Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-04-04
Washington County Court.

The Court has taken recess--the jurors hav-
ing been dismissed-till next Tuesday, when the
trial Of petitions for divorce cases in which jury
trial has been waived, questions Of law etc, will
be heard. It will take about ten days to finish
the business
The trial Of Samuel, Forrest L. and Nellie C.
Green, for burning the barns of Gideon Burnham,
in West Woodbury., on the night Of September
Both, 1875, resulted in disagreement Of the jury,
and the respondents were discharged on their own
recognizances in three hundred dollars each. The
jury stood eight for conviction and four for ac-
qnttal. The case was finished on Thursday af-
ternoon and the jury deliberated till Friday noon
There were forty-fve witnesses put upon the
stand, and each side was well presented
Frank Plumley (the States Attorney and j. Z.
Lamson, acting a. counsel in behalf OF the state,
and Messrs. Heath & Carleton, +. " Randall and
w. A. Lord, conducting the defence Judge
Ross, who presided, in Judge Redfelds absence,
made lucid and impartial charge to the jury.
The main evidence for the prosecution was the
threats alleged to have been made by the respon-
dents, and there was no evidence tending to show
the actual commission Of the crime, or the pres
ence Of the respondents near the scene Of the fire
~ WIG tilnt VI It's II hetlntu u llttle
too much to some OF the jury 10 convict for so
great crime on the evidence Of threats merely,
no matter how strong they might have been.
No other criminal cases were tried, and large
number will have to be disposed Of in September,
including several liquor cases
George W. Thompson, who stole a silver watch
aud plated chain from the house of Edwin Chase
on the branch, which belonged to his daughter
Ellen, on the morning OF December 10th, 1876,
and whose chase and capture by Sheriff futile
at Haverhill, Mass, have been described in this
paper, pleaded guilty To petit larceny, and was
sentenced to three months in the county Jail, the
longest time the law allows. 1t appeared that the
stolen property, though valuable a keepsake,
was not worth more than five or six dollars in tile
market and the state was obliged to accept plea
OF guilty of the minor offence. Thompson is
young man who says he belongs in IIaverhill, and
it is to be hoped that he will lead an honest life in
future.
James Gavigan, the tramp who stole tub Of
butter belonging to Charles W. Bragg Of Warren,
at Roxbury last January, also pleaded guilty and
was sentenced to fifteen months in the state
prison. Gravgan' $ caseis peculiar one and Judge
Ross in sentencing him, said that it was hard to
decide what ought to be done with him. In an
swer to questions by the court Gravgan stated
that he was born in London and came to this coun-
try nine years ago; that since that time he had
worked most everywhere and the past summer
at Morrisville; that he had no friends in this
country and nothing whatever that he could call
home. The Judge thought that he best possible
thing for him was to be given an opportunity to
learn trade, and for that reason he gave him the
sentence he did
George W. Burnham, of Cabot indicted for
selling cider, pleaded guilty to five offenses and
was fined fifty dollars and costs