Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-01-09
Disagreement After 6 IL Hours
With Decision Late
Last Night
SEVEN TO FIVE FOR CONVICTION
Prosecutor Says Priest Will
Be Brought to Trial
Again
ON THE SAME INDICTMENT
Decision of Jury Was no Sur
prise to Those Following
Case
ON THE SAME INDICTMENT

NEW BRUNSWICK, Jan. 9:-After
being out for six and a half hours the
Jury in the case of the state versus the
Rev. Francis Gross Perth Amboy,
charging him with melting the con-
gregation of his church to do bodily
injury to Louis Csipo. a Hungarian
steamship agent and banker of that
city, disagreed and so reported in the
county court here at 11:15 o'clock
last night. The jury was discharged
Immediately.
Prosecutor Joseph E. Stricken said
this morning that the state will again
bring the priest to trial on the same
Indictment. He indicated that other
Indictments resting against Father
Gross would also be tried but did not
say which would be taken up first.
Upon resumption of the case after
the noon recess yesterday Annie
Bkranko and Geza Petrovics were
called to the stand by the defense
Mrs Bkranko was shot in the ear dur
Ing the riot. Both the witnesses tes-
titled along lines similar to other
witnesses for the defense as to the oc-
currences on November 1. At 2:37
o'clock the defense rested its case.
Calls Prosecutor.
Assistant Prosecutor John A. Coan
called PROSECUTOR Joseph e. Stricken
to the stand for an examination as
10 statements Hldu6 #Dy dlHtT bioSs
in relation to visits paid to the pros
ecutor's private office in Perth Am
boy. He refuted the testimony of the
priest as to the visits and conver-
sation the priest claimed he had
had with the prosecutor.
In summing up for the defense Mr.
Brown become vehement in his de-
nunciation of Csipo, going TO the ex-
tent of calling him vile murderer.
This was objected to by Mr. Coan and
Judge Dalv ruled the remark out. Mr..
Brown became vehement in his de-
client in the deliberations of the jury,
cl religious and patriotic grounds and
asked the jury to consider the case
only on lines of the evidence pro-
duced.
Mr.. Brown said the entire case was
an issue between Csipo and Gross and
that the former had prepared. appar-
emily, almost the entire case for the
state.
In his summing up Mr.. Coan also
pleaded for fairness for the priest and
said that he believed from the evil
dence produced the jury could do
nothing other than find Father Gross
guilty.
In his charge to the jury, Judge
DAILY went into an explanation of the
reasonable doubt issue and ex-
planned that the indictment against
the priest did not charge him with
melting to riot, but with melting his
congregation to do bodily injury TO
Csipo. He explained that the Ian
suage used in the church by the
isriest was the main consideration of
g fury; whether 1t did not mean to
.,ae auditors an Indictment to inture
,sipo and also, he emphasized. they
'Sere to consider what Father Gross
intended the meaning of his sermon
and its effect on his hearers to be.
wretched Feeling
Apparently there was very
wretched feeling between the defend
ent, Csipo and this Reichman fellow,
said Judge Daily. "Reichman took
things most sacred to millions of
Christians and desecrated them in the
most horrible fashion. I am empha-
sizing that point because I have a
horror for that kind OF writing. But
no matter how horrible IL was 1t
would not justify this defendent in
fnciting others to do bodily injury to
Csipo because he had placed these
articles In the window Of his place of
business"
Decision No Surprise.
The decision of the jury was by no
means a surprise to those who have
followed the case from its beginning
on Monday morning. When the case
was put in the hands of the jury al
z:45 o'clock yesterday. the feeling was
general around the court room that
the fury would either disagree or
bring in verdict OF guilty. IL had
continued from Monday morning I'M
III Yesterday afternoon and when the
defense made Il known that instead of
(C0nffnnad on mage 3l