The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1914-07-21
TUESDAY, JULY 81, 1914

IF THERE had not been cOronerS IN
quest in the murder of Herman Fisher
there would not have been any COM
plant, as the man charged with the
dastardly deed had confessed his crime
and there was no necessity for holding
an inquest and it was vergmg on heart
lessness to compel the families so init
mately connected with the affair to be
present and subject themselves to the
gaze of crowd drawn by morbid curl
osity. OF course the coroner had the
right to hold an inquest, but he was not
compelled to. He was advised not to,
but he seemed to think it was neces-
sity, at least that is the charitable view
to put upon it. Had he needed the adj
vice given him he would have stood
higher in the estimation of some than
he now does, the county would have
been spared an expense, and the jurors
he selected would not have been the sub
jects of criticism they now are. The
coroner has not escaped this criticism
either. People are asking why, in Sc
Letting his jurors, he went to the imme
date neighborhood of the families o
the dead man and the man who con
fessed to doing the killing. 1t has beer
asked why he did not get his jury from
the residents of the town where he lives
and which was sufficiently remote from
the scene of the murder to relieve al
from criticism of any character. That
the coroner was as much surprised at the
verdict as were those who heard it there
is no doubt, and then he opened the
road for further criticism by attempting
to have the jury retire and give the re
turn which he thought was proper, ane
still further added to the situation by
telling the jurors they had not returned
a verdict in accordance with the evl
dence Right there were two situations
BY its verdict the jury had practically
said that Sheriff Jordan had not tolc
the truth when he testified that Murphy
had confessed, and the coroner made ar
addition when he told the jurors they
had not returned verdict according te
the Ievidence, completely ignoring the
fact that they had taken an oath to con
slider the testimony, thus putting the
jury in the same position they had
placed the Sheriff. The whole thing was
q farce. And the result did not change
matters one particle. Murphy is in jail
and there he will stay until grand
jury has determined whether he shall be
freed or given a trial. Coroner Bisbine
was criticised in advance by the city
papers, and from statements he made
one might easily have thought that sen
sational journalism had been hard upon
! him, but in view of the way in which
the affair terminated it is question
whether the city papers were far out Of
the way. The Philadelphia Record
Sunday, had this comment:
"Crowner's quest" law has often beer
a subject of leyity, but this jury in the
Murphy case seems to have tried to make
itself ridiculous, for its singular verdict
is attributed to controversy over the
utility of cOroner's inquest under any
circumstances. The work of a coroner's
jury is now better done by the police OIL
district attorney, but SO long as the law
ordering coroners' inquisitiOns remains
in force the juries should do their worn
as well as they know how. Murphy has
confessed, what remains is for the tria
court. The jury seems to have been try
ing to make itself an object of mirtt
when it found that the deceased came t.
his death at the hands of persons un
known, but that one witness had tol(
the jury that Murphy had confessed.
This case has attracted attention il
various quarters. The Trenton Time
says:
1.-THE average New Jersey coroner il
more concerned over the fees that e
with an inquest than about fair treat
ment of suspect, and over the promin
ence that he temporarily receives becaus'
of connection with murder mystery
than about the denial of constitutions
rights to a prisoner. Coroner Bisbins
has announced that he has summoned
as witnesses every person who knows
anything about the case, however re
motely. Coroners are allowed certain
fees-for summoning the jury, subpoena
ing the witnesses, administering tn,
oath, and so much for each folio of testi
mony taken. The greater number 0
witnesses and the longer their testimony
is strung out, the more profit for The
coroner Therefore the Burlington
county coroner must rest under the sus
picion of being financially interested
when he resents the suggestion from the
Prosecutor that the inquest be made q
mere formality in order that the states
case be not given away"