The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1913-06-24
Children Cry
FOR FLETcHER'S
CA 8 TO RIA
Freeholders Sentenced.

Thursday was the time set for the In
dicted members of the Board of Free
holders to be present in court to receive
their sentences. There was large audi
ence present, as this case has excited In
terest in all parts of the county and there
has been much speculation on the punish.
ment that would be melted out to those
who had practically admitted their wrong
doing.
Judge Horner asked the Prosecutor II
he had anything to present, and that off,
cial moved for sentence on the nine mem
bers of the Board of Freeholders and
upon Joseph L. Hilton, former Supervisor
of Roads.
The Judge asked counsel for the men If
they had anything further to say In be
half of their clients. Former Judge Gas
kill, representing the members of the
Board, said he had but little to add to
what he had already said, but he hoped
his remarks might be given the same cir
culation as the charges that had been pre-
sented. He again made the statement that
the men before the court were there
through mistakes they had made and not
from criminal acts" He made sarcastic
allusion to the ''self.appointed inquisitor''
who had discovered these mistakes" and
1t would have been just as well for the
Judge as for his clients If he had left his
words unssid, as he discovered when Judge
Horner addressed the defendants. Judge
Gaskill said he had gone over the bills
with the Prosecutor and had rectified one
to large degree, but In the main the
others were right. All overcharges or
mistakes that had been proved for the
past six years had been returned to the
county.
Former Senator Robbins spoke In be-
half of Joseph L. Hilton and consumed
considerably over an hour In endeavo.ing
to show that Hilton had not been compe-
tent to keep books and that be had made
mistakes" in getting large sums of
money in his possession that 1t had since
been discovered did not belong to him He
said the state had been very liberal In
handing out money to this county for
good roads and that this liberaIity was
mainly due to Hilton's influence with the
state authorities. That Hilton was an in
dustrious supervisor and a good official
was beyond criticism. Senator Robbins
referred to the many expenses the county
supervisor was compelled to meet, and
said the salary he received was too meagre
for what he did, and that he frequently
spent large portion of his pay in enter
tanning higher officials and travelling over
the county looking after its highways
The speaker admitted that his client
would not have had any show In trial
hence 1t was useless for him to haye at
tempted fight. The accounts for the
past six years had been gone over and Mr..
Hilton presented checks for So, 964. 7S, as
the amount that was acknowledged to
have been taken through mistake" In
addition to this sum there were some
charges for automobile tires and repairs
and telephone charges. The amount of
these was not entirely clear and, after a
consultation between Judge Horner, the
Prosecutor and Senator Robbins 1t was
decided that about $500 would clear this up
Jonathan II. Kelsey, spoke In behalf of
Joseph P. Lennon and stated that instead
of the defendant being indebted to the
county he was really entitled to $116 that
he had failed to properly charge.
Prosecutor Atkinson spoke In behalf o f
the state and said all the facts In this case
were so faSsfiisr to Judge Horner, who
had given much time and attention to the
examination of the papers that 1t would
appear to be superfuous to take up the
time of the court with more talk. Prose-
cutor Atkinson thought it was very I'M
fair to cast criticism upon DR.. Lejambre
or to try and show that he had made some
errors in arranging the papers In this case.
That the task was a prodigious one was
apparent to everybody. aud after giving
the matter personal attention Mr.. Atkin-
son said he was ready to declare that not
any items were incorrect with the possible
eXC6pbiOu VI Ouc III Iue Case OI Joseph
Hilton. All of the defendants had been
allowed to look over the accounts and
findings of DR.. Lejambre and all had ad-
mitted their correctness. In the case of
William IA. Wilkins there were errors
which could not be verified in the manner
the law required, but they showed plain
ly that something was wrong.
Mr.. Atkinson referred to a remark OF
Senator Robbins where the latter said be
did not think it fair to Mr.. Hilton to have
this matter rest where 1t is without q
thorough examination of the accounts by
an expert. The Prosecutor said he could
not see any objection to such course but
that he did not feel especially interested
in that point, that was up to Mr. Hilton
who had the right to employ as many
experts as he desired to. AS the case now
stood the defendant had acknowledged
nearly everything that had been charged
against him and had made restitution.
At the conclusion of the Prosecutor
emarks, Judge Horner said: