The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1917-04-24
Court Affairs.


did not present the appearance of hav-
ing all his mental faculties, said he
It simply took the wheel and rode it to
= his home where it was found. He was
!. placed under the care of the probation
n officer, with instructions to pay the
costs.
3 James Gibbs was charged with steal
i ing old coins from the residence OF
a Laura Lennon, at Chatsworth. He
d pleaded guilty and the case was laid
' over for week.
I'll The suit of Ethel Gray against
f Emma c. Snyder, for compensation
e under the employers liability act, was
next taken up. This case is the out
come of the explosion at the Madison
hotel, in December, whereby Charles
Gray, bartender, lost his life.
:, The plaintiff had put in several
claims. One was that Charles Gray
was burned and suffocated on the 28th
, of December, last, by an explosion at
the Madison hotel. This was admit
ed by the defendant, with the excep-
ton of the suffocation.
Mrs. Snyder also refused to accede to
to the proposition that the alleged
death of Charles Gray occurred through
any act of omission or commission on
her part. She admitted that Gray was
in her employ on the 2Sth day of
December, and was getting 500 per
week. She also admitted that she had
not disputed the claim for compen-
sation, but did assert that she had
tried to reach an agreement with the
plaintiff, but the latter would not con-
sent to any settlement.
Ben Armstrong, the colored man
who was in the cellar when the explo-
sion occurred and who crawled out
through window, told of seeing Gray
at work in the barroom before the ex-
plosion. Armstrong went into the
cellar and aided in fixing the gas
machine which did not appear to be
working. He had reached certain
stage in that labor when there was
loud report and he did not know any
thing more about the affair until he
found himself thrown into far corner
of the cellar. Armstrong saw the gas
machine several days after the occur
renee. 1t was denied and broken, but
he could not say whether that resulted
from an explosion or from heavy tim
bers falling on it.
| Samuel X. Gaslxill, coroner, told OF
going to the hotel while it was on fire.
He saw two bodies taken from the |
ruins. He did not recognize either of |
the n as they were so charred that it |
WAS impossible to tell who they were. |
He found, on one body, a watch and
chain. These were identified as the |
property Of Charles Cray.
Ethel Gray, widow of Charles Gray,
said she had been married about nine |
years. Her husband was bartender
at the Madison hotel. On the morn
ing of the explosion he went to work
about five o'clock and was expected to
return to his home at eleven, as he did
not work the entire day. She never
saw him after he left the house in the
morning. A watch chain was given to
her by her sister who said she got it
from coroner Gaskill. Mrs. Gray said
it was her husbands.
Coroner Gaskill was recalled to iden-
tify watch that had been gwen to
him as one taken from one of the
bodys, and which was supposed to
have belonged to Mr.. Gray.
Wilbur Fisher testified to taking
watch from body and giving it to the
coroner. This watch was declared to
be the one that was worn by Gray.
John Branin was in the barroom at
the time of the explosion. He said he
knew all who were in the room at the
time and that after the place was
blown up the only man missing was
Gray. When the crash occurred the
witness was standing with his elbows
on the bar and Gray was back OF the
counter.
Joseph d. B. Coles, of Vincentown,
was called to identify the chain and
charm that were handed to thecoroner.
Mr.. Coles said he knew the articles as
he had presented them to Gray.
The defence did not offer any testi-
mony. The only thing on which the
case seemed to have any chance for de-
Tending was whether the death of GRAY
had been fully proven and whether he
was in the discharge of his duty when
killed.
Judge Lippincott reserved his de-
cision, saying he would go over the
testimony very carefully before decid-
ing. If he should give an opinion favor
able to Mrs. Gray she will be allowed
about $2,7O0.
Another damage suit was heard by
Judge Lippincott on Tuesday. Leo
Gilbert, of Riverside, sued Lewis Van
solver, OF Beverly, for injuries received
in motorcycle accident. Vansciver's
wagon, which was heavily loaded with
piling, broke down, and he said he put
red lights on it, but Gilbert produced |
witnesses to show that there was an
absence of any danger signals. A YER
dict of $500 was given to Gilbert.
Judge Lippincott has just fled an
interesting opinion in the case of Mar
garet HI. Dixon, against Clayton L.
Andrews, to recover compensation |
under the Employers Liability Act
for the death of her husband, John |
Dixon, who was employed by Andrews
and who was found dead while sitting |
on the seat of his wagon after return
ing from market early on the morning
Of August 10th last.
The opinion holds, among other |
things, that the death of Dixon was
caused by an accident arising out Of
and in the course of his employment,
and that his widow, the petitioner,
who has four small children, is entitled
to recover from Andrews compensa-
ton at the rate Of five dollars per week
for 300 weeks, and also the expenses of
her husbands burial amounting to
$500 together with costs.
On Friday George Foster and John
Lopez were brought into court to
answer to charges which had been pre-
ferred against them the previous week.
They had signed waivers of indictment
and pleaded not guilty Foster was
accused of stealing chickens at Moores-
| town. While there did not amman to