Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-02-02
VERMONT NEWS.


lington) had a 500, 600 fire last Saturday
morning. which originated in a curious man
ner About O'Clock that morning a number
of cars were standing on the side track OF the
Central Vermont road by the side Of the
large store house of the Burlington wooden
mill company. One of these bore an iron
oil tank holding 1000 gallons of crude petro-
leum for the gas works of the company. At
that hour freight train, composed in part
of number Of platform cars loaded with
steel rails for a Boston street railroad came
in from Essex Junction at a rapid rate, passed
the railroad station without stopping and
was passing the store house and sde.track
when one Of the cars loaded with rails left
the track, broke loose from the former por-
ton of the train, which went on to Burling-
ton, and with five or six cars following it,
dashed into the cars standing on the side
track. The rails were shot of from the
cars with great force, some Of them being
thrown fifty feet. One or two Of them struck
and pierced the oil-tank. Unfortunately the
car which collded with the oiltank had a
'hot box from which the flames were seen
rising, as the train passed the station. From
this fire was at once communicated to the oil
in the tank which blew up with loud explo-
sion, throwing the burning oil in all direc-
tons. Streams of liquid fire were thus thrown
against the side Of the storehouse, and
quantity OF blazing petroleum ran down the
embankment against the side of the store
house. This was wooden building 100
feet long by 50 feet wide, and two stories
high, with an attic story over portion of it,
and was filled with wool, camels hair flour,
machinery, dye stufTs and other supplies,
worth in all $4,000, for the immense bust
ness of the company. The side of the build
ing at once burst into flame, and in an ncred-
IDLY short space Of time the fire ran from
end to end Of it, and the whole interior was
wrapped in flames which burst from every
window, and rendered all efforts to save the
building or any Of the contents hopeless from
the start. Near the storehouse were the coal
and woodsheds Of the mill company contain
ing 500 tons of anthracite coal and 800 cords
of wood, which were soon on fire. Twelve
or > cars were also burned, and the total loss
is in the vicinity Of 500, 900.
THE NEWPORT CONTEMPLATING CASE.
The case of Solomon NJ. Fields, the prom
inent and wealthy citizen of Newport who
was arrested last week on a charge of uttering
counterfeit money, came up before L. s. Com
missioner W. l.. Burnap at Burlington last Fri
day, and resulted in Fields being held for
trial in $4,000. Only two witnesses were ex-
amiued. The first, Mr. Linsley of the Mem
phremagog House, testified to having receiv-
ed from Mr.. Fields six counterfeit silver 90
cent pieces in payment for liquor sold at his
bar during January. Five Of these were kept
and marked by witness, who identified them
before the commissioner. They we're very
poorly executed, and would be detected as
spurious at a glance. The second witness
was J. p McElrath, chief of the New Eng
land department of the secret service He
testified to having investigated the case and
traced the counterfeit coin to Fields, whom
be at once proceeded to arrest Fields tried
to throw into the stove package done up in
paper which he took from his pocket, which
witness found TO be s. in the counterfeit 80
cent pieces. Fields thereupOn showed every
sign Of trepidation and tried to settle the case
by Offering to redeem ali spurious coin passed
by him and to pay all expenses incurred by
witness. He claimed not to know where the
counterfeit coin came from, saying he must
have taken II in the usual course of business
Fields himself and L. II. Baker of Richford
were accepted as bondsmen. The extreme
penalty for the crime with which Fields is
charged is fine Of 5000 and ten years i'm
pHsonment.
THE RUTLAND LoNG.TERM LIQUOR CASES.
james Kennedy, sentenced by justice
OF the peace TO the house of correction for
about IL years for non-payment of fine for
liquor selling, Bridget Kennedy, his wife, un-
der a similar sentence for about - years, and
Pat Ready under one for about 80 years all
of Rutland, were released Monday afternoon
by the supreme court on habeas corpus.
The respondents, having been convicted of
great number of offences of selling liquor,
had claimed appeals to the county court, but
being unable to furnish the large bail, which
was fixed little larger than the fine, were
denied appeals by the justice. The statute
in all cases of appeal requires bail, but makes
no provision for keeping applicants in Jail
till their appeal is heard when bail is not fur
nished. Judge Powers announced the decis-
ion of the court, holding that the appeals
should have been allowed and the respond.
ents kept in Jail till the appeals were heard
by the county court and that the Justice
having denied the appeals because the bail
was not furnished, had in effect denied the
right of trial by jury of twelve men, which
could only be had in county court, and which
right is guaranteed by the constitution.
James and Bridget Kennedy also prayed for
a writ of certiorari to quash the proceedings
before the justice in their cases. The writs
were granted, and the proceedings quashed
Certiorari is q novel proceeding in Vermont,
and grave doubts were had whether it was
proper The court decided it proper in Grim
inal cases.
Samuel Miner, of Lincoln, has been
fined So for turning his aged mother out of
doors in the dead of winter"
The governor has ordered the ruffians
who made the deadly assault on Barrell at
Windsor, to be transferred from Woodstock
Jail to the state prison for safe keeping.
"A. A. Atherton's furniture store on Main
street. Waterbury, and Davis & Crossetts
new building, occupied by Mrs. A. c. Steb-
bins, milliner, d. b. Cole, grocer and hard
ware dealer and Dr. J. T. Wheelock dentist,
were burned last Friday night. Surround
ing property was more or less damaged.
st. Johnsbury has a church and preach
er for every 429 of its inhabitants, and Wind
sor one for every 3G7.
-Brigader- General L. G.. Kingsley, of the
First Vermont Brigade, has appointed John
f. Merrill of Rutland assistant adjutant gen.
eral on his staff with rank of major.
Joseph Duba of Grand Isle skated to
Plattsburgh on the morning of Jan. 10. In
the evening he started on the return trip, and
has not since been seen. His track was fol
lowed until hole in the ice was found. He
undoubtedly skated into the hole and was
drowned.
"A wealthy California sheep breeder, nam
ed Blenkinsorp, had only one relative, niece
named Town, a young girl, unmarried, whose
residence was unknown to him. He searched
for her two years, and last week found herat
work in Burlington mill. He took her tC
California.
W. L. Green of Vergennes, supposed tc
| have been fatally gored by bull has had his
stomach sewed up and is getting we'll.
Frank Kittredge of Danville has made &
model for a steam engine the chief distine
ton of which is that it does away entirely
with the piston movement. II consists of {
deep trimmed wheel containing movable floats
something on the plan of turbine water
wheel, and the steam is discharged against thu
enclosed wheel, so as to furnish, it is claimed
a steady and continuous power, and more O.
it than can be procured from the piston move
/ 600.
Rev. j. X. and Geo. E. Richardson hAv,
bought the Sadler q Thrall block at RUTLAND
for $4,000