The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1912-01-09

JuIOLe, WHuccScS anu sp6CbdIOIS lOA uCe
large audience that became interested
In the court proceedings that we're helC
on Wednesday. 1t became necessary tt
to extend the usual time allotted for sucf
business 30 that the last case listed fol
the day could be disposed of.
The first prisoner to be arraigned wal
William Johnson, colored. He was in
dicted for breaking and entering the resi-
dence of F. Wallis Armstrong, living or
Chester avenue, Moorestown.
The defendant, who was born near thai
place, is well known to many of Its resi-
dents The crime was committed or
Saturday night, November %. and at that
time he was living In Philadelphia, where
he drove an ice wagon.
| Mr.. Armstrong testified as follows: 81
was awakened by thud as If some per.
son had fallen and also by the breaking Of
glass. Getting up Immediately, my wife
turned on the electric light, telephoned
for the police and H. Tatnall Brown. A
policeman was admitted after Brown ar.
rived at the house. Then we walked to
the dining room, where the lower glass
In a window that extended high from the
floor had been broken. We saw an over
coat with the lining up carefully spread
out on a large centre table in the music
room, where we found johnson lying on
the floor hiding behind piano. The pris-
oner said 'Ouchl' when a twist was given
to the nippers that were placed on his
wrist to make him get up. While going
out of the house l said to Johnson: You
had better own up to this, but he gave
me no reply. When came down stairs
l shot three times, as thought saw a
man passing out of the window"
On cross-examination Mr.. Armstrong
said that nothing was taken so far as
could be ascertained. In the judgment
of witness johnson was sober.
Henry TatnallBrown heard his telephone
ring about one o'clock, and the operator
at the exchange said he was wanted at
the Armstrong house but he did not know
what for. On going out of the door he
heard three shots, and soon after that he
was by the side of his neighbor. Witness
saw the broken window, the coat on the
table and was present when johnson,
whom he identified, was found on the
floor. Before the police arrived the In
truder was told to lie quiet or he would
get shot. He did not want to get up when
the officers came, and in order to make
him do SO they had to give twist on the
nippers, which caused Johnson to exclaim
from pain.
Policeman Thomas Murphy, on arriv
ing at the house, covered johnson with a
revolver and held him there until Officers
Ward and Sutton appeared. johnson be-
gan to swear and make fuss when they
got him up. In answer to question the
prisoner said Ben Warren and Josh Truitt
were with him. johnson remarked: tits
too bad that have to suffer for this |
alone"
Bart ] Sutton, policeman, saw John
son at Coles Hotel about nine O'Clock |
that evening. Witness heard johnson tell
who his companions In this crime were.
Harvey Force, baker, has brother
who operates a restaurant back of Coles
Hotel. johnson was there eating an oys- |
ter stew about 10 o'clock. AS he left the
place without settling, witness went after
Johnson to get the money. He found him
ho A NH fIa
standing there two men appeared, one of
whom johnson addressed as Warren.
The state then rested.
On motion of Mr.. Palmer the court
eliminated one count in the Indictment.
johnson was the only witness for the |
defence. He said he was so drunk that
night that he could not remember any
hing. His mind became a blank. He
had never been arrested before.
BY consent of counsel the case was sub |
mitted to the jury without argument. |
The jury found defendant guilty.
William Arnitt was then placed on trial
On a charge of stealing suit case con-
tanning goods to the value of $51, prop |
ertY of Albert Holmes. The contestants |
had for many years worked together on
the farm of Horace Roberts In Evesboro
township.
After the theft became known Mr.. Rob-
erts Joined in the search for Arnitt and |
found him walking in Camden, In which |
city the defendant then resided, with the |
grip in his possession. His arrest fol-
lowed and the goods were recovered.
In his own defence Arnitt stated that
who had been boarding with the |
mothero of Miss Ella Jordan, had fuss
with his employer and quit. He took |
Holmes, who was drunk, to his home in |
Camden and kept him there over night. |
At the request of Holmes, Arnitt went
up to the Jordan house and asked for the |
suit case. After getting it he went back |
to the farm with the grip in his posses
sion, worked several hours, got what pay
was due him and returned to Camden.
The defendant, represented by Robert
Peacock, was acquitted.
Howard Jobes, of Florence, indicted
for sodomy, was the next to be tried. The
defendant was represented by V. Claude
Palmer.
Having had occasion to watch barn on
the farm of Miss Ella Horner, near Flor
ence, known as the Hays place. Joseph |
H. Smith, manager, and Albert Walton,
foreman, were attending to that duty on
Saturday night, October 18th, and they
had gun with them. They found Jobes
In the barn under suspicious circumstan-
ces. The men tried to tie him with a
rope, but Jobes broke loose, knocked
Smith down, and when he tried to repeat
the trick on Walton went to earth him
self. To these men Jobes said his name
was Adams, that he had walked from
Newark and was hunting place to sleep.
When the fellow made break to get
away, Smith shot Jobes In the back. In
quiry among physicians led to the where
abouts of Jobes several days later. On
Sunday morning DR.. Doherty was sent
for. He said that Jobes had about one
hundred shot in his back and that it was
a hospital case. Jobes told the physician
that he had been shot during trouble at
When on the stand the defendant said
he was very drunk that night and had no
idea of what he did. He did not feel the
sting of the shot. and did not know that
he had been injured until the next morn
morning.