The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1847-11-18
THE VOICE.
3 r Q
CAS- E.
THURSDAY, N%oyEMBER 18, 1a47.

nREpGE E.
Tho following statolnont Of q Reference had i
this village on Wednesday Of last week was furnish
ed ut our request, and wo hope it will lead som.
town authorities who read the points Of testimony
aud the verdict, to cause an examination Of sucl
bridges in their towns as arc not perfectly safe, SC
that danger and expense may be avoided. Poul
hundred dollar, Lcsiles Tho costs at:2llIus, consti-
tutcs rather t high price for a bridge ii the dimcn-
sioas described in THIS report; and this, as appears
from tho testimony Of the Afe,t{mt, comes through
inattcntion to putting it in suitable repair at the
proper time. We hope those having charge Of high
wayO and bridges vii! soc tina: they arc in safe con-
dition MS to ratings and nj necessary guards against
danger to those exercising proper care in travelling.
REFERENCE.
.MjAQ1 e. Barber a suit Mt Law In favor Of NIL
w. TON &. BARBEH q: IlubLariton
7;era Of p:Asford against the TowN or pI1rs-
roHp, which Was entered in the County Court Of
this County =. its last April Term, sad was referred
ty y rule of said court at its last September Term,
to the determination Of the IIov. SAMUEL SWIFT
and Hon. S. H.. JENHisoN, was heard and tried by
Inc above Ii AIMED referees at BI1Cus & W1L!IANs'
ofico in this village, OIL "Wednesday, the 10Th inst.
Messra, BRIG0s s. WILLIAMS attending rs n.tor~
neys for the ri: and joins &. NEWELL and Hon.
SAMUEL 8. put:,rs for LJ5.
The action was brought to recover tho damages
which tho plGiHtiT had sustained ny means of the
h..uhlcie9cy u q bridge in The western Part Of Pitts
ford, wLieh it was the duty Of The def. to keep in
repair.
]. appeared that on the 18th Of Nay, 1916, the
TlK. was driving n span Of horses attached to- ligh,
pleasure wagon, over the bridge il question, and
that rs the horses, were passing from the bridge itself
TO the further abutIncnt, tho western string piece
gave wGv, letting that side Of the Liidgo down, and
throwing tho plfE. and oac EoN C. CoULroN. who
was riding with him, from the wagon upon the gray
81 and stones, which formed the bed Of the stream.
The horses taking fright ran upwards Of two miles
before they were stopped, ant were then found to
be somewAa; cut and famed Aid the wagon and
hau3es3 were also found to be considerably injured
TIE injury done 70 the hoySea, wagon and harness,
was varjously estimated by the witnesses at from
$.j to 500.
1t appeared that the plT. received y wound upon
his head about one and n half inches long and one
inch wide, which bled Very profusely, and that dur
ing that dag and tho mex. lie suffered severe pain;
was at times very faint, SC. He returned to lis
home In IIubbardton the next dav, when DIR. Woop-
YARD Of Csstleton was called upon to witt him,
and he testified that upon examining the wound he
found it extended to the skull, which ~as slightly
flucturod that the plf. was in a great deal Of dis
tress, and suffered much pain in his neck, back and
l-a .-.......o1 l;lG ,,,I4, =, I,o,+L;., O., =,
thst aNer the wound healed, these symptoms still
continued, and that it was probable he would never
fully he freed from them; that in his Or. W.'s)
opinion these effects ali g ultcd from a violent con-
custom to tho brain, spinal column, and whole nerv-
Gus system in consequence Of this injury to the
head.
rrorrssOR GOLDSMITH Of TIE Cnsllcton Medical
College was also examined ma n witress, who stated
that tho symptoms, which DR.. w. had described,
wore such rs were usually attendant upon severe
blows or injuries to the skull. Tho PIT. introduced
several Of his n~eiGlbors who testified that, previous
t. this occurrence, he was apparently a strong, ro-
bust and healthy man, and one who always did q
large amount Of physical labor, but that since then,
It had been different, and that he was now apparent
" unable to endure the slightest fatigue.
The bridge, it appeared, Was from twelve TO four
teen feet span, the length Of q single plank wide,
and from three to six feet above the bed of the
stream ; that there were three string pieces, Of eight
inch thickness, ard that the western one, which fail
81, was Of white beech, which had been put in green
ono or two years before, and was found after the
accident, to be broken Of neariy square, near the
centre,-aud that tho wood appeared to be, as the
witness described it, not rotten, but tery brittle. 1t
olso appeared that about IL fortnight before this &C.
currencc, the highway surveyor called upon some of
the inhabitants of that district to repair the bridge
50 that it would last until the LIST Of tho succeeding
June, when it was intended to rebuild it-Gnd that
they accordingly covered up all the holes which they
cru'l discover, and scrapod upon the bridge sufficient
gravel 10 cover tie whole Of it from three to six
inches thick,-and that after this, and before the
pIrs. passing, several large loads OF stone had been
drawn across the bridge from 81 quarry in that vicin
ity; but the size Of these loads, and whether they
were drawn by two or four horses did not distinctly
appear.
The case was argued on Wednesday evening by
CHARLES L. WILLIAMS, Esq, and Hon. +. n.
EmeGs, forPlT., aud by the Hon. S. S. PHELPS for
def. and on Thursday morning the referees award
ed to the plaintiff to recover tour hundred dollars
dIasageO aud his costs.
NA1I~DHvIEd AND CI~INCHISG.-Tho reply of
Labnrce to the four Uheredses and one res
oluion of the Corporation of Burlington College, as
.een on the first page, shows the author to be q work
,nan who knows how (as blacksmiths would say toN
-. II. LoxDo o,1 +o ,1;,,b tbor, too
1t would seem that after all the Legislative aid