Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1913-09-11
JEROME ACQUITTED;
APOLOGY RENDERED
MAGISTRATE SORRY FOR HUMlL'
IATloN DEFENDANT HAS
UNDERGONE.
EVIDENCE IS INSUFFICIENT
Thaw Bases Some Hopes for Release
on a Charge Of IrresuIarity Which
May be Lodged if First Con-
tention Fails.

Coaticook, Que, Sept. 10.-Apologiz-
Ing for the humiliation to which he
had beer subjected, Magistrate Mulve-
ma freed William Travers Jerome of
the charge ot having Sambied on last
Thursday on a railroad property while
waiting for the immigration board to
dispose of the case of Harry K. Thaw.
Hearing is Short.
The hearing lasted less than an
hour, and at the end of that time the
court said, Sir, you are honorably dis
charged"
Jerome thanked the court and spoke
f~alteringly Of his reception in Can
ada. He declared that he did not at
tribute his arrest n Imprisonment a
week ago to the thinking people of
Canada. Jerome later left Coaticook
for New York. He will prepare him
self for arguments on the latest ha-
beas corpus writ, to be held before the
kings bench, Montreal, Sept. 10.
Crowd Is Hostile.
ToWnspeOple packed the court room
when the hearing was opened. Every
inch of standing was occupied
and the bold among the auditors ad-
vanced in a semicircle about the coun-
sci table and perched at the sides of
the bench upon which the magistrate
sat. Jerome looked straight at the
court n did not once glance at the
throng, which in looks, grim faces and
subdued remarks, was plainly hostile.
A. c. Hanson, joint crown prose
cutor, opened the case with the read
ing of the complaint of Milford AID
rich, a mill hand who swore he had
seen the defendant playing cards for
money at the railway station. Stat
utes were quoted to show that this
was an indictable o~ffense. punishable
with a years imprisonment.
Jerome Is Acquitted.
I'm rendering Judgment" Magistrate
Mulvena said, Il shall be very brief.
| believe every rightminded man in
Canada regrets and feels humiliation
at the indignity which has been placed
upon YOU. 1t was eXcusable neither in
law nor in fact. The evidence adduced
at this hearing gives no reasons for
the charge which was laid against
you, nor for the indignities which you
have suffered.
L believe, sir, in all the circum-
stances, you will not attribute the ap-
parent offense offered you while in a
friendly country in the discharge of
your duty as a public officer of the
real thinking people of this
ity. You are, sir, honorably dis.
charged"
lrreguiarity Hope of Thaw. ri
Notwithstanding to ]. N. Green
shields, of Thaws counsel, one of the
main hopes Of the defense, aside from
the fight against the immigration act
itself, is an illegal irregularity in the
proceedings taken by the immigration
officers. 1t is commended that they did
not have a formal order to take Thaw
in charge, which the defense claims
is necessary under the act when the
alien affected has been in the country
ten days.
Thaw had been in the country more
ehe'H IL udyS WIGu l6 WAS
to the immigration officials and T. r.
r. Mc1nnes, K. c., has made an afi-
davit that the immigration men took
him in charge without proper author
ity from the minister.
He states that before the board of
inquiry he demanded hat E. Blake
Robertson, assistant superintendent of
immigration, produce this document
n that the latter declined to do SO.
A Second Reason.
The second reason, cited to Judges
Gervais and Cross in the informal ap-
plication made by Thaw's counsel be-
fore the matter was brought into
chambers Friday, was the u~nconstitu-
tionality Of the act.
This third point is the misuse of the
act to supplement and aid the en-.
forcement Of the law and order in
New York state.
"Thaw's chances of ultimate free
dom are better now than they have
been at any time since he was first ar
rested on a charge of murder" said
Mr.. GreenshieIds. "The immigration
act 8 full of holes. 1t is a disgrace
to Canada"