Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-12-18
.LEEHAN'S TRIAL
OPENS; SOCIETY
THERE IN FORCE
LakewOOd's Winter Colony
Hopes to See Defendant Freed
of Murder Charge.
MRS. LYNCH'S GENEROSITY
PROVIDES GOOD COUNSEL
Justice Minturn Occupies Bench
in Ocean County's Most
Mysterious Case.

TOMS RIVER, Dec. .1S.-The trial
OF Joseph Moriarity. alias William ].
Leehan, on the charge of numbering
Mrs. Caroline c. Turner in the woods
near Lakewood, on April %, 1911, be-
gan here today with Justice James F.
Minturn. of the Supreme Court. on
the bench
The case is one of the most remark
able in the criminal annals of the
State. and startling developments are
promised In the progress of the trial.
Toms River. the county seat of Ocean
cosnty is crowded with strangers.
Farmers have driven into town fol
many miles. The fashionable winter
colony of Lakewood is well repre-
scented. In sixty-three years, there
have been nine murder trials in Toms
River ard one conviction.
His Funds Are Furntrhed.
- Both the State and the defense are
strong in numbers In legal representa-
ton. William Leehan. the prisoner,
has no means of his own.e but has
three lawyers behind him and the
promise of all finAs ,cial aid necessary.
His lawyers and funds have been sup
? piled by Mrs. Jasper Lynch. one of
the most prominent social leaders of
the Lakewood winter colony. Mrs.
Lynch tJok up the case of Leehan
simply that he might receive a fair
triak She heard that he was in desti-
tute circumstances, and went to his
assistance. Leehan's attorneys are
! Halstead III. Wainwright. Wilfred N.
Jayne and Andrew ]. c. Stokes
a.. H. al nj
which must bear the cost of the
prosecution. is said to be in financial
distress and will be plunged into fur
ther debt over the trial. Notwith-
standing this there is a good1y array
!. of legal talent behind the prosecution.
Prosecutor Harry E. Newman has
with him Attorney General Edmund
: Wilson, former Prosecutor Theodore
J. R. Brown. of Ocean county, and
Assistant Prosecutor George p. Wood
ruff Brown was in office when the
murder was committed and has the
evidence in the case at his fingers
ends. 1t was he who kept alive the
search for Mrs. Turner's murderer
, and brought the initial proceedings
ausinst Leehan. a.ss.ss =. .sys 3 - -
Mrs. Turner was last seen alive
by her friends as she entered the
pine needle woods at the end or
lIah6WOOu . lii1Iil bl1SCI Oll liiO APAAs
day in 1911 Her body was found the
next afternoon. Her skull had been
crushed. her neck and shoulders
1acerated and her clothing torn.
seven-foot club lay nearby. Moriarty
was arrested more than fifteen
months afterward.
The work of drawing a jury was
entered upon as soon as the trial be-
gan and will take up the greater part
IL Dr. xogf of I'm a
Minturn sixty talesmen were sum-
moned by Sheriff Tilton. Not since
the famous trial of Dr. Frank
Brower who was arraigned here
seven years ago, charged with the
murder of his wife, who died from
ground glass poisoning. has the old
court house presented such scene of
activity
Sits Beside wife.
Among the first to arrive was Lee
hans wife, who took a seat in the
midst of the lawyers who are defend
, ing her husband. When Leehan was
led in the courtroom he was given
seat beside his wife. The prisoner,
dressed in a neatly fitting suit of blue
serge, greeted Mrs. Jasepr Lynch, the
wealthy society leader of Lakewood,
who is financing his defense. She
spoke cordially to Leehan, Halsted
Wainwright made a motion for the
dismissal of two counts in the indict-
rhent, but Justice Minturn refused
both and declined also to consider
further postponement of the trial,
(which was asked by Counsellor
Wainwright, on the ground that the
Jury had not been drawn in accord
ance with the New Jersey jury act
II. became evident that there would
he night sessions of the court when
Justice Minturn gave instructions to
have the lights placed in readiness.
Defense and prosecution have agreed
10 close the case by Saturday night.
Hugh Kelly was the first juryman
chosen and was made foreman At
10 o'clock the jury had been chosen.
The jurors are: Hugh Kelly, Arthur
Cornelius, Charles A. Cook, Eugene
Parsons. John Hawkins, George A.
Bishop, Edward Heinrich, J. L. Pfefer,
Charles W. Jones, Harry Deane, Ty-
ler Reynolds and Holmes Van Note.