The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1914-09-26
CIRCUIT COURT
NOW IN SESSION

has been taken up with cases appeal
ed from Magistrates dockets, thereby
again emphasizing the crying need in
this State for some amendment to our
judicial system, by which much of this
time and money can be saved.
The first case heard was tnat OF the
State of Maryland VS.. Samuel and
ChristopherDevo appealed from
Magistrate Camerons docket. We re-
ported this case somewhat fully very
recently when it came before the Mag
istrate, who acquitted the defendants.
Thereupon Messrs. H. l.. Constable,
States Attorney, and w. T. Warbur-
ton, counsel for the State Roads Com
mission, took an appeal to Court,
where it was tried before jury. The
same witnesses were used as appeared
before the Magistrate, and Joshua
Clayton, ESQ.,, counsel for the defend
ants, pursued the same line of argu-
ment, contending that the defendants
could not be held guilty unless it
could be proved that their engine had
actually done some serious damage to
the road. The jury promptly brought
in verdict of not guilty.
State VS.. Walter LOnes.
This was one of the n.>-Ierou5 cases
that reach the Court on appeal from
fighting amongst the colored popuia-
tion of Elkton. Lones had been tried
before Magistrate Ash and sentenced
to a year in the House of Correction
for assault and battery on Rachel
Brown, coored. The defense was that
the fight had been between some color
ed women and Loanes had only been
trying to stop the fight, and had COM
mitted no assault at al. The jury
took that view of the matter and
brought in a verdict of mot guilty
The Court examined and naturaliZ-
ed Dante Flabbi, of Port Deposit,
native of Austria Hungary, on the
witness of J. Wilson SquIer and Lu-
ther Hindman.
State VS.. George Co:ee.
Cohee. a resident of Fredericktown,
in the First District, and a fisherman
there, charged with carrying concealed
deadly weapon. TIE States witnesses
were Edwin Gibson (who swore Co.
hee chased him around pile of bea';
poles with knife in his ;land), c. V.
Newcomb (also chased by Cohee),
Mrs. Newcomb (recently Miss Hew-
itt), Mrs. Hewitt, Mrs. Richard Lodge
Visiting at Captain Schofield's), Mr..
Solway and Capt. A. j. Schofield. The
witnesses declared that Cohee did not
appear to be drunk, but could run all
right. Cohee, in defense, swore that
he had been drinking, and did not
know whether he chased said parties
or not. Swore that he did not have d
butcher knife, that if he had anything
it was an ordinary case knife. The
Court (before whom he elected to he
tried) found him mot guilty" solely
on the ground that the State had not
proved beyond reasonable doubt that
Cohee had been armed with a deadly
weapon.
State VS.. Charles Cohee.
Charles Cohee, brother Of Georges
and living and working with him, was
charged with being "habitually drunk
and disorderly" The States wit
nesses were Andrew Wilson, Capt. n.
Scotten, Paul Pennington, Philip
Lloyd, William Biggs, Captain Rick
etts, Captain Schofeld, Mrs. New
come, Jacob Chambers, Edwood Sa"r,
Mr.. Kirk, A. j. Schofeld, Jr., Capt.
Tom Walmsley and Magistrate Nor
gan (of Cecilton). All of said wit
nesseS testified to numerous occas-
ions when Cohee had been drunk, had
been foul and abusive in his language,
and had been engaged in alterations
or fights. The defense put no wit
nesses on the stand contending tnat
the State had not proven Cohee guilty
of being habitually disorderly. but
only occasionally so. The jury
thought otherwise and brought in a
verdict of guilty.
The State had also two further
cases against George Cohee, for as
sault with intent to kill. When the
cases were reached Cohee plead guilty
to common assault without trial.
Demond VS.. Brown.
The Court next took up the case of
George T. Demond VS.. Harry A.
Brown, Demond charging Brown ICON
stable in the Ninth district with hav-
ing killed his rabbit dog for unpaid
taxes without legal authority. Deputy
Clerk Peacock was sworn to show hy
his textbook that Brown had not
signed the test book until August 81,
1914. W. f. Martindell, Clerk to the
County Commissioners, was sworn to
show by his minutes that Brown had
been appointed constable on July Ii,
1914.
George Demond then took the stand.
Swore that when Brown came to his
house and asked for dog tax, he said
he would pay it in Elkton and ordered
Brown off the place Brown said he
would shoot the dog unless he got the
tax. Demond said "if you do | will
shoot you" Brown shot dog and bur