Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1883-03-28
Washington County Court.


The trial Of Simeon r. and his wife, Carrie e.
Gibbs against the Rev. II W. Worthen, which
was in progress at the time last weeks edition
was issued ended last Friday morning having
lasted nearly four days After twenty.eight
hours elaboration, the jurors were discharged,
unable to agree. They stood in most Of the bal.
lettings eight for tho defendant to four for the
plaintiff In one they stood ten for the defendant;
In several seven for the defendant The rames
Of the jurors are Curtis G. Eaton (foreman) and
Carlos L.. Smith Of Montpelier, Allen G. Green
elit OF Warren, John Brown and Charles +.
Adams OF Cabot, A. Bruce Of Fayston, George
w. Whitney OF Middlesex, George W. Sanders OF
East Montpelier A.. P. wheelock Of Calais,
Thomas Averi OF Mortified, G. d. Lille OF
Woodbury., d L. Nichols Of Roxbury Mr. Mich
OILS was the most strenuous for the plaintiff and
Mr. Greenslit earnestly seconded him. They
voted for the plaintiff every time Messrs. Brown
and Adams voted for the defendant once when
the vote stood ten to two; and Mr. Bruce vibrated.
The result OF the trial Is a disappointment to
Mr.. Worthen and his friends and to the great
body OF those who heard the case. Mr. Worthen,
by his testimony on the stand, impressed many
who had come into the court house preiudiced
against him, with his innocence, and after Judge
Redfeld's able and lucid charge, even the plain
tiffs themselves and their council expected
verdict OF acquittal, and Mr.. and Mrs. Gibbs went
back to Nortbfield, accompanied by their family
counsel, In very depressed state Of mind. At
the time the charges were first made this paper
O'hthiufu tu HCCDunt VI tutfI, ana IL IL not nee
essary to detail them at length now. brief
statement OF the case Is enough In the spring
OF 1879, Mr. Worthen was stationed by the CON
ference at Mortified. Among his practitioners
was Mrs Gibbs, as she is conventionally called,
although her real name IL Vincent At the age
OF fourteen or less, she ran away from her home
In Enosburgh and married young man named
Vincent who In few days enlisted, and left her
at home, gay war widow Her gaiety was 20
gay, indeed, that Vincent refused to live with
her after he came home, and she drifted to
liolyoke, Massachusetts,, where she worked In the
mills, met Gibbs, and, under the maiden name OF
Cross, married him. Gibbs did not discover the
former marriage till they made a visit to Enos-
burgh some time afterwards; and he then settled
the affair with Vincent by giving him five dollars
in money and silver watch valued in the trade
at fifteen dollars For this moderate sum Vincent
relinqmshed all right title and interest In her, and
Gibbs returned to Massachusetts with his prize He
is a hard drinker and they lived a varied life In
towns In that state for some years, and six years
ago, came to Northfeld where her brother, Al
bert ) Cross, lives She Is now nearly thirty
Tour years old. Her acting husband Is a Lar ge-
framed man. II not Il very strong mind and who
has suffered all his life from the effects of drunk
enness. At the time OF Mr.. Worthens removal
TO Nolthheld, Gibbs was not member OF the
church, having withdrawn at some previous time
to escape expulsion for drunkenness. At the
camp-meetiDg 10 1880, he claimed that he want
TO lead better life, and he was made a proba-
TONER. 1t was between then and the last Of July
1901 tiht tnt htttunIIS NJ seduction are aleUf d
- have been made. The plaintiffs say that Mr,
Worthen was frequent visitor at the paint shop
and at their house. He says that Mr.. Worthen
having tried to have him go peddlDg, soon began
to talk about his wife and obtained an account
of certain diseases, under which she labored and
then offered to cure her. 1t seems that MIR
Wofthen studied medicine before he began to fit
himself for the ministry, and has praciced gra-
tuitously ever since to limited extent among
his parishioners She says that his Improper adj
yAQCpa bPpan with zinU he hand nd c,,1
minated in forcible assault upon her virtue,
which she successfully resisted Although these
things continued for some months she told no.
body OF them, not even her husband but bore up
under them amazingly, until October, 1881, when a
quarrel, growing up between the Gibbs people
and Mrs. David A. Holt, a neighbour who
charged that Gibbs had painted his kitchen floor
on Sunday Mr.. Worthen sided with the Hollis,
and said that Gibbs must remain on probation
awhile longer. This angered them and Gibbs
said he would not join anyway, and Mrs Gibbs
demanded and got a letter Of dismissal One
evening In October the Hollis and Gibbs and 9TH
ers met at MIR, Worthens house for the (de-
clared) purpose OF etfecting a reconciliation.
