Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-03-02

FIRST CLASS FRAUD-The last Danyille
Star has the following obituary of L. B. Par
fridge, who has been q resident of Danville
for the past ten years,-but who fled the
State few weeks age:
An examination into the facts show that
Partridge committed forgery, in signing to a
note for the sum of S5l.2 the name OF Hen
ry Baxter, his uncle. well known citizen of
Highgate. The note is dated Nov Sd, 1876,
and payable to Geo. Tisdale at the Mer-
chants National Bank of st. Johnsbury in
two months from the date thereof. The note
became due the Sd of january, and Partridge
not having the means to pay the same at ma
turity, and fearing the prosecution that might
follow, folded his tents and silently stole
away" For few days he was reported as
being in Canada, but later information re-
ceived from him by his friends in this village
from Yankton. Dakota, leads them to sup
pose that he has gone to the Black Hills.
Partridge is a young man of intelligence
and good address, with "cheek" enough for
a small sized nation, but his career SO far as
We can discover, has been utterly devoid of
anything like honesty or fair dealing. He
has had many opportunities of doing well,
but has always, through his Unsuitable desire
to beat and swindle somebody, come out
of the little end of the horn. He early COM
menced operations by trying to swindle the
Equitable Life Insurance Company out of a
Sl5, 600 policy on lis lie. and so far succeed
ed as to procure the policy from that Com
pany, with receipts in full payment, and
this without having paid a cent He then
attempted to sell the policy, but before con-
summating the sale special agent of the
aforesaid Company came to this town and
quietly obtained possession of the policy
Partridge later became agent for several Fire
insurance Companies, ard among others the
Amazon of Cincinnati. He issued several
policies for the last named company, collect
ed the pay therefor and converted the mon
ey to his own use, amounting in the aggre-
gate TO some $500 or 5000. Suit was begun
against him and he confessed Judgment to
something like that amount and an execution
was issued against him. The execution not
being in proper form, another one was either
procured or applied for after the lapse of a
year. The last one was consiT :ed Illegal by
his counsel, and the point involved being
solely nice question of law, was carried to
the Supreme Court of Vermont, and at the
October term of 1876. n decision was render
ed favorable to his claims, and he again
caped-through technicalities es-from the
clutches of the law, although there is no
doubt about the transportation OF the
Company's funds. For n time Partridge was
travelling salesman for II. X. Thurber Co,
of New York, and We are informed that he
also managed to "beat" That house out of
81, 200 Sheriff Preston, of St Johnsbury is
"mourner" by this flight to the sum of
something like $3.50. in consequence of al
lowing Partridge to run at large the bail on
a writ which he held having run out short
time ago.
The above are some of the larger swIndles
perpetInted by Partridge, which are pretty
widely and generally known in this section.
There are many smaller ones which We do
not care to mention. He has, during the
past five years, so to speak, "swung on the
jail door, and has only kept from swinging
clear in, through the interposition OF his
father in-law who resides in this village, and
whose generosity, good nature and kindness
have been sorely and severely taxed OH many
occasions.
The Montpelier Argus adds few facts to
this record, such as that Partridge's father
got him position in a leading jewelry house
III Boston, which he filed for short time,
and then "levanted" under cloud, "swing
ing around the circle" borrowing money at
every point where his father was known, the
last victim on that trip being the late Gen.
Isaac McDaniels. of Rutland. All these debts
his father paid, though not bound to, rather
than have the name dishonored. Still later,
he acted as agent for the Vermont Mutual
Insurance Company. and the books Of that
Company, as well as the experience of many
people over Hancock and Ripton way, are
evidence that he had not reformed. In 1877
he swelled around at the Democratic State
Convention at Burlington as the special
champion OF the candidacy of W. L. Horri-
bin for Governor. And was again prominent
in the Democratic State Convention last sum
mer where the Argus charges that he was re-
failing falsehoods about such men as W. ii.
Ii. Bingham, 2. s. Benjamin. James Ii. Viii
liams, Lucius Robinson, J. NJ. Weeks, t. b.
Smnlley nnd others