Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-03-24
Washington County Court.
No, rtuorHy p REDFIELD. Presiding Judge
lion, PHiLANDER RIFORD. Assistant ad 60
lion JAMES A. COBURN, ASSISTANT uuH0'
Melville Z. SMILE, clerk
FRANK PLUMLEY, states Attorney
Joas l.. Turtle. sheriff.
OyIATT, StenoErapher'

Iion PPHHnIintSbER RiF6RD. Asssta1fJad se.
Hon. JAMES A. COBUkN. A..slstta
FR1Sk PIuNLET. stats'ss Attorney.
JOHS l.. FUTILE, sherln.
-HENRY 0vIATr. stenoSrApher'
The court is now engaged in the trans
action of miscellaneous business, when
will probably consume ;he rest OF the
week, after which the term will come 10
an end. The jurors were dismissed last
Friday, having served only eight days and
having tried only two civil and three
criminal cases, an unusually small number
for this county. The new law which pro-
yides that no man having served as n
county court juror shall serve again in the
same capacity for two years. seems to be
working well. Some old flceS that used
to haunt the jury boxes term after term
have disappeared and Younger men have
been drawn. who are not controlled by the
preiudices which the elders had insensibly
imbibed. The result will probably be IN
improvement in the perSOnette OF the
Jurors anu III ilOlO ohliSiaNtoiJ 'S'"'''''
Yesterday afternoon the bar presented to
the court resolutions in memory of Judge
Peck. Addresses were made by Mr..
Heaton, Governor Dillingham;, Judge
Carpenter, Mr.. Wing, Mr.. Heath and
George w. Kennedy. Judge Rediield
also made some appropriate remarks and
ordered the clerk to record the resolutions
and to transmit copy of them to Mr.
Nahum Peck at IIinesburgh.
The case of VIM A. Boutele vs.. the
Planters Insurance Company has gone to
Judgment in favor of the plaintiff. This Is
one of the noted hulless oats cases in
which Mr.. BOutelle sues to Recover for the
insurance on about two hundred bushels
of hulless oats. at five dollars II bushel
He sued four companies, the Planters, the
Kansas City, the Westchestor aud the
Globe. The Globe and Kansas City failed
and paid little or nothing. The Westches
ter case has been tried twice in the county
court the last time resulting in Il verdict in
f,vor of the plaintiff for nine hundred odd
dollars. The Planters case is referred to
tile Hon. l. Fl. Thompson of Washington
to decide the amount Of damages.
In the casts of Mrs. Sarah +. Burnham
and Calvin f. Stow, both of Montpelier,
the bonds were called and forfeited Mrs
Burnham was indicted for setting fire to
the house in the corner of Jay and LOOMS
streets, which she and her husband, r. J
Burnham, then occupied Her bonds are
one thousand dollars Stow was indicted
for stealing three buffalo robes in Barre in
the winter of 1873 lis bonds are four
hundred dollars.
Only one divorce case has been tried
and granted-Abbie +. Sisson of North.
fed from Erastus IL. Sisson Of Bridgeport,
Conn, far adultery and intolerable severi-
ty. The petitioner was allowed to resume
her maiden name, and was given house
hold furniture as alimonv.
State VS.. Enos B. Hazen occupied the
time of the court last week from Tuesday
morning until Friday forenoon. The
respondent, IL man of sixty eight years.
IA resident of Cabot, was indicted for
burning his s',wmill on the 2lst of August,
1876, with intent to defrlud the Vermont
mutual insurance company. The sawmiIl
was situated in the west part of Cabot,
near the foot Of the Kimbal hill. 1t was
insured for one thousand dollars, consid
erably more than it was worth, so the
prosecution claimed, and that was the
motive for the crime. l he over insurance
was denied by the respondent; and he
also swore upon the stand that on the
morning in question he was in his India
wheat field moving, and first became
aware OF the fire while so engaged. The
chief testimony for the state was given by
Nathaniel Adams and Eastman r. Hop
kins. Adams testified that he was aroused
between the hours of and 3 O'Clock by
the cracking of the flames; that he went
to the platform in front of his barn doors
and thence saw the flames lust bursting
through the roof, and Il man whom he took
to be MIR. Hazen standing near the bulk
head; that he ran to the mill rs soon us
he could, and there met Mr., LIazen on the
bridge, and that Mr.. Hazen and the man
he saw standing near the bulk head were
dressed alike. Hopkins testified that one
morning in the fall after the fire, Hazen,
who had had considerable talk with him
before, finally confessed that he had set
the mill ON fire.
The defence impeached the accuracy of
Adams story by showing that he had told
it differently to several Of his acquantances,
and Hopkins was forced to own that
although he knew of llazen's guilt, vet he
had allowed the insurance company to pay
him eight hundred dollars without word
of protest. The defence also showed that
there was bad blood between him and
Hazen on account of money matters. The
jury brought in verdict of not guilty
Messrs hanson and Plumley for the
state; Messrs. Shurtlef, uoyt and Heath
for the defence.
The case State VS.. Dodge w. Sowles
was Il town grand jurors prosecution for
assault and battery. 1t seemed that or
the evening of the 18th of last February
the respondent, Il resident of the Bcckley
Hill in Barre, was riding in u sleigh witt
his wife and brother-in-law, Lnbrn +
Lashway. Their horse ran against Thos
l.. Emerson, and in the alteration which
ensued, the respondent told Lashway tt
maui him, and Lashway consequently
Knocked him down. He didn't hurt HIN
much. The jury found the respondent
guilty, and court imposed Il fine of five
dollars and costs. + w. Bisbee and CIar.
ence II Pilkn for the prosecution; Boyccs
for defence.