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Show JEROME IS FREE ID THE COURT MAKESAPOLQGY Country Lawyer and Justice of r'eace Succeed in Mixing Up Hearing for Greater Part of the Day. HISSES ARE HEARD IN THE COURTROOM Proposition Made to Montreal Judge to Allow New York Attorney to Speak at the Thaw Trial. COATICOOK, Que, Sept. 8. William Travers Jerome was acquitted tonight of tho charge of having gambled on Thurediiv last on the station property of the Grand Trunk railwa3' here, whilo waiting for the immigration authorities to pass on the case of Harry K. Thaw. In discharging him the court apologized for the humiliation to which ho had been subjected. The hearing before Magistrate Mul-vena Mul-vena of Sherbrookc lasted less than an hour. It began at 7:35 o'clock, and at S:20 o'clock the court said, "Sir, you arc honorably discharged." An attempt to hold an afternoon session ses-sion failed because the magistrate felt he had no authority to take precedence over James .McKce,-tho justice of the peace who signed the warrant for Mr. Jcojne's arrest. Tonight, however, tho magistrate said he was convinced of his authority to act. and the hearing moved with dispatch. Ruled Out of Court. Joseph Beaulne, a ('oaticook lawyer, who said he variously represented justice, jus-tice, the people and the criminal code, interrupted the afternoon session, but when he endeavored to renew similar tactics this evening ho was ruled out of court. When acquitted Mr. Jerome thanked the court, spoke flattoringly of his reception re-ception in Canada, and added that he did not attribute his arrest and briof imprisonment last week to tho thinking think-ing peoplo of the Dominion. TIo took a late train from Coaticocok tonight in order to be in New York Tuesday, and will return to Montreal for the arguments argu-ments on the latest Thaw habeas corpus writ to be held before the king's bench, Montreal. September 15. Townspeople packed tho courtroom when the hearing was opened tonight. Jeromo looked straight at the court and did not glance at the throng, which plainly was hostile. Prosecutor Opens Case. A. .'. Hanson, joint crown prosecutor, opened the enso with tho reading of tho complaint of Milford Aldrich, a mill-hand, mill-hand, who swore ho had seen tho defendant de-fendant playing enrds for money at tho railway station. Statutes were quoted to show that this was an indictable offense, punishable with a year's imprisonment. im-prisonment. Samuel Jacobs of Montreal, who hns been retained by New York state in its effort to return Thaw to Matteawan, contended that tho statute applied only to gambling on a public conveyance proper. The court took this question under advisement and called for witnesses. wit-nesses. Michaol Knight said ho had seen tho defendant playing "a littlo game- of draw" in the station yard. The defendant de-fendant had been pointed out to him as Jerome of New York. "Did vou see him win any money?" asked the joint prosecutor. "1 saw a bill chouged." answered the witness-. "I could not say who won it." Tho cross-examination conducted by Mr. Jacobs was very short. Why He Stopped. "Why did vou stop to watch the game? ' ' he tucked. ".Because it was in an automobile, and a man in front had a little type writer in his lap a-writing, and I was interested." This was a New York newspaper man writing his storj- under difficulties. Jonathan Chcsley. nearly SO years old and snow white of hair nnd board, was tho last witness. Ho related the now familiar details of the "little game of draw." and when asked if ho had seen Jetomc win money, said promptly, "Yes. sir." "How much?" "Can't say," said tho aged witness. wit-ness. He was not crow-examined. Summing up, the prosecution pointed out that a Dominion law had beon en acted to protect the public from card sharps on trains, atcainships and other public conveyances and that, according to tho evidence. William Travers Jerome, Je-rome, late district attorney of Now (Continued on Pago Ten.) JEROME FREED ID C01T flPOLOEIZES (Continued from Page One.) York, had violated this law. Though vague, he continued, the statute undoubtedly un-doubtedly appliod to railroad yards and stations, and he asked for a conviction. convic-tion. Mr. Jacobs did not oven sum for the defonso. "To