubt of A Parents sincerity; the
letter shows she is intelligent. and
all we have to say is that this article
has gone the way of all unsigned COM
munications. Writers as intelligent
as A Parent is should know that her
name is necessary, not for publication
but as guarantee of good faith.
In this vein, Editor Foster, of the
Elmer Times, discusses the failure of
the indictments against President E.
Amber Armstrong, of the State Mu-
tual and the Directors:
after days of sitting and examina-
tion, it appears that the only grounds
the Grand Jury could find on which
to indict the directors was that they
had made false report. This report
was made on the carefully made APP
praisement of the assets of the Asso-
citation, and there is not doubt but
that every director who signed it be-
! 1ieved it to be fair statement of facts
After the assault on the Association
these assets naturally dwindled in val
ue in the opinion of the apprais-
ers This is a perfectly normal course
in all bankrupt cases and receiver
ships. A farm, Il dwelling, a factory,
and many other forms of property,
may be worth in the estimation of fair
minded men. certain sum to-day, but
disaster overtakes the active owner,
sheriff's notices are published, insol-
vency is declared, and at forced sale
! the assets fall twenty, thirty, and per-
| maps lul ly pei CCut UciOW tllC lOtiHcI-
| lv assumed values, in fact, are usually
disposed of at far below their true
value The State Mutual assets were
| in the same class, and if they dwind-
led in theopinion of the receivers
such dwindling was not the slightest
| evidence that the former appraisement
had been falsely made, and it would
have been impossible for a fair-mind-
ed jury to convict them, hence the
warrant for dismissing the cases with
out trial.
A business man Of Woodbury. was
altogether out Of patience with the
town because we didn't have cele-
Ibration on the Fourth. He said most
all the towns Of the county had
"doins7 yet Woodbury., easily the most
prominent of all was dead dead as
a coffin nail. While that is all true,
T yet even death has its compensations.
Tt enables fha victim fa oo vieitino