Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-01-30
LOUIS ALBERT ON TRIAL
Motion to Quash Informations
Overruled by Judge Taylor
Plea of Guilty Entered by Louis Al
fred, Charged with Receiving
Stolen Goods-Six Counts
against AIpcrt,


stolen goods. was placed on trial late Mon
lay afternoon in the special session of
Chittenden county court before Judge
Taylor and Assistant Judges Merrlhew
and Hall The jury in Alpert's case was
completed shortly before six o'clock and
locked up for the night in charge of
Deputy Sheriff l.. w. Ravlin.
Earlier in the afternoon, Louis Alfred,
who has been out on $500 bail on a
similar charge, entered a plea of guilty
At the request of Alfreds attorney, V. a.
Bullard, sentence in his case was deferred
The following merchants all charged with
receiving stolen property, were arraigncd
and entered pleas of not guilty: Louis
Apert, Alex Fineberg, Harry II. Rosen-
berg, Sam Miller Harris Wollkind,
George T. Robinson and George Saiger
Their cases will probably be taken up
in the order named Sam Alpert, who Is
also charged with receiving stolen prop
ert>. was not arraigned Monday as he
is qua vantlned at home because If i'll
ness in his family. He will be used as a
witness If needed however, by permission
of the local health department.
Louis -Alpert was third on the docket
posted by States Attorney Theodore +.
Hopkins, but the plea of guilty by Louis
Alfred, who was first. and the absence of
Sam Alpert. who was second, brought
events down to Louis Alpert and the
prosecution moved for his trial The
court ordered the drawing Of the jury
and when the panel was complete it COM
prised the following: s. ID. Warren. Willis
ton; II. r. Fay. Westford; jerome Thomp-
son, Shelburne Edward Tomlinson Boil
ton; A, b. Mears, Milton; George
Benedict Underhll; stanton W. SaYles,
Richmond; Amos L. Drinkwater. Hines
burg, L. G. Nay, Jericho; f. a. Stiles,
Jericho, L. r. Phelps Williston; Roger
r. Lyman, HinCsburg.
DRAWING A JURY.
Some little difficulty was experienced
in drawing the jury because of the fact
that many Of the jurymen had read the
accounts of the car burglaries by George
II. Hooper Jonas Howe, Frank NJ. Poi
rier and Dennis Fargo. and the suisse
quent arrests of the nine Burlington mer
chants. Nearly every iuryman called adj
mitted that he had read the newspaper
accounts of these events One juryman
was found who declared. that he hadn't
read the papers in three years. The de-
Tense exhausted all but one of its chal-
lenges before It was content
The particular point upon which States
Attorney Hopkins questioned each jury
man was whether or not he had been ap-
proa ched by anyone. in connection with
the cases set for trial. previous to com
ing to court. Mr.. Hopkins asked every jury
man whether or not he had had any talk
with Joseph Agel concerning the cases
Mr.. Agel occupied a prominent seat with
the respondents counsel inside the rail
and took an active part in comforting with
the attorneys about the jurymen. one
juryman said he had been approached
on the subject by n man in Shelburne
but had told the man that the court ha6
instructed all Jurors not to talk about
matters that were to come up for trial
| This turyman, who was later excused
| said the man who had approached him
| was a resident of Shelburne. Mr.. Hop
| kins was assisted in his examination OF
the Jurors by former States Attorney H
4. Shaw, who will also assist Mr. Hop
kins in the trial Of the cases Besides Mr.
Rullard, Louis Alpert is represented by
NJ. c.. Leary and +. g. Wester.
lust prior to drawing the jury Mr.. Bull
lard entered an objection to the presence
in the court room OF a huge pile OF boxes
containing cigars. cigarettes. tobacco, etc.
These had been brought In by the sheriff
in anticipation OF the trial OF Louis AL
fred Mr. Hopkins, In reply to Mr., Bull
lards objection, stated that the boxes
had no connection with the Alpert case
and that the sheriff's department had not
yet had time to remove them to the iai
again Mr. Hopkins said he did not thinl
the jurors would misunderstood the sit
nation and that the articles in question
Rad no significance whatever.
The information to which Alpert plead