Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1915-05-24
SELECT JURY To DECIDE FATE OF
ROOSEVELT STRIKE DEPUTIES;
WITNESSES TELL Of SHOOTING
Rushing Of Trial Surprise to
Counsel for Both Sides
Prosecutor FI0rance Opens
Testimony for the State.
Special to the EVENING NEWS.

New Brunswick, May 24:-With
facility and speed which surprised
counsel for both sides, the murder
jury to try the ten deputy sheriffs"
for the murder of fertilizer worker
at Roosevelt during the strike in that
borough in January, was drawn this
morning before II o'clock. Justice
James J. Bergen probably set rec
ruling of objections made by attor-
neys for the defense he paved the
way for the selection of the twelve
men to try the deputies" in less
than an hour.
The defense received blow after
blow from the presiding jurist as its
objections to the jurors were as
promptly overruled as they were
made The state undoubtedly gained
the first round of the noted murder
trial by the rulings of the Justice.
Each of the twelve men who were
finally accepted were objected to by
the defense on the go ind that they
were accepted without proper ques-
tioning. BY ruling of the justice
neither side was allowed the privi-
lege of questioning any of the twelve
ulSu ufd VII, W SliOW WAStnSl tnCy
were biased for or against the 'depu-
ties
If either side objected to juror
placed in the box he had to use one
Of the five peremptory challenges al
loted to each side to remove him, but
was not allowed to question the man.
The jury as selected, it is declared,
is more favored by the state than the
defense, as nearly every one Is a
laboring man and likely is member
of some union. 1t is understood that
the defense desired to question the
prospective jurors to determine their
union affiliations, but such procedure
was overruled at once by the justice.
Following are the twelve men
selected:
Albert Imhoff, wire drawer, OF
Trenton.
Lewis Thurman, machinist, Of
Trenton.
Albert Wooley, salesman, Trenton.
Hopewell township, Mercer county.
Trenton.
John v. Greene, retired, Lawrence
township, Mercer county.
John F. Hartman, matchmaker,
Trenton.
Charles Blauth, retired, Trenton.
Joseph A. Nicholson, clerk, Tren-
ton.
George Koenig, delicatessen deal
er, Trenton.
Thomas B. Steele, farmer, Hamil-
ton township, Mercer county.
Ellwell S. Clugston, machinist,
Trenton.
The panel or prospective jurymen
from Mercer county arrived on an
early train with Sheriff J. Warren
Fleming, of Mercer county. The
court room began to fill early with
witnesses and spectators. The spec
tators, however, were excluded, be-
cause of the crush of witnesses and
iurymen The witnesses and jury
men brought suit cases, as if pre-
pared for a long seige. However,
Justice Bergen determined to expe-
dite matters, and to hurry the trial
along, it is likely that night ses ions
of the court will be held
Sheriff Edward F. Hought and
a large number of lawyers from
throughout the county were present
at the opening of court at 10 o'clock
to witness the greatest criminal trial
Middlesex county has yet known.
Joseph e. Stricken, former Attor
ney General Robert H. McCarter and
John Delaney who is associated with
Mr.. Stricken, took their seats at the
defense's table, and Attorney General
John w. Wescott and Josiah Stry-
ker,. his assistant, Prosecutor w. Ed
win Florance, Assistant Prosecutor
John A. Coan and Second Assistant
Attorney Backes, formed the legal
battery at the states table.
The defense showed it's optimism
at the outset of the trial in suggest |
ing that both murder indictments
against the ten men be tried at once,
as they were associated with the same
events and such action would be en-
tirely feasible. However, Justice
Bergen, who sat on the bench with |
Common Pleas Judge Peter F. DAILY, |
declared such procedure would be |
unwise and overruled the suggestion |
The trial then proceeded as intended, |
the men being charged with the kill
ing of only one of the fertilizer work
ers, who were fatally shot January |
10 near the Williams & Clark plant |
at Roosevelt, The indictment ac-
cuses the ten men with the murder of |
Alesandro Tessitore, striker.
The much mooted question of the
of challenges to which each
side should be entitled was the first
matter of Importance this morning.
Mr. McCarter, for the defense, stat
ed that under the law governing
foreign juries 1t is provided that
each defendant or defendants shall |
be entitled to five peremptory chal-
lenges. He declared that under this
law the deputies" could be allowed
five challenges for each man on trial,
which would mean an aggregate OF
afty.
Continued on rage ~