The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1915-12-21

comment on case which has not been
tried, with the intention or possible re-
suit OF preiudicing jurors, is just as
much contempt a. any other action.
Contempt also arises from criticising
Judges and jurors who have done their
duty ~ they rec 1t, and not through
malignant eye-glasses.:i
For several reasons we have re-
trained from replying to the attacks
Of Sleeper, Of the Palmyra News, in
the case Of the county against John W..
Harris, search clerk in the county
clerks Office. We have had no desire
to give Sleeper the publicity he evil
IDENTIFY was seeking, nor did we think
it proper to try the case before jury
had passed upon it. The latter mo-
tive did not appear to- appeal to the
Palmyra agitator. The verdict hav-
ing been rendered, the defendant hav-
ing been acquitted, we feel at liberty
now to speak. The Palmyra editor
has not hesitated to charge the papers
at the county seat with being bribed
into silence, and at the same time has
exploited himself as one who could
not be either bribed or bluffed." So
far as these insinuations concerned
this paper they had about as much
effect as the braying of any other
jackass. The Palmyra News has
been fearless of, itnot absolutely disre-
garding the law. We admit this be-
cause its editor began when he was I'M
der the shadow in the libel suit
brought by Robert Peacock, and in
which he criticised the grand jury for
not indicting that gentleman. And
during the present controversy he has
practically tried the case, going so far
as to show that Harris should be
found guilty and even going further
by stating that county clerk Knight
ought to be in Jail. And now, the jury
having acquitted Mr.. Harris, Sleeper
comes out with the statement that
: Harris was acquitted only of ssthis
particular Indictment" That is so,
for there was no other indictment
against him, despite the rumors that
he has retained anywhere from $1O,-
600 to $4,000 of the public money.
The Palmyra News Git is necessary to
give the name in full to keep this pa
per which bears the name of The
News, from being COMPOUNDED with
the other sheet) says "the evidence
turned out to be very different from
that presented to the grand juy, and
had the same evidence been given
there it is hardly possible that an in
dictment would have been found"
Now where in the world has Sleeper
gained this information with reference
to the secrets of the grand jury?
Has be been blowing" or has there
been leak? Further on he says that
Harris attorneys had been to see
Leeds about his evidence" Put this
statement with that about the differ
ence in the testimony before the
grand jury and the jury below, and
what is the inference. There can be
but two interpretations, one being that
Leeds told an untruth before one of
the bodies, the other that he had been
influenced by Harris lawyers This is
one OF the most despicable insinua-
tions in the entire affair as the repu-
tation of Harry H. Leeds for honesty
and fair dealing and for being proof
against all attempts to be induced to
give false testimony is above re-
proach and will compare favorably, at
least, with the miserable specimen
who makes the charge.It must not be
forgotten that the case in question
was tried by the highest legal officer
Of the state-the Attorney General
and the Palmyra News goes out of its
way again when it insinuates that the
charge of Judge Lippincott was not
fair, saying "the judge, in his charge,
is said to have said that the intention
to defraud must be proved beyond a
doubt" and gives this part of the
charge as one of three principal points
which gave the jury which tried Har-
ris reasons for their verdict. This is
reflection on both Judge and jury.
The former rendered his charge in ac-
cordance with the law and to which no
exception was taken by the learned
Attorney-General, and he also told
the jury what the Palmyra man for
gets to mention that you are to Judge
of this case from the evidence" and
he also refused to quash the indict-
ment because he considered that the
jury should have the right to pass
upon the subject. It may not be of
any moment, but it may not be out
Of the way to remark that the fore
man of the jury was Palmyra man.
OF the other members of the jury, two
came from Beverly township; one from
Beverly city; one from Riverton bor-
ough, and three from Riverside
eight of the twelve men right from
the neighborhood of the Palmyra
News and its very honest and righteous
editor. This shows that the men who
took the oath to return a true verdict
had more regard for their obligations
than they had for the wild rawlings of
the imam from home," for, if they
were treated as other people have
been, they must have received marked
copies of the paper which tried the
case in advance. 1t may not be out
of place to go back short time and
recall the fact that the stories which
led to the investigation and indict-
ment started during the campaign for
county clerk, with the evident inten-
tion of damaging Harry L. Knight.
George N. Winner was the Progressive
candidate, supported by Sleeper, liv-
ing in Palmyra, but when the trial was
put on Mr.. Winner willingly came for
ward as a character witness for Har-
ris. If there are other charges to be
brought against Harris or county
clerk knight, it will be entirely prop
er to institute proceedings and if the
Palmyra News man is in possession of
knowledge as he seems to have the
grand jury secrets, let him come out
in the open and start the suits him.
self and not sneak behind the Board
of Freeholders SO that he may have