The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1880-01-09
ORWELL, VT, Jan. 7. 1880.

Mr.. EDIToR.-The cordial indorsc.
ment by you OF the ideas expressed b,
your reporter in your last issue. is +,
refreshing contrast TO the silence main,
tanned by some papers in this state
This silence of course is not due to a r
k. pass, and doubt not but that tLer,
are officials who would repel with In
dignation any suggestion that their 81;
lence is due to a similar cause. Rn
the public full we'll know the potent in
fluences ola pass. And there are tbos,
who have been unkind enough 10 sa,
that possibly such influences have heel
brought TO bear upon those whose dnt,
it is TO move in this matter; and tbs
prolonged silence and inaction of fbess
officers, lends plausability to this the.
DRY. Is there any legal punisbnen,
which can be inflicted upon tbose
who were responsible for the slan0h.
ter? If there is, whose duty is il ~
prosecute? Will you be Kind enonot
Mr.. Editor to answer these inquiries
that the public may know where The
blame rests. This the public would be
glad to know. lam ledto believe from
my observation, that there must he
blame somewhere; where is it? The
road is VIGOROUSLY bad and dangerous
and is believed to be SO because of neo'
ligence on the part of the X. r. officers
1t is currently reported here, that The
track master had not been over The
road previous to the accident, for six
months, and that the superintendent
had not been over the road for a wear.
OF course your correspondent cannot
vouch for the truth of these Statements
But the following can vouch for. "a
far, at least, as this; / heard the words
from the lips of scctson man on the
road. He said: l told Horner. 1.-THE
track mastery that VIC did not have
ties enough. Horner said we had had
considerable many. l told him that
"twice as many more would not be
half enough" Another r. r, man.
whose name, for various reasons.
would not care TO indicate, is reported
to have said on the night Of the disas.
ter; "There is only one bad place In
the road, but that reaches from Lejces.
ter TO Addison Junction." have This
fr.m the lips of gentleman who heard
The remark, and l have no reason m
doubt it's truthfulness. That the ROAD
is in an unsafe condition, is evident m
any one who will take the trouble N
inspect il. That the rails are old wor,,
out culls; that large number of the
lies are rotten, IL not a majority nj
them; that there are dangerous saos
and sinks in the road, are all facts sns.
ceptible of proof. las the tbou0ht
ever occurred to any of those officers
whose duty il is to prosecute the r.. ri
company, that the next Anne the train
goes of, it may be, the victims will moi
be confined to poor laboring men. bnt
that they may be among the murdered
themselves. do not believe il Is ex-
agerating the truth, to say, that, every
passenger on the road Is In great dan
ger whenever the train is in motion
The employees on the train that night
all agree in saying that tine train was
not moving faster than six miles an
hour at the time of the disaster. Now
what sense is there In keeping a road
in such condition that Il Is not safe for
a train moving at the rate of six miles
an hour? There can be no possible
apology for road Iii such condition:
and there can be no excuse for the on.
GERS of the road. And cannot believe
that there is any excuse for not prose
cutting such as are TO blame for the
roads condition; of course this IL only
the opinion of one; but IL men think as
they talk, there are many others OF the
same opinion. II will be a sad day for
Vermont, when the department of Jus
Toe passes into the hands of The rail-
road; when prosecuting officers are in
undated by railway corporations; but
has not that time come already II