Milford chronicle., 1955-02-25
Sussex Co. Court News

9DABoA NtAoSls OF bIIQBeVlile,
RDi, was sentenced to pay fine
Of s20OOO and costs and to serve
80 days in Sussex County Prison,
after a jury had returned a YER
dict Of guilty against him. Nilsen
had appealed the decision of Magf-
strate William p Short, Of Bridge
vile, who had found him guilty Of
the charge Of operating a car while
under the influence of intoxicating
liquor The Offense occurred on
Sept 30, 1854. approximately nine
tenths Of a mile from Bridgeville
on u. s. Route No 13. The appeal
brought the case into Superior
Court and was tried before Judge
Charles S. Richards
Nilsen has had two previous
convictions on similar charges, the
first one on june 30, 1949 and the
second on Sept. % the same year.
Deputy Attorney Ralph S. Baker
prosecuted the case yesterday and
Nilsen was defended by former
u. S. Senator James M. Tunnell, Sr.
Carroll S. Milliken, appealed a
decision Of Magistrate Alton Know
les, in Laurel, who had fined Mill
ken $4,000 and costs for the drum
ken driving charge, the ofense hav-
ing occurred Jan. II this year. The
appeal was dismissed and records
remanded to the Magistrates Office
and Milliken will also have to pay
the original fine and costs i'm
posed.
Alvin Curtis Hood of Millsboro
was sentenced to life Imprisonment
by Judge Charles S. Richards, in
Superior Court last Thursday after
noon for the murder of Cullen
Pope, in MillsbOro, September 12,
1854 Hood was indicted for first
degree murder in the 1854 October
Term of Court. In Court last
Thursday, he pleaded mot guilty of
murder in first degree but guilty of
murder ii. second degree" Deputy
Attorney General Baker, told the
Court that according to witnesses,
Hood and Pope had an argument
over a SOC pot in dice game. The
argument led to name calling and
witnesses stated that Pope threw
something. which they believed to
be a stick Of wood, at Hood, who
caught the missile in his hands.
Both men left the dice game, but
Pope returned and began playing
again. Shortly afterward. accord
ing to witnesses Hood returned and
opened fire on Pope, using an shot
% target pistol He fired all 8
bullets, five Of which struck Pope
who died Of the wounds. James NJ
Tunnell Sr., was the Court ap-
pointed attorney for Hood.
William Talbert Matthews, Of
Seaford was sentenced by Judge
Richards to serve is years in Sus-
sex Prison. Matthews was indicted
in the June Term of Court 1854, fer
first degree murder in connection
with the death Of Ulysses Pugh, on
April 30, the same year. He was
tried on the first degree murder
charge in the October Term of
Court last year and jury re-
turned a verdict of guilty of man
slaughter. The trial lasted two
days and was heard by President
Judge Charles S. Richards and
Associate Judges James B. Carey
and Daniel L. Hermann.
The first degree murder charge
was the outgroWth of the death
Of Pugh following being shot with
- gauge shotgun, following an
argument over $1.O0 which Mat
thews claimed Pugh owed him from
a dice game in which the two men
had been engaged. The shooting
took place in what is commonly
called "BlOOdfield" in SeafOrd and
Pugh, who was shot while standing
along side his truck, got in an
drove off going only a short dis
tance when the car struck the side
Of house. Pugh was pronounced
dead at the scene by DR.. Bruce
Barnes of Seaford. Sentence had
been deferred since last October
to permit a pre-sentence investi-
cation.
Bessie Jane Harmon, 20 years old
Of Milton, was arraigned before
Judge Marion B. Stevenson, in
Juvenile Court, here, on Monday,
Of this week charged with desertiOn
and neglect of her six months old
daughter, Besselline Marie Tunnel.
She entered a plea of guilty to the
charge and Judge Stevenson SEN
fenced her to serve one year in
Sussex County Prison and pay a
fine of $2000O In default of the
fne an additional 80 days was
added to the sentence.
The Harmon woman was charged
with leaving the 6 months old in
fant on bench. out in the open,
IN Milton, on December 80. The in
fant was there about six hours be-
fore being discovered and picked
up by police. After treatment the
child was turned over to the State
Department of Welfare and is now
in foster care. The woman left the
child and then departed with
friends. Her only excuse was that
her man had left her and she
thought the baby would be better
dead than to starYe to death"
There are 4.5O0 full time entomol-
oglsts in the United States.