The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-12-12
Addison County Court.


mess.
The December term of the Addison
county court began in this village Tues
day. The officers of the court are (:
Hon. WheclOck q. NcaZey. presiding
Judge; Hon. Edison A. Doud. Hon. Hen
ry Lane. assistant Judges Rufus VAN
wright. clerk; Howard Clark. sheriff:
f. w. j. Hawkins. States attorney ::
Henry Oviatt. reporter. Among the
large number of out -of-town lawyers
present were Hon. +. r. Hard. Hon. w.
l.. Burnap, Hon. Henry Ballard and Geo
w. Wales of Burlington: Hon. w. G..
Dunton and George E. Lawrence of Rut-
land; Col. j. II. Lucia and l.. l.. Du-
rant of Montpelier; Lieut.-Gov. Ormsbce
and Walter p. Wheeler of Brandon; Cen
G. W. Grandey and Hon. F. Woodbridge
of Nergennes and Chas. f. Kingsley Of
Salisbury.
Rev. NJ. c. Stebbins, pastor of the
Cornwall Congregational church. offered
prayer, after which the court was opened
by proclamation by sheriff Clark. The
petitiu was called and sworn. 4 call
of the jury calendar showed but two
cases for trial.. G.. Partch VS.. ). \.
Spooper and Ira Tucker ct al VS.. f.. Law
renee ct al. All the Others had been set
tied or referred or were continued. and
in neither of these were the attornies
quite prepared to 90 on. \ recess was
accordingly taken till p. IN.
On the coming in of court in the after
noon, Mr.. Hard. counsel for the defence
in State VS.. Marian Catlin, asked that an
order be made for summoning witnesses
for their side. as the respondent had no
means with which to pay them. There
upon Mr.. Ormsbee. who had been as
signed TO assist the states attorney.
arose ana stated that the prosecution had
decided after mature dcllberation to ask
tlial a nolle-pros. be entered III tins case.
W ME ne was not prepared TO say he be-
lleVeu her innocent. the counsel Tor the
state had come to the conclusion that it
would DE exceedingly difficult to MAIN
tam Their case and under the circum-
stances dld NOT Ieel warranted in putting
the state TO the expense OF trial. lie
then mentioned some OF the points where
III the evidence Tor the prosecution was
detective ana was followed by Mr.. Bur
nap. also Tor the prosecution, who spoke
III the same strain, In order to make
clear the reasons these gentlemen gave
Tor the aDandonment OF the case. it Is
necessary TO recall the circumstances of
the alleged murder. On the I'D of No
vemOer; 1