Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-01-07

Lively RAILROAD N8xrlNG At MONTHS
LIER.-The annual meeting Of the Montps
lier and Wells River Railroad Company
was held at Village Hall. Montpelier. Tues.
day afternoon. Five loaded trains came
over the road, and the hall was crowded
to over6owing. There was great contest
to see who should control 1000 shares Of
stock, held by the town of Montpelier. A
majority Of all this was sold few days
since to j. W. Brock, Of Montpelier, for
$2.6o per share. under q sealed proposal
authorized by vote of the town. A year
ago. l.. I. Kinney Obtained Judgment
against the road for $4,000 Three weeks
ago. he took an aliens execution. and at
tached the stock of the road, The notices
of the sale were not seen BY the French and
Brock party. and. last week. Sartwell. q.
j. Gleason and Nelson Bartlett. bought the
stoo of the road at 70 cts. per share. At
the opening of the meeting the Brock party
appeared armed with an mi JUNCTION from
Judge Powers To prevent the latter from
voting on the shares, claiming that the
sale was fraudulent.
TX Congressman Charles W Willard
spoke for the Sartwellitos. and moved to
adjourn the meeting two weeks to reply
to the injunction The Brock party were
repi sented by Hon Charles II. Heath.
who opposed an adjournment and pressed
vote for directors. There was much
confusion and recrimination. Finally Gen.
I. p. Pitkin moved that Mr. Heath. who is
vise-president OF the corporation, be chair
man. and put the vote to the audience and
declared it carried Heath then sprang
upon the stage. pushed President Hall
from his place aud seized Joel Foster, the
clerk. who had grasped the records, and
grand struggle ensued. Tho crowd rushed
on the stage. coats were torn, hair pulled.
and the windows broken. The stage scenery,
fixtures. etc. Of the q. A. K, wore also
pulled down. enyeloping the combatants,
torn, broken and finally thrown on to the
hOOr OF the hall, crushing the seats and
benches Staid members of churches and
fathers Of families. bank directors and State
officials and ex-Judges of the court, were in
the thickest Of the row and most disgrace
iul scene oil kicking. punching. choking,
hsir-pulling and wrestling. ensued. Those
that couldn't get upon the platform stood
up on the seats, and kept up an indsscrib-
able amount of yelling and shouting but did
not make the slightest attempt to quell the
row. which the twenty or twenty five on the
stage were engaged in. In about five min
utes, however. most Of the ombatants, be-
ing on the shady side of forty, and not used
to that sort Of thing" lost their breaths.
and the books about that time disappear
ing, 50 there was nothing to fight about,
they left of. and lovely peace" began |
again 10 reign. As to the books, Mr. |
Shurtleti, one Of the directors of the road,
carried OF the record book OF the stock |
holders meetings the transfer book and the |
stock ledger. while it il said the Heath siio |
secured the record book Of the directors |
meetings. and gu account book During |
the melee the president put and declared |
the vote adjourning the meeting two weeks |
carried. Brooks party then mot and chose |
a Board of Directors as follows Z. H. |
Heath. ). W. Brock. j. q French, George |
Wooster, j W. Ellis, l. Bartcros-, W. 5.
Martin, A. 7 Baldwin. and Almond Clark
In the meantime Mr.. Heath-sas arrested for
an assault ON Mr. Foster and bailed in the |
sum Of so 900 by j. r. Lsngdon, George |
Shepard and Gen. Pitkin The amount of |
the whole is contest between Sartwel. a |
heavy bond holder. and a new combination
among the old stockholders. who have hith
erto been at variance. for the possession of
the road
The affair xcite- great sensation at Mont |
peler. There has been no such mob there |
at public meeting, since the war of 1912,
when a similar scene occurred between the |
Republicans and Feieralsts for the posses
sion Of a meeting.