Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1915-04-06
END
OF MARKET TO
Nj. GRAND Jury
Chief Justice Gummere Refers
Newspapers to Inquisition
for Investigation.
EAST MECHANIC STREET
FIRE CONSIDERED, ALSO
|. Seymour Crane, of MontcIair,
Foreman of the
Jury.

Calling the attention of the grand
Jury to the stories printed in the
newspapers that allegations of at
tempted bribery in connection with
the new market contract had been
made, Chief Justice William s. Gum
mere today instructed the jurors to
carefully investigate the stories, and
IT, they are found to have foundation
in fact to return indictments against
the person or persons who made the
alleged attempts. He also referred to
the fire in an East Mechanic street
shoddy shop in which two persons
4ost their lives, but said tie prose-
cutor's investigation was not COM
p1ete enough to warrant a charge to
the grand jury.
Before swearing in the jurors the
chief justice appointed L. Seymour
Crane, a hardware dealer, of Church
street, Montclair to act as foreman.
He announced that William b. Tay-
lor had been excused, leaving just
twenty-three members on the in
quest.
His charge was as follows:
There is one matter that T want
to call your attention to today, and
later to call to your attention.
THE matter 1 will call to your at
tention now is one that doubtless
has attracted the attention of a good
many of you. My brothers and my
self have seen statements in the pub
lie press that attempts have been
made to influence members of the
Common Council of the city of
Newark in the performance of their
sworn duties. The specific charge is
that attempts have been made to in
fiuence, by offers of money or other
valuable thing, the members of the
council to override the veto of the
mayor in the award of the new mar
ket contract.
IF any such attempts have been
made 1t Is hardly necessary for me to
say the persons making them have
made themselves amenable to the law.
A man who attempts to influence
members of a common council by
money or other reward as inducement
to his official action in q. particular
way is guilty of the crime of bribery,
and it makes not particle Of differ
lence whether reward has been. ac-
cepted or not. It's the attempt that
constitutes the bribery.
"Whethereharges have foundation In
fact the court is without knowledge,
but it seems to me that it is the duty
Of this grand inquest to carefully in
|quire into the truth of this charge
and, if they find it founded in fact,
TO indict him or them who attempted
the bribery.
'I repeat again there are two
things in investigating this matter.
First, you hear only the case of the
State. Second, You are to close your
ears to any attempt or suggestion of
outside influence. If any such at
tempt is made to influence you, the
court will see that you are fully pro-
tected If the matter Is reported to It.
1.-THE stories of attempted bribery
were interviews with Henry Hahn,
Republican alderman from the Third
ward, in which he said he had been
offered $1,000 to vote. to override
Mayor Raymond's veto of the award
of the market contract. He also said,
according to the stories. that he had
been offered a retainer to act as at
torney for one of the interested con-
tractors. Later he said that the pa
pers were making mountain out of
Ia molehill.
HE discounted rumors of a grand
jury investigation with the statement
that there was nothing to investigate.
"The second matter I wanted to
Ispeak to you about relates to the fire
which occurred the other day in the
building in which Kelly & Co. con-
Quoted a shoddy waste shop. Two
persons lost their lives in the fire.
whether anyone is crirninally re-
sponsible for the death of these two
Iunfortunates is a matter that cannot
be determined until the facts are
more fully Investigated than the pros
ecutor's office has been able to do In
the limited time at its disposal.
"If this investigation shows GRIM
iinal liability, l will ask you to come
here again and I will instruct you on
the legal points involved"
The chief Justice announced that
the list of cases would be called in
the Circuit Court room. Judge Mar
tin heard Common Pleas Court mo-
ltions, while Judge Osborne heard en-
IpIoyers' liability cases and miscella-
Ineous appeals.