Indictment in the Beeber murder, 1907
From the New Jersey Mirror 22 May 1907 Eleven true bills of indictment were presented to Justice Hendrickson on Monday afternoon as a result of the special session of the grand jury held on that day, principally to hear evidence against those in any way connected with the affray that resulted in the death of David Beebe at Chairville on April 27. At the opening of the session of court in the morning Justice Hendrickson charged the grand jury relative to the points of law applicable in the Beebe case and at that time stated that as Beebe's death occurred during what is known in law as mutual combat the charge to be preferred against the principals could not be more serious than manslaughter. Murder could be the charge only after it had been found by the evidence that one or more of the combatants had prepared for the affray and then taken advantage of an opportunity to kill. It was urged upon the grand jury to indict all those in any way connected with any preliminary fights durin...