Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1921-11-25
F~reeholderS Plead
Guilty and Fines
1850 OOImposed
Jail Sentences of Rice and Mac
Kissic Are Revoked by Coun-
ty Judge H. H. Eldredge

~ JudkC Ii LIZ GAdlC 0SC
Ten Freeholders and an engineer
suddenly halted the Cape May County
graft trials Monday by changing orig
inal pleas of innocence to formal ac-
acknowledgements of guilt. Upon the re-
quest of the prosecuting attorneys no
Jail sentences were imposed. In the
cases of the two defendants. convicted
at a previous trial, joil sentences i'm
posed were RENTED. Judge Henry H.
Eldredge, after accepting the pleas
of guilty imposed fines ranging from
$500 to S 1000. The names of the de-
PENDANTS and the mount of the fine
imposed upon each, follow:
Charles E. Foster, of South Seaville,
5000.
Augustus Hilton, formerly Mayor of
Anglesea, $500.
Theodore E. De Bow, of Sea Isle
City, $500.
John R. Groves, of Ocean City, $500.
John P. Fox, of Dean City, $1,000.
Otto Koeneke, of Wildwood, $1,000.
Joseph P, MacKissic, of Lower
Township, $1,000.
L. M. Rice, of North Wildwood,
county engineer, 81, 200.
Hope ". Candy, of Tuckahoe,
against whom thirty-nine indictments
were returned, 1000.
John w. Young, of North Wildwood,
$500.
Joseph Camp, of Middle Township,
SEQ.
Jail Sentences RENTED
OF the Freeholders, MacKissic and
Camp were convicted at a previous
trial on other indictments. L. M. Rice
the engineer, also was convicted with
them. Rice and MacKissic on their
conviction were sentenced to Jail SEN
fences of from one to three years an6
fines of $1,000 were imposed upor
them. The Jail sentences were re.
mitted. Camp, who was sentenced tt
pay $1,000 fine when convicted, was
ordered to pay $500, but making his
total fine $3.50.
When the Freeholders entered plea!
| of guilty they automatically were leg
| islated out of office. Cape May County
now has but four Freeholders, IrviI
> Eldredge, of Cape May City; William
; S. Shaw, of Cape May City; William H
Stein, of Wildwood, and P. L. Peterson
l of North Wildwood.
Big Crowd Attends Trial
The county officials were about to g
on trial on one of 81 indictments
which charged them with malfeasanc,
in Office. 1t had been rumored sine,
the last trial, when three convictions
were obtained that the defendants
would ask the privilege of changing
their pleas. That rumor brought 6
large crowd to the historic court.
house. The old building bearing more
of the architectural appearance of {
country church than a court, was
crowded to the doors. After the early
arrivals filled the benches-which re,
semble pews-the stragglers packed
the aisles and the steps and hundreds
stood in the street and in the square
If the crowd was seeking the thrill,
of realistic drama it's expectation was
gratified for it was a tense moment
when the defendants, for years known
as the most prominent citizens of the
county, presented themselves at the
bar of the court. For one of them
John w. Young, of North Wildwood, il
was a tragic climax. This was Mr.
Young's first appearance in the court
since the graft trial started. He is an
old man, weakened by illness. He en-
tered the courtroom escorted by his
aged wife and it was necessary for
court officers to aid him when he was
summoned before the bar.
Judge Makes Statement
When the Court pronounced sen
tence upon each defendant, Judge Ed
redge, reading a prepared statement
said:
"The purpose of the original investi-
cation and the primary object of the
prosecutions have been to protect pub
lie interest, not to punish individuals
1t is the opinion of the Court that
public interest is far better served by
the acceptance of pleas rather than
the continuance of prosecution. By
the acceptance of pleas the State has
accomplished the following purposes:
1T has broken up the system aimed
at, it has removed the defendants from
office, it has discharged itself of the
necessity for additional trials and ii
has collected in fines a large portion
of the expenses of the investigation
and has saved the county thousands OF
dollars.
"The acceptance of pleas does not
deprive the county of its rights of civil
action against the indicted contractors
to recove from them funds alleged tG
have been unlawfully obtained. On
the other hand, the State has lost