Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1921-09-23

times engaged Warren c. Holmes to
carry freeholders in his auto over the
county, such bills exhibited amount
ing to about $500, at the same time
charging the county mileage. This,
Mr.. Newcorn charged, was unlawful.
There is no law which permits mem
bers of the board to charge SIS to
come from wildwood to attend a
meeting, nor to charge $35 for a day
of Notification in Atlantic City," said
Mr.. Newcorn. Warren G. Holmes, OF
Wildwood, was called as a witness
and testified to being employed by the
F~reeholders to carry them over the
county. Samuel j. Miller, station
agent at the Pennsy station at Court
House, was called to show the rate of
fare between Wildwood and Court
House. Henry S. Rutherford, of Cape
May, testified to being a member of
the Board of Freeholders for fifteen
or more years. He admitted that bills
were not read in full before the board.
Another witness called was James
Eustace, of Sea Isle City, who testi-
fed that he relied on the bill COM
mittee in voting on bills before the
Board of Freeholders. Hope Candy,
one of the defendants, was called to
the witness stand. Was a member of
the Board of Freeholders for twelve
years. When asked about the auto
mobile bills he answered that he
o,,1cfi0nad a hill nrnCoDtnH hu q fol-
low member of the board, and did not
know that mileage was being charged
for on the automobile trips. Mr..
Candy testified also that in his baili-
wick he used his bicycle to inspect
roads, for which no charge was made.
A number of character witnesses were
called by the defense. The first was
former County Clerk E. L. Rice, cash
Ter of the First National Bank of
Tuckahoe, who testified that he had
known Mr.. Candy for 25 years and that
his reputation was good. Justice of
the Peace James L. Shoemaker also
testified to the same effect. Capt.
Aaron Willetts, a salesman for nine
years, knew Candy all his life and his
reputation was good. Enoch Madara,
lived at Palermo, eight miles from
Tuckahoe, and Samuel Langley, a
Tuckahoe undertaken, testified to the
same effect. A number~of character
witnesses were then called for Mr..
Koeneke, including Joseph B. Brown,
Fred Himmelein, Lewellyn Hildreth.
Hon. Lewis T. Stevens, Mayor Court
right Smith, Miss Lillian Garsed, Mark
B. Reeves, City Treasurer Robert j.
Kay, Chief of Police Albert Thompson,
of North Wildwood, Otto Martinez, and
Treen. All testified to the good
reputation of Mr.. Koeneke. The law
yers then summed up the case, Mr..
McCarter for the defense, and Mr..
Newcorn for the state. They finished
about four o'clock Monday afternoon
and the case went to the jury. After
being out about two hours the jury
returned a verdict of not guilty.
The case was e~nlivened by numer-
Gus tits between counsel during the
progress of the trial. AS one writer
has said, Jersey justice moved
swiftly and invisiblly in getting Mon
days case before the jury. Judge
Black conferred from time to time
with Judge Eldredge, swept aside a
motion to quash the indictments, re-
fused a request by counsel for the de-
Tense for permission to interrogate
prospective jurors as to their bias and
gave prompt decision upon all motions
to exclude testimony. Here was a case
in which thirty-nine defendants, in
Guiding the most skillful politicians
in all parts of the county were to be
tried by men and women, many of
whom were their friends and neigh
bors. In fact two members of the jury
who were actually called to the jury
box and then promptly challenged by
the state, later appearing as character
witnesses for Hope w. Candy, one of
the defendants. Fred cambridge, who
was accepted by both sides as a juror,
is a so~n-in-law of Henry Clay, former
director of public safety, of Philadel-
phia. He lives in Clay's home at
DccSlOy 3 IOluJ.
Greater Graft Charges Loom
Back of this apparently slight case,
however, loom greater charges, involv-
ing the integrity of the actions of
the Board of Freeholders for years
past. Graft in connection with the
building of roads, graft and bribery in
all n of contracts in which free
holders and contractors split approx
mately half a million dollars are
charged in cases yet to be tried. Coun-
sci for the state asserted Monday night
there will be no let-up because Of the
acquittal.
Il chose the cas- presented today"
said Assistant Attorney General New
corn, "as the thin edge of the states