Mistaken Identity in Jury Bribery Case
A juror accuses a prominent businessman of bribery, only to realize he had been talking to the man's former partner all along.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
A new phase was put on the jury bribery case yesterday by the discovery that George M. Gates, not J. S. Edwards, was the man who approached juror F. J. Wilder. It appeared that juror Wilder had made a mistake. Gates had been a former partner of J. S. Edwards, and Wilder identified Gates as the man who approached him with a business card reading 'Edwards & Co.' Wilder had always supposed that J. S. Edwards’ name was J. W. Edwards and that the man he spoke with was the second partner of the firm. George M. Gates, a bookkeeper at Considine’s theater, surrendered himself to the sheriff after a warrant was issued and was released on $500 bond. The trial of Eugene Way, the man accused of benefiting from the alleged bribe, was continued until Saturday to allow for further investigation into the whereabouts of the actual J. S. Edwards.
“His mistake is the more easily explained from the fact that he says that Gates called upon him and presented a card bearing the name of Edwards & Co.”
Accusations of corruption in legal proceedings often hinge on complex personal relationships, and this case highlights the fallibility of witness testimony even in high-stakes civic matters.
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