Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-08-08


Railroad as telegraph boy, many years since,
and, being smart, capable, ambitious and
popular, he gradually rose, by successive
promotions, to the very responsible position
of chief clerk of the freight office here. In
his official rs in his private position he WAS
generally liked. An accomplished must
clan he was for long time
the leader of the Queen City Band
and brought that organization to high
point of excellence; and in every way
he was popular and promising young man.
OF his recent domestic berelvements this is
hardly place to speak. Within year his
father took his own life under peculiarly
shocking circumstance, and lis wife died
of a lingering disease, leaving a little girl
motherless-a catalogue of SORROWS 10 which
the present sad affair is a dreadful end. Mr..
Paige has great many friends who conf
IDENTIFY trust in his ability To prove his limo
cenoe Of the crime charged against him; and
every one, certainly, will hope that he, Il
young man, with the possibility before him
of long career of honor and usefulness,
will emerge from the ordeal unscathed.
TIE PRELIMINARY HEARING N CITY COURT
An EXHAUSTIVE EXAMINATION.
The case came up in City Court, Tuesday,
before Judge IIasclton. The State was rep
resented by States Attorney Hamilton 5.
Peck and Hon. Daniel Roberts while Hon.
Henry Ballard appeared for Mr.. Paige. The
room was Ihrongcd with spectators and the
interest taken in the case was intense. At
the opening of court Mr. Ballard made a mo-
ton for Il specification, and cited the law at
length TO prove that the prosecution must
point out specific acts Of cmbezzlcmcnt.
Mr.. Roberts said the respondent was not
now on trial This is merely court of in
quiry. The law under which this complaint
is drawn was passed especially to avoid the
particularly required by Mr.. Ballard The
idea of a specification in preliminary cx-
animation is a novelty.
Mr.. Ballard said it ,ras a novelty, but the
law passed last FalD is also novelty This
is the first case ever brought under il
After considerable discussion by counsel,
Judge IIaselton denied the motion.
Mr. Peck then called G. ). Appleton, the
leading points in whose testimony were as
follows
In 1876 and 1871 | had charge of the
freight and passenger business at the Central
Vermont Railroad Company's station ut this
city the respondent, Ed. 4. Paige, was
chief clerk at the freight Office his business
was to look after the subordinate clerks
and to see that all bills were made ont pro-
perry and the money collected and for
wardcd Ia headquarters al st. Adams
through freight was taken here from Essex
j JUNCTION. dressed and then sent on again
the money for this is called stopovcr
charge finally the amount of unsolicited
bills reached some S2l 900 and the Company
ordered, September, 1876 that when cars
were detained here over two weeks the
through freight must bc paid here ii was
| Paigc's business TO attend Ia the stop-ovcr
| and through freight charges. and report To
! ST. Adams every month after the order
| spoken OF | intended Paige To re
| port the through freight collections to
ST. Adams every day in September, 1877,
in response To telegram met Superinten-
dent Mills at Essex JudctiOn and he told me
| that he WAS not receiving the money on the
! through bills on my return | at once went
to Paige; hc said he would attend to the
matter as soon as possible; III October Mr..
! Leard came down from st. Adams and look
ed through the books he made out that
there was II deficiency in the accounts OF
Sc 900 Paige said in explanation that
there was good many lumber bills unpaid
subsequently, Mr. Hatch OF st. Adams igur-
| gI iu, the deficiency ma s,lt uOn Iuipfl st i'll
claiming that "A number Of bills had not been
paid, drew up n list and called on the lum
her dealers and found that they had been
paid told Paige and lac SAID there was II
mystery about il hc and Hatch went around
| to see if all the bills had been paid and found
that they had up to this time Paige held
out to me that il would come out all right :;
that there was u mistake somewhere; at
this time he said IIatch's figures were cor
rect.
Cross examined by Mr. Ballard II was my
duty to oversee all the business at this sta
ton and ! had the right to examine all
| Paigc's books; the other clerks were author
lied to collect bills and sign my name Ia re
ccipts when Paige was sick or out OF town
some other clerk had the KEY of the safe and
of course the opportunity to take money
both Paige and myself were relieved in Feb
under the through hill account which lett
the former short about $1,000 and this
amount the company claim of me; in 1873,
some bills had not been collected; ! paid
the company - 900 cash and took these
old bills and collected them there was NJ
deficiency, the bills had been running foI
several years; the deficiency began in Sep
TENDER, 1876 have no personal knowledge
OF Pages appruprating any money bclnn"
my Ia the ro9d; | made the complaint or
which this prosecution is based
l'e-dircct examination Held Paige and
not the clerks responsible for the freight
ONCE his pay was SO per mouth, wlicl
was subsequently reduced to s10
\ great many matters of detail were lhcr
gone over, n'nr of much Interest 10 The
public
hhlErAoH,. sEs-Inr.
William Lcard Of ~ Alhaus, testified