The Penn's Grove record., 1921-04-22
Salem County Courts
Convened ON Tuesday
Judge Ware Takes His Seat.
Many Cases To Be Heard

The spring term of the Salem
County Courts began on tuesday with
d large crowd in attendance.
Henry Burt Ware, the newly ap-
pointed Judge OF the Common Pleas
court, made his FIRST appearance on
the bench. Supreme court Justice
Charles I. Black and Circuit Court
Judge Ralph ". Z. Donges were also
In attendance.
There are forty-siX cases on the
trial lists and the term Will be a long
and important
The Grand Jury began their duties
at once and by 80 in the evening had
Investigated thirty cases and made a
preSentment to Judge Ware.
A number OF the defendants were
brought before Judge Ware immedi-
ately after the Grand Jurys present
ment on Tuesday night ana their
pleas were taken as follows:
Lewis Fright, colored, larceny,
guilty.
James Brown, assault and battery
and atrocious assault and battery, not
guilty.
Lonnie Brown, larceny, not guilty.
VIM. Starting, larceny, not guilty.
Albert Grey, carnal abuse, not guilty.
George Dehaven, disorderly house,
not guilty.
Emo Swarb, illegal sale of liquor,
not guilty. There were eight counts
in the indictment against Swarb.
Richard Garrett, Penns Grove, lille
gal sale of liquor, not guilty. There
were five counts in this indictment.
Timothy Gibbons, illegal sale OF
liquor, not guilty. There were eve
counts in this Indictment.
No bill was found against Nellie
DENLY, the colored woman who shot
John Moody, at Penns Grove, on
March 9th, which resulted in his
death. Moody was threatening the life
of his wife and Mrs. DENLY was at
tempting to protect her when Moody
turned on her. Mrs. DENLY to save
her own life shot Moody.
Judge Black named Mrs. Isabel q.
Chew, wife of William H. Chew, of the
Standard and Jerseyman, as foreman
OF the Grand Jury. She is the first
woman who has ever served in this
capacity in New Jersey.
Judge Blacks charge to the Grand
Jury was brief. He congratulated
Salem County in having such lnteIl-
gent representative men and women
to serve as jurors. He referred to n
case of alleged murder which would be
considered. He understood the Prose
cutor has evidence that the act was IN
self defense. According to our law,
declared by the highest courts OF the
State to be constitutional, a person has
a right to protect himself to the X
tent to take the life of an adversary,
if it is reasonably necessary to pre-
serve his W life and guard against
bodily injury.
C~onstables Van Meter, Peacock,
Harbeson and Stackhouse we're ap-
pointed to attend the Grand Jurors.
On Wednesday morning Herman
Shorts pleaded not guilty to an IN
dictment for manslaughter and the
case will be heard next Wednesday.
Although a preliminary call OF the
list of cases was made by Judge Ware
on Friday. it was repeated by Judge
Donges but no changes were an
nounced.
The first case was that of Franklin
w. Crispin, administrator of Wallace
Crispin, deceased, VS.. The Electric
Company of New Jersey. The plain
tiff was represented by James Mercer
Davis and the defendant by former
Judge Lewis Starr, of Gloucester
County. and Judge William A. Logue,
of Cumberland County.
On October 18th, 1919, Wallace
Crispin, fourteen years old, son OF
Franklin w. Crispin, was instantly
killed bv a live wire while at work on
his fathers farm, a short distance
from Woodstown, and the suit was
brought to recover damages. The
iurv rendered a verdict for $2375 in
favor of the plaintiff.
On Wednesday morning the case OF
George Van Skite against the Salem
and Penns Grove Traction Company
was heard. Van Skite sought damages
for injuries sustained by being struck
by a car at Carneys Point: he hao
been riding in a side a OF a motor-
cycle and when rain began to fall ne
decided to take a trolley o his nome
in Penns Grove. That as he was walk
ing across the tracks to get a regular
station platform the a came along
at such a speed that it could not be
stopped and struck him.. The result
was hat he was injured in the hip
and shoulder and also in his back.
The Company claimed it was van
Sixties own fault that he got hit, for
he thought he would take a chance IN
irving to get across the tracks ah"ad
of the car. 1t was disputed that he
trolley was being operated at such a
speed that it could not be stopped but
otherwise because of the great num-
Der of people walking on the macadam
road in Carneys Point the motorman
was running slow and at the time OF
the accident was sounding the bell and
the whistle.