The meeting broke up in row and the Gibbs
man and woman left, making threats The next
day some OF the existing charges were made. At
the trial OF MIR. Worthen, which took place on
the last days OF November and first DAYS of
December at Mortified before several OF his
brethren, she added TO the list but did not men,
ton the attempt at rape. She was then asked
more than once whether she had any more charges
TO make against Mr. Woithen, and, If she had
she was told to make them. After some qub-
bling she said she had not She now adds the
most heinous charge Of all, and gives no good
reason for not mentioning it before. This circum
stance throws great discredit on her testimony
How vlftuous woman could have rested silent
after 80 base an attack as she said Mr. WortheD
made upon terrifying to accomplish the most
dastardly purposes by foIce-is something incon-
ceivable, Yet she admits that she never made it
public I'LL she went upon the stand the other day,
nearly two years after the alleged attack was
made. Having borne the outrage in silence 80
long, and notwithstanding repeated requests and
demands to tell all, she had better have remained
silent till the grave. Mr.. Worthen admitted Wis
itiDg the Gibbs but said he did 80 no more than
pastor should, and no more than he did other
practitioners. He also admitted furnishing Mr..
Gibbs with the ergot and musk powders, and also
with the golden SEAL but he said that they were
for the purpose Of curing her complaints aud
with no evil intent. He denied the squeezing
kissing, pushing and assault; and said that he
never had given her the medicines himself
nor had any conversation with her about her
troubles He had had all his talks with Mr..
Gibbs, and had sent all the medicines through
him. As to the chloroform, he gave that to ease
her from the agony which she WAS suffering on
certain night by sick headache. MIR. Worthen
denied point blank all attempts at seduction with
or the employment OF 4 word or gesture which was
improper. He made good appearance upon the
stand, and his testimony was marked with SINGER
ity and candor from beginning to end. He Is now
about fifty-two years old. has a wife and two
children, and stands high in his denomination as
preacher and man Of learning. lie Is a man
OF great earnestness, and he has many warm
friends and some bitter enemies. The case was
ably tried on both sides. Messrs James n
Johnson, S c Shurt.eff and Charles H. Heath
are the plaintiffs counsel, and Messrs Frank
Piumley, William P Dillingham; aud Clarence Ii.
Pitkin appear for the defendant.
The remainder OF the week was taken up with
the trial OF two petty civil causes. In one Orrin
Z. Holt OF Woodbury. recovered S62 80 from Her
sey Slayton Of Calais balance due Tor labor per-
formed on the defendants farm, two or three
years ago In the other Raymond p. Camp Of
Orange and Edward Emery Of Barre sued Gil
man j. Jackson and c. B. Townsend of Barre to
recover the balance due on eighteen tons OF hay,
about half Of which the defendants refused to take
on the ground thatit was not up to the quality
contracted for. The plaintiff recovered, subject
to the decision of the court on certain law points
The court Is now trying Matthew Mccartney
for the murder Of his wife.
The court room is crowded with spectators, in
GLIDING quite number OF ladies. McCaffrey was
brought from Brattleb 70 NJ nday by Sheriff
Atherton and Is kept handcuffed. Jury was
drawn yesterday afternoon and the case was
opened with the testimony Of McCaffrey's chill
dren. 1t seemed terrible to hear them sta tie in
the presence Of their father the details Of his
b, rrible murder OF their moth r and grandmother
The defense will be a plea Of insanity and the
cross-questioning of the counsel was all aimed 10
that direction Messrs. c. II. Pitkiu and IL. A.
Huse appear for the state and W. p Dillingham;
and George w. Wing were assigned by the court
for the defence.