St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-04-24
VOLUME 47---NUMBER 2439

| friends wherever she went. After
! coming TO this town she went away to
teach school, returning the first of last
November to enter her brothers print
| ing office. After Charles Phelps re-
tired from the partnership, Ellen. or
! Nellie, as she was familiarlv called.
stayed to learn the trade. She was
looked upOn by all Us an attractive,
modest, honest and capable girl. aud
the wittering whisper of idle gnssip
/ had not breathed across her fair fame.
After time Miss Phelps went into the
Office of the Lancaster Gazette to work
at the case. Before and after her be
ing employed 10y him Baird openly,
and with due respect and politeness.
escorted her to various GATHERINGS and
entertainments, and they were said to
! he excepting COMPANY This ex-
/ preston, although extremely indefinite
III the measure of its application. al
| ways conveys the idea that if the
parties excepting company" find their
tastes, dispositions and aspirations
congenial, they Will in proper course
of time be united in wedlock. Woman
is made for marriage many, nay most
| OF the weaker sex, look forward to il
rs the end and aim of existence and
Il happy, prosperous marriage should
be such end and aim. Who can tell.
in view of the pleasant acuuaintance
and good friendship existing mt this
time between Baird aud the deceased.
what hopes this intimacy raised in that
maiden's breast how anxiouslv vet
reioicingly she watched and waited for
their fruitiou
Four weeks ago Saturday Baird and
Miss Phelps went to Littieton on the
invitation of the former that they go
down and have pleasant day shop
ping. She accepted and they did not
return until Baird came Monday noon
and the girl at night. Murder will
ont, and in Il wonderfully short time
enough was known about this visit to
warrant the requiring of an expana-
tiOn. Baird denied spending the time
in LittlctOn. He ''mercIv went down
on the train with her, put her into
Thayer's hotel cab at Littleton station.
and then continued on to Montpelier"
For want of conclusive proof this was
reluctantly swallowed. But little by
little, proof accumulated. One person
saw them together in Littleton; an
other saw their names on the hotel
register; and when accused according
ly Baird admitted it, complaining that
folks wonldn't allow him to enjoy him
self without making ii lot of talk and
trouble about it. From posing as a
martyr he changed into IL cOrrupter of
female virtue, and bOasted loudly of
his numerous exploits in that direction
To cap the climax of infamy he at
length related some of the particulars
of his late escapade at LittlctOn. OF
course as ever in such cases the lower
stratum of society regarded him as Il
hero, while all grades despised and
condemed the victim. Why is it that
in every case the victim (perhaps in
nocent and helpless) of mans lust is
, ostracized, Stunned and held up TO
point a moral, while the base wretch
= in the form of the Divine Master is
pitied and excused if not petted and
exalted Why is it that in too many
instances public sentiment curbing its
wrath before the majesty of the law,
; allows the hollow mOckery of II trial to
defeat the ends of Justice 4?
} Naturally as proof was found the
woman fell lower and lower Turned
: from her boarding-place because of
2 these rumors, the poor girl sought
shelter elsewhere. After repeated re-
: bluffs Mrs. Edmund Is. Stratton of Elm
, street admits her to her home Last
l week Monday she went to work as
usual. Tuesday noon she went home
broken down. Wednesday at mid
night she took morphine, repeating
the dose at four o'clock Thursday
morning. Doctor Dan Lee Jones was
/ called and prescribed and administered
standard remedies. But in vain was
medical attendance. Ellen Phelps
died by her own hand at twenty min
. utes past five o'clock, on the afternoon
= of Thursday, April 10.
| DIR. JONES' TESTIMONY.
t Was called to Mrs. Stratton's Thurs
day morning at seven o'clock | went
to Miss Phelps room, found her sitting
up, eyes wild. Asked her what she
D. had been taking, and she said she had
4 taken morphine, Il half teaspoOnful
/ jammed down. ] examined her pulses
and they were regular. Asked her
when she took it and she said at four
o'clock that morning. | asked her
= what she did it for, and she said
+ because | wanted to die asked her
why she wanted to die. She said she
had no friends except Mrs. Stratton in
D the world. told her she would die.
+ and asked her to tell the story of her
( trouble. She said Everybody thinks
.. ! am Il bad girl, but am not. Three
weeks ago went to LittIetOm with Mr..
Baird and we put up at the hotel. All
h my life ! have occasionally taken Il
t glass of wine. took a glass with him
q and think he drugged it. was un-
conscious for some time, when | re
covered my senses | knew what he
had done. EShe then told the doctor
- what Baird did and his brutal treat-
g ment. | then asked her if she loved
= him. She said she did and that he
II ought to marry her. said that we
g would make him do it. Ia ten minutes
she was insensible and remained 80
|. until she died.
o The woman where Nellie boarded
e gave her testimony more minute and
e damaging to Baird than the doctor
,fl Nellie made confidant of the woman
It as she had no other friend. Her story
II was simply horrible.
n 1t is thought that Baird would haze
l. been lynched had he not been put il
d Jail, so bitter was the feeling at Ian
1t easter against him. His examination
e takes place at LittletOn on Tuesday oI
II this week. the authorities not daring
!. to try the case at Lancaster.
IL SQuibS.
a GLOW long have YOU been married
re- Mrs. Slowboy p give years Why
Sc yOu ought to have a wooden wedding.
J. "Have," replied Mrs. SloNboy, gianc
~ ing across at the meek figure Of Il mar