The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1923-01-25
Monmouth County Courts

ldent, John Enright, vice president anc
Miss Eta Donahay secretary. Mrs
Meyers was reappointed librarian. and
John Griffin janitor.
| Louis Del rasso and Cardino, arraign.
ed before Judge Lawrence for trial
Friday on an indictment charging them
with maintaining a disorderly house at
I1105 Spring wood avenue. retraeted
pleas OF not guilty and entered pleas
Of non vult Judge Lawrence
sentenced DelGrasso to pay q fine of
$3.50 and costs, imposed six months
couny jail sentence and suspended this
portion of the sentence pending his
good behavior and directed Prosecutor
Sexton to report DelGrasso to the
department of labor and make appli
cation for his deportation to I'alv.
Cardino was fined 800 and costs and
paroled in custody of Probation Officer
Houghton for three years and directed
to pay the fine and costs In instalIments
OF $25 per month.
DelGrasso and Cardino have
had an erratic career with this case in
the court. When arraigned first for
ial on Nov 80 their counsel J. Mer-
Ger Davis of Camden. was not present
in court and, when Prosecutor Sexton
announced that he had 90 state
witnesses in court, Judge Lawrence
assigned two Freehold lawyers Harold
McDerlnott and Max Finegold to defend
them and ordered the trial to proceed.
After brief conference with these
lawyers DelGrasso and Cardino
retracted their former pleas Of not
guilty and entered peas Of non vult
and they were held in bail for sentence
Dec.15 On that date Judge Lawrence
sent both men to jail to await sentence
and threatened to bring deportation
proceedings against DelGrasso. In Jail
the meu rallied at their assigned counsel
and finally the Freehold lawyers went
before Judge Lawrence and succeeded
in inducing him to permit the men to
reenter pleas of not guilty and await
trial. stating they had pleaded guilty
on the theory that their punishment
would be nothing greater than fine.
When they appeared for trial Thursday
their o riginally employed counsel. MIR.
Davis. was in court and they again
retracted and pleaded non vult.
DelGrsso is known as bad man
on the west side, Asbury Park. The
house conducted by the two men was
known as rendezvous Of the worse
element in the city and following a raid
upon the place by the city police
several revolvers and stiletos we're
found upon the floor where they had
been dropped by inmates to escape
arrest.
James DelGrasso. brother of Louis.
was tried before Judge Lawrence and
convicted of atrocious assault upon
Willard Curley at Asbury Park on
October 20. Mr.. Curley's wife. Ida, was
a member of party Of which DelGrasso
was one, it was testified. who were
enroute to pig roast at Wayside on
the day il question. Mr.. Curley, with
Mr.. and Mrs. George Bennett, were
In an automobile which overlook the
DelGrasso car and DelGrasso, thinking
that Mr.. Curley was following him
because he was with Curley's wife,
stopped his car, drew revolver from
his pocket and threatened Curley with
it. The jury was out from 8 until 81
o'clock before agreeing upon q verdict,
which included recommendation OF
mercy to the court.
STRAUSS JURY DIsAGRERs
Another jury that sat in the trial Of
May Strauss. charged in an Indictment
with maintaining disorderly house
at 80 South Main street, Neptune
township, failed to reach an agreement
upon a verdict after being out four
hours and they were discharged at 40
that night. Assistant Prosecutor Quinn
stated in his opening address that he
would show that last August Miss
Strauss pleaded guilty before Justice
Dodd to keeping q disorderly house
and paid fine of 800. Justice Dodd,
when called as a witness, however,
would testify only that the woman had
pleaded guilty of violation of section
six of the township ordinances and was
not clear as to whether the complaint
included acts prostitution Miss Strauss,
who was represented by A. j. G. Stokes
and Ward Krener, maintained that the
disorder complained of was playing the
victrola and singing In her restaurants.
Officer Ira Boyce testified that when
he accompanied Chief of Police Benny
White on a raid upon Miss Stauss'
apartments on August s they found
five or six men there. Olive Hesterford
| of Newark, testified that she spent
spent several weeks in Miss Struass'
departments and that the latter profited
by her relations with men there Miss
Hesterford admitted that she was
recently convicted of prostitution and
was awaiting sentence. Two other
young women, May Smith Of Bird
geport, Conn, and Ida Norcross Curley
were called as state witnesses, but both
denied any wrong doing at Miss Strauss
departments. Stewart j. Rogers said
that he leased the apartment over his
livery to Miss Strauss and. tho he was
about the premises every day, he had
seen no evidence OF wrong doing. Like
testimony was given by Winner Dixie,
a colored cook, and Walter Minor and
William Hayward. painters who worked
there, as well rs William Newhouser,
who said he visited the apartments
| frequently IN connection with an
automobile deal he made with
Miss Strauss.
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