Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1879-08-01
STATE NEWS.


Gov. Proctor, for the pardon of Henry
Babcock, of Pomfret, who was in De
cember last sentenced by the Windsor
County Court to a term of6 years in
the State prison for the alleged crime
of setting fire to his mill buildings for
the purpose of obtaining the insurance
thereon amounting to $1,000. The petit
ton is based on the consideration that
prior to his arrest for committing the
crime imputed to him, Mr.. Babcock
had always sustained an unblemished
reputation, and was justly esteemed to
be worthy and exemplary citizen,
earnestly working for the maintenance
of law and order, and generously con-
tributing to whatever was promotiVe
of the public good, and furthermore
that the crime imputed to him was
not commensurate to the extreme pen
atty imposed on him. The petition
was signed by every one of the jurymen
who composed the panel before whom
Mr.. Babcock was tried, nearly every
member of the Windsor county bar
and many of the most prominent citi-
Zens of Windsor county, including
two directors of the insurance company
in which Mr.. Babcock's buildings were
insured. The petition is expressive
of the sentiments and wishes of large
majority of those who are acquainted
with the circumstances of this case.
A fire broke out in the hardware and
furniture store of j. A. Burleigh & Son.
of Waterbury, last Monday at mid
night. Nothing was saved. Loss on the
building, $4,000; on goods, $4,000; insur-
ed in several stock companies for $4,000.
The fire spread, and had it not been
that there was no wind and the build
ings were wet with the recent rains,
more than one-half the village would
doubtless have been consumed. Losses
M. M. Knights dry goods store,
dwelling and barns, worth $4,000 in
surance for $780, His stock of goods,
worth $500, and household furniture,
was nearly all saved. Frank B. Tay-
lor, groceries, building worth $4,000, and
goods worth $500 insured in the Ver-
mont Mutual for $1,000; some of his
goods were saved. M. o. Evans drug
store and contents worth $4,000. More
than one-half of the goods were saved.
Watts block, G. E. Wymans store and
the dwelling house of J. Griggs were
saved by the firemen somewhat
scorched and damaged. Samuel Mer-
rill, living in rooms over Evanss store
lost all his household furniture and had
no insurance.
John Dolan of Castleton has met
with three severe accidents in the last
six months. The first was being
thrown headlong from a horse upon
the frozen ground, from the effects of
which he was laid up for a long time.
After that the limb of tree fell on him
in the woods, from which he did not
recover in several weeks; and a few
days ago he and his horse and wagon
backed over an embankment of thirty
or forty feet into an abyss below.
A correspondent writes that. the
paragraph recently published in many
of the daily papers stating that q law
school is to be established at North
field, in the building of the Norwich
University is incorrect. The college
has no intention of abandoning its site
or introducing law into its curriculum,
but has prospect of an unusually
large class this fall in its regular en-
gineering course.
During the first six months of the
present year there were thirty-six fail
ures in Vermont, with liabilities of
$213,000. During the same time last
year the figures were 81 and 81 100000.
At Brattleboro, unknown persons
broke into the depot, and having taken
from the ticket Office a safe weighing
400 pounds, they put it upon baggage
truck and hauled it to a remote part of
the freight yard, where it was rified of
its contents--about $35 in specie.
G.. E. Baker, a business man of
Patchogue, Long Island, who was
married about week ago and was on
his bridal tour, shot himself at the
Bates House, at Rutland last Thursday
afternoon, while in one of the water
closets of the house. The ball passed
through his right lung. lie now lies in
a critical condition. Mr.. Baker claims
it was an accident. occurring by his
attempting to change revolver from
one pocket to another.
Mr.. Edward Barnes, q blind man,
was seriously, and it is feared fatally,
injured last Thursday at West Ran
dolph by a runaway horse.
Ramsdell's house at North Troy
caught fire last Monday, but the flames
were quickly extinguished. The
prompt action probably saved the
business portion of the town from being
consumed, Damage, $500 insured.