Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 132, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 November 1903 — The Circuit Court. [ARTICLE]

The Circuit Court.

John G. Moritz, a saloon keeper, of Kersey was tried by a jury and found guilty of selling liquor to a minor. The penalty was a fine of S2O and costs. -- E. E. Preble, of Rensselaer plead guilty to allowing minors in his pool room and was fined $5 and costs. The jury was dismissed Wednesday night uiitil next Monday morning. John G. Moritz, the Kersey saloon keeper, plead guilty to another indictment for selling to minors. The four others still pending against him were dismissed.

Ezra Switzer, from some miles north, had his trial Tuesday afternoon, on the charge of malicious destruction of property. Ezra J drove over some private cement , Walk belonging to Hiram Day, ' some time ago, while hanling cord j wood, and broke several sections ! He was first tried in Squire Troxell’s court, and found guilty* In the circuit court he showed that he had no intention nor expectation of breaking the walk when he drove over it, and the jury found ' him not guilty. Another case pending against E. E. Preble, of Rensselaer, for allowing minors to play pool was dismissed. The grand jury in September found four indictments against him, and he has been fined on three of them The two somewhat celebrated cases of Penry and William N. Hochbaum against B. J. Gifford were dismissed. The plaintiffs are young boys, sons of Wm. Hoch baum, alias “Mushrat Bill” and the suit was brought by him as their next friend The law in such cases requires that the ’“next friend” file an undertaking to pay costs, if defeated, and this not having been done, and after due notice given, the cases were dismissed. The two boys were alleged to have been badly hurt by the explosion of some dynamite left by Giffords employes in an out-house on premises occupied by Mr. Hochbaum. Another suit in which William himself is plaintiff, for expanse alleged to have been incurred in carring for the injured boys, is still pending. Something unusual is the receipt of a case from Carroll County, on change of venue. It being the first case sent here from that county in anyone’s recollection. This case is not of much interest Mary B. Calvert sues Fred Thomas for S2OO damages. She alleges that she contracted to sell him land worth $3,000, and that there was an agreement that if either part flunked on the deal he should pay the other S2OO in liquidating damages. She says Fred flunked and she wants the S2OO.