Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1910-10-25


while the company was there, but toll
, him to come later, which he did.
/ was liquor that he was after, and
, took no money and saw no money.
I'll The case was very briefly argued b
, Mr.. Blanchard and Mr.. Parker, Judg
Cornish's charge was equally brief, an,
} after being out only a few minutes, jus
. before 6 O'Clock Wednesday the jury re
turned verdict of not guilty.
THREE CONVICTED OF POCKET PICKING
Thursday morning was begun the tria
,, of Will Morrell of Augusta, James Lsr
of Lewiston, and James O'Connell o
, Lewiston, indicted for the larceny of "a
from the person of George w. Morey o
Waterford. County Attorney Parke
conducted the case for the state. N. G
Foster defended Morrsll, and MATTHEW
/ Mccarthy the other two respondents.
This was the pocket picking case
which occurred on the first day of tn
Oxford County fair. George w. More
of East Waterford came from Portlan,
to South Paris on the train in the fore
noon of that day, and shortly after get
ting off at South Paris discovered tina
his pocketbook was gone, which hat
contained forty-five dollars and som
cents. The story of the events as relat
ed by Morey was substantially as follows
Morey was in the smoking car, sittinI
, In the seat next the window. In tn
seat with him was an old Scotchman
and in the next seat, which was turned
facing him, was Morrell. The train wa
full, and men were standing in the aisles
Lery came along, and wanted to borrow
q knife to sharpen pencil. Neithe
Morey nor his seatmate had knife, bu
Morrell had one which he produced
saying it was an old rusty knife and h
couldn't get 1t open. Lery offered t
bet cigars for the crowd that he coult
open 1t. and he tried but failed. He thel
went off after the cigars, and meanwhile,
Morrell showed Morey and the Scotch
man how to open the knife, which was
trick knife, having a spring which mus
be pulled out before the knife could b,
lOpened.
Lery came back and saying that ht
couldn't find the boy who sold cigars
paid quarter instead to Morrell for hi,
bet. Then he looked at the knife, ant
said no wonder he couldn't open it
there was a screw right through tn,
blade. Morrell said it could be opened
without taking out the screw. Lery
offered to bet ten dollars that 1t couldn't
and pulled out his money. Morrell
wanted to take the bet, but had only six
dollars, and wanted Morey to put up the
other four. Morey refused to do so
Lery called him a dead beat and suck
| 4 ha hoy
He went away down the aisle, but came
back three times and told Morey be
didn't have any money. Finally Morey
took out his wallet, which was in bis
hip pocket, and showed his "wad."
man who was sitting across the aisle
said to him, you're a damned fool to
show your money, you'll lose it before
you get off the car"
When they got to South Paris, Morey
got off, and as he was going through the
passage at the end of the car, large
man in blue suit pressed up against
him, and at the same time Lery came in
through the door, crowding against
Morey and putting his arms around him,
at the same time saying, "Why in hell
can't you let man get IMP" Something
like three minutes later, on the station
platform, the man who had warned Mo.
rey in the car asked him il he had lost
his money, and he found it was gone.
Morey Immediately got Deputy Sheriff
Cole, and they went to the fair grounds,
and an hour or 80 later found three men
in company, Lery, O'Connell, who is a
large man and was dressed in blue suit,
and a man named Harris. They were
taken to the Jail Office and searched
When Lery was searched, he made No
trouble until they started to take off his
cap, when he grabbed at the cap and put
up his hand to hold the officers off In
the scrap which followed the cap fell to
the floor, and bill was seen to fall from
it, which O'Connell picked up. Aboui
eight dollars was found on Lery, and
twenty-seven dollars on O'Connell, all OF
it in crumpled bills. The trick knife
which Morrell had had was also il
Lery's possession, and testimony wa'
introduced as to contradictory state
mentS which Morrell and Lery had made
as to how it came in his possession.
For the defence the three respondent:
were put on. They agreed that the
story told by Morey az to the knife snC
the betting was substantially correct
but they absolutely denied having any
thing to do with the theft of Morey''
money. O'Connell said that he was no
in the smoking car at all, and did moi
see Morey, nor did he see either Lery Oh
Morrell until after he got to the fai
grounds. With regard to the affair oil
the cap, Lery said that he was addicted t
the use of morphine, and that he haG
placed some morphine pills in his cal
because he wanted to have them to taxi
after he was locked up, and that wa
why he put up an opposition when TIL
cap was to be taken off. O'Connell sale
that the money which he picked up from
the floor did not come from Lery's cap
but was his own which he had had il
his hand, but had dropped from nervous
ness.
Morrell said that he had followed til
fairs for number of years, selling soaI
and other articles. Lery stated that h
J is called Powers most of the time be
cause of living with an uncle on hi
mothers side by that name. He follow
the fairs more or less, selling jewelry
lO'Conuell said that he had been t.
several fairs this year, and when aske
what he was doing there said that b
was generally intoxicated and enjoyin
himself.
None of the men helped their CAS-
much by going on the stand, and MOI
rell certainly damaged his case material
, ly by his testimony.
The case was fully argued, and Judg
' | hn
, clearly in his charge. The jury took th
, case about half-past 3, and at A o'clocl
returned verdict of guilty as to a
, three men.
The pocket picking case was the lai
case tried. After that was finished,
few odds and ends finished up the wor
of Thursday.
RinaldO Pietrantonio pleaded guilty I
liquor nuisance. The indictmer
against him for assault was mol pressed
d. Stanley Jackson retracted in con
mon seller case, and pleaded guilty.
D mol pros was entered in case againl
3 him for breaking and entering an
larceny. The burglary, 1t was explained
J consisted in breaking into the "rul
Q room" while he was confined In II
i lookup, and filling up on liquor there.
Thomas Lanigan pleaded guilty on tt
= charge of simple assault on James I
I Glover of Oxford, and the indictment fl
assault with intent to kill on the sam
: party was mol pressed.
The remainder of the criminal dock
was then cleaned up, quite number
;. the old cases being placed on file, othe
u mol pressed, and others continued. Tw