save the court's time," he said, "we will mako no statement. " Judgment of Court. Magistrate Muvena said: "Tn rondering judgment I shall be very brief. I believe every right-minded- inan in Canada regrets and fools humiliation at the indignity which hus been placed upon you. T.t is excusable neither in law nor in fact. Tho evidence evi-dence adduced at this hearing gives no reasons for tho charge which was laid against you nor for the indignities which you have suffered. "I boliove sir, in all the circumstances circum-stances you will not attributo the apparent ap-parent offense offerod you while in a friendly country in the disehargo of your duty as a public officer to the real thinking people of this community. You are, sir, nonorably discharged." "You may feel assured, your lordship," lord-ship," Jorome said, "that I understand under-stand thoroughly tho circumstances of this case. Since' T have been in Canada T have been received with uniform courtesy by the thinking people. I am sure those who havo boon intemperate have been misled, by ignorance of. tho facts rather than by malice." Cheers, Hisses, Catcalls. Thoro was a subduod outburst of cheering when .Jerome sat clown, but the cheers were drowned by hiBses and catcalls. Mr. Joromo immediately bought a ticket for Island Pond, Vt., where ho will pick up his automobile and motor to New York. Harry- Thaw, in the detention room over the railway station, heard the news of his old opponent's acquittal almost immediately. "That's good," he said. "It saves mo $250," Tliis remark referrod to the fact that Thaw had offered to make good any losses sustained by Andre Eosseau, a local hotel keeper, and ono of the two sureties on Jerome's .$500 bond. It had not been decidod tonight when Thaw would bo removed to Montreal. A country lawyer, Joseph Beaulne by name, and an eighty-year-old justice o"f the peacce, James McKee, so mixed up the hearing in tho case against William Travers Jerome this afternoon that District Dis-trict Magistrate Henry Mulvena, who had como here from Sherbrooke by automobile, twenty-three miles, for the purpose, refused to preside, and adjournment ad-journment was taken until tonight. Hisses in Courtroom. For forty-five minutes counsel wrangled and hurled suggestions of crooked work. Jerome smiled, the crowd in the courtroom alternately- stamped and hissed, and Magistrate Mulvena declared de-clared he had been brought here under false pretenses. Jerome, charged with playing poker with some newspaper nion near tho railroad rail-road station last Thursday, had come to Coaticook from Montreal on an understanding under-standing that his case, set for hearing on Thursday, September 11, had been advanced to toda3yand that the justice of t.be peace, McKee. who signed the original complaint, had. agreed that Magistrate Mulvena should preside. Accompanying Ac-companying Jerome was Samuel Jacobs, one of the most eminent lawyers of the Dominion, who had been retained by the state of New York in tho Thaw case. When the crowd jammed its way into tho little courtroom about 4:30 o'clock neither side was able to produce any formal statement lTom Justice MeKee that he had authorized Magistrate Mulvena to sit, the complainant, com-plainant, Mil ford Aldneh, the mill-hand, mill-hand, could not be found, and John Andrews, the constable who arrested Jerome, was missing. Complications Arise. Complications arose as soon as Magistrate Mulvena asked whether Jus-tico Jus-tico McKee had finally authorized the magistrate to preside. "No, not formally," said A. C. Hanson, Han-son, joint prosecutor. "Last night he said he would; today he said he would not." Here Beaulne rose. "This case cannot proceed," he said emphatically. "I represent the complainant, Aldrich, and he is not horo. T also represent justice and the criminal code." Attorney Jacobs, for Jerome, urged that the trial should proceed, and demanded de-manded that the missing constable and complainant be held in contempt of court. "That cannot be done," replied Magistrate Mulvena, "for tie court is not sitting." As Beaulne and Hanson could not agree as to who was in charge of the prosecution, the magistrate adjourned the hearing until 7 o'clock, urging' the lawyers to settle their differences in the meantime. |