New Britain herald., 1925-01-21
JERSEY RUM CASE
 GOING ID JURY
Speedy Action Is Taken in
 Liquor Scandal

Jersey City, N. J., Jan. 21.--Thc case of ten Weehawken policemen and two civilians accused of whole sale bootlegging, will go to the jury late this afternoon, another example of the rapldity of famous Jersey Justice"
 The trial began Monday and testi- mony was concluded this morning.
 Senator Edward I. Edwards, New Jerseys former governor, accused by three prohibition witnesses yesterday of being the chief packer of the con- spirators, did not come here to deny the accusation. Defense counsel an- nounced with the opening of today's session that the senator would not appear.
 George aCutley. chief counsel for the defense, argued to the jury that the implication of Senator Edwards in the case was the fruit of d frame up" of which Samuel Wilson, assist ant superintendent of the anti-saloon league of New Jersey, was the au- thor. Wilson was in the crowded court room. Cutley pointed a finger at him.
 There's the man." he told the jury. "who is the author of this frame-up. He started out to get Senator Edwards q year ago, and here's the sorry result"
 There was only ono witness today, and his admissions on the stand pro- vided the foundation for Cutley's at- tack of the prosecuiion's case. This was Lionel Wilson, the first of the trio of dry agents who yesterday told story of having given $3,S0O to Senator Edwards, to be held in es- crow for later payment to William F. Griffin, alleged master mind" of the conspiracy and one of the de- fendants, after Griffin had delivered 100 cases of Scotch whiskey to the pseudo bootIeggers.
 Wilson, recalled for re-cross-e ex- animation, admitted to Cutley that in July, 1913, he had been convicted of petty larceny in New York court and later had been dismissed from the employ of the New York Tele- phone company for having rifed coin boxes.
 T don't think that a man who steals standardization a tele- phone box should be allowed to come into court and attack the repu- tation of United States senator" Cutley said.
 He declared chat the prosocutions case rested chiefly on the testimony of the Rev. George Bennett, priest who exploded the rum conspiracy bomb shell last fall. He laid great stress on the priests failure to iden- tity Griffin in the court room. He also attacked the testimony of each of the other prosecution witnesses, particularly that of Charles Kirk, one of the men who assisted Father Bennett in running down the alleged conspiracy. Kirk, he said, had a grudge against Police Commissioner Stearns of Weehawken, one of the defendants, by whom he was defeat- cd in an election for the police commlssionership fifteen months ago.
 George T. Nickers, special prose- cutor, summed up for the prosecu- ton.
 After speaking almost two hours, in which he made but slight refer ence to Senator Edwards, Special Prosecutor Vickers rested and court was adjourned to 2 o'clock, when the judge will charge the jury.
 Vickers based his summation. in the main, on the testimony of Father Bennett, declaring that the jury must either decide that the priest lied on the stand or that the three policemen-defendants who testified perjured themselves. He said he hoped the ventriloquism of vice would not permeate the jury room
 Father Bennett and the other prosecution witnesses gave all the evidence necessary if you want to convict" he said. If you don't want to convict no amount of evid- ence and the speeches of all the lawyers in the world couldn't make