Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1912-08-02
Three Brooklyn Youths on
Trial Accused Of Assault
ing Girl on Barge.
GIRL TELLS HER STORY
Says She Was Kept Prisoner
at Port Reading--Came
from Coney Island.
Special to ths EvENTNu NKws.

WV uoiShodutS III tue now ColeDTdteu
Port Reading assault case, in which
Mae Maher. fifteen years old, of
Brooklyn, was said to have been
locked in boat cabin for three days
and attacked by the young men,
went on the stand in their own de-
fense this morning and made COM
plete denials of the charge. 1t now
appears that the defense will not un-
dertake to dispute the age of fifteen
as given by the girl. She looks and
acts older, but the state has birth
papers, etc, to Offset any attempts
by the defendants to undermine the
girls testimony in this respect, it is
said.
Miss Maher was on the wit
ness stand yesterday. First she
gave her story in detail on direct
examination and then she had to
submit to a most searching three
fold cross-examination.
Only once did she break down. It
was on her direct examination, when
she was told that she would have to
be explicit in giving the details of
the alleged assault. She said that
she couldn't find words to express
herself and when told that she must,
she burst into violent crying. For
a short time the examination was
suspended and then Judge DAILY
soothed the girl and permitted the
State to ask her leading questions
to bring out the details necessary to
sustain the states chrage Of carnal
abuse
Miss Maher was dressed in
mourning for her mother, who died
a few months ago. She gave most
OF her testimony in a quick, posi-
tive manner. On cross-examlnation
she was ready to answer the ques-
tions before the lawyers had COM
pleted them. Frequently she an
swered their questions by asking
others, such as What else could
do?"
The state claims that the girl was
detained against her will on the
boat. The defense claims that she
was willing member of the little
party on the boat. There was a
hint on crQss-eXamination that the
defense will try to prove by some
Brooklyn boys in court that the girl
is not the pure innocent maid that
she Says she is.
Lawrence Pierce, who comes of a
well-to-do Brooklyn family; Patrick
Reilly and Joseph Slatra are the de-
PENDANTS at the trial, which is being
conducted before Judge DAILY. Pierce
sat with Lawyer Simpson, of Jersey
| City; Reilly with Lawyer John A.
Coan and Sultra with Lawyer Wal
ter d. VanSickle. Assistant Prose-
cutor Joseph e. Stricken conducted
the case for the State and during the
morning Prosecutor Silzer dropped
in and sat beside his assistant.
The Jury.
County Detectives Peltier and
Ferguson were on hand for the
state. 1t took but fifteen minutes
to draw the jury. The defendants
exercised their right of challenge
freely. The following jury was
sworn:
William B. Sutphin, Frank Auten,
Julius Bush, Matthew w. Griggs,
Archibald McCallum, George E.
Gordon, Winfield Hetfeld, Van
Stout, Josiah Maitland, Elmer Ed
sail, Joseph Sedan and Charles JOS
lin.
Judge Daily made an order ex-
Guiding all spectators under twen-
ty-one years of age from the court
room during the trial.
At the opening of the trial the in
dictments were amended so that the
date Of the assault was fixed as July
16.
Miss Maher, upon taking the
stand identified the three defendants
as the men who had been with her
on the coal barge at Port Reading.
She had known Pierce about three
years; Reilly but few months and
had met Slatra on Sunday, July IA,
In Coney Island
Her Story.
She said that she had gone to
Coney Island by appointment to
meet Reilly and the other young
men were with him. They had re-
mained in Coney Island till night,
spending their time at Dickers,
Weisenberger's and the Pekin. 1t
was late then and the boys told her
that they would take her home and
after a ride on the elevated they ar
rived in New York near Washing
ton Market, about l o'clock.
Then they told me that we were
boat to come home" she said.
w AoI Oio yO0 ody " ludl. ash
ed the assistant prosecutor.
What could I say; / had to co."
she replied.
She then related in detail the hap
penings on the boat up to the time
that he father rescued her on the
Wednesday morning following. The
girl claimed that all Of this was done
against her will.
Cross-Examined.
Lawyer Simpson took her for
cross-examination first. He brought
out that she had not appealed to
anyone to save her from the men
when she was taking the trip with
them from Coney Island to Port
Reading. They had spent from l
to 4 O'Clock that Monday morning
in a ferry house waiting for a boat
and she had not cried out or asked
assistance from anyone.
At Port Reading she had not call
ed for help. On the Tuesday night
on the boat after the alleged as
saults, she admitted that they had
all been singing rather suggestive
songs and had been telling jokes
and that she sang with them.
She deLied that she had had any
unpleasantness at her home and that
she had left 1t. She denied that she
had ever been at the Hartman Hot
ell on Ninth street, Brooklyn, with
Joe Connell, who is in court ready to
testify. She denied that she had
ovar hoop out with him huf oo{d