Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-08-09

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could not tell which morning. without in
/ dicating which morning they expected it
would prove to be, the gentlemen gave the
women to understand that it was very inn
| portant that they should definitely fix upon
the day. After long and patient consulta-
ton. and careful going over of their last
| weeks work, they finally said positively that
| twas either Wednesday or Thursday, and not
later than Thursday. The younger woman
was positive, because she was making dress
last week, which was finished on Thursday,
and on the morning that the young man was
there she went into the kitchen for a fat-iron
to iron the plaits while he sat at the table
| The dispositions Of the two women, carefully
drawn by lawyer, and sworn to before
magistrate. were taken, and were brought
home by DIR. Gale. The party returned to
! Bratteboro Wednesday night, and this seems
| to be about all the positive information which
was obtained by them. The prisoner seemed
TO be somewhat mixed in regard to knowledge
which he professed of the quarries at North
| Adams, but it should be said that the time
which was had there for investigation was
short He tells an apparently straight story
about parties at the quarries who he is conf
dent could identify him. 1t may further be
said that while waiting at Greenfield the pris-
oner pointed out a man at work on the rail
road whom he said he saw and talked with at
North Adams Friday evening; but this man
said he knew nothing of the fellow. and,
moreover that he was not at North Adams
Friday evening, he having left there that af-
tenoon.
THE CASE AS IT STANDS THIS, THURSDAY, noon.
The case as it stands at the hour Of going
to press, is as follows: The committee of
| gentlemen who went to North Adams on
Wednesday did not come home fully agreed
among themselves as TO the mans probable
! guilt or innocence. 1t is evident, according
TO the mans story that there are several
clews still remaining at North Adams which
can probably be worked out to his advantage
or disadvantage. He also claims to be able
to locate himself on Saturday on the road be-
tween North Adams aud Readsboro Fur
| thermore, conflicting with the affilavits of
the women, above referred to, two parties at
least in this town assert that they saw the
man in Bratteboro previous to Saturday Of
last week-one of them on Wednesday, the
other on Friday. These facts, with the con-
sidcrations connected with them came out at
a conference of citizens held in Crosby & Co. S
office this forenoon. 1t was evident, upon
the face of the matter that full justice to the
prisoner required that he should be allowed
to locate himself if possible on the road to
North Adams, and at that place on Fri
day and Saturday, as he still claims that
he can do. 1t is also true that this privilege
must be given him before he is formal
ly examined because, in case he should
be bound up for trial all investigation must
then stop until the trial comes on, when it
would be too late to verify his statements.
Still more, such a course is necessary to fully
satisfy all fair-minded persons in this COM
munity. In view Of these considerations it
WAS decided at the conference referred to, to
send committee of unprejudced men, with
the prisoner in an officers charge, TO Reads
boro, for the purpose of tracing his course 20
North Adams, if possible, and also to further
look up his North Adams statements. This
committee consists of w. W. Lynde and ID.
s. Pratt. They are expected to drive TO
Readsboro this afternoon.
lift is found that the prisoner locates him
self on the road from that place to North
Adams and ut North Adams, last Saturday,
the case against him, must fall to the ground,
notwithstanding the positive identification Of
the girl. If, on the contrary, the man can
not prove his story on these points, the sup
position must be that he perpetated the
crime here Saturday morning about ten
O'Clock, that he then fed, and by some means
succeeded in reaching Readsboro before Z
O'Clock Saturday evening, and then deliber-
ately doubled on his track for the purpose Of
disarming suspicion against him.
The crowd Of trnmps, with the exception
of this suspected one, were given their liber-
ty Tuesday morning, each of them with a
writing from the selectmen saying that he had
been examined for the crime referred to and
was not the man wanted
wAsHoUT on THE VERMONT MAssAcHUsETTs
BMLRoAD-A TRAIN wREcKED AND THREE
MIN KILLED.
The heavy thunder shower which visited
this vicinity early on Tuesday evening Of this
week, 9TH inst, caused the partial washing
out Of a culvert on the Vermont Il Massachu-
sets railroad, in the town of Northfeld, Mass
about half mile below Gill station, by which
the night express train north was wrecked
and two engineers and fireman were killed.
The train, consisting Of the locomotive
"Winooski," with only a smoking car attach
ed, was due to leave Millers Falls about Q
o'clock, P. NJ, arriving in Drattleboro at 1910,
bringing the Montreal express train from
South Vernon, and was in charge of conduct
or Charles Holman, with Myron j. Pattee as
engineer and Geo. Il. Arnold rs fireman. II
left AIilers Falls about half an hour late, hay
ing on board ten persons all told only three
of whom were regular passengers. The train
had not proceeded far when small wasAout
was discovered, which, after an hours delay,
was passed in safety and it was after IL
o'clock when the place was reached where the
accident occurred. Ralph Root, an ex-engineeI
of the road was on the engine with Pattee,
assisting in the lookout, and the train was
running slowly, but the road over the culvert
appeared to be all right, and probably the
latter did not give way until the engine came
upon it, when it was too late for the men to
jump and save themselves. The engine pass
ed almost over the break and fell back to The
bottom, a distance of about twenty feet, roll
ing over on to one side the tender coming
partly ON top of it, and the forward end OF
the car pitching down on top of that OF the
persons in the car none were seriously injur
ed, though conductor Holman was considera
bly, bruised about the face and the brakeman
George L. SpoGord, was slightly injured il
one knee As soon as possible word was tele
graphed to this place and to division head
quarters, and relief trains We're sent TO tn,
scene of the accident.
Pattee, the regular engineer of the wrecked
!, train, succeeded in crawling half naked from
} the wreck, and was taken to the farmhouse O
} Mr.. Thomas Metcalf, near by He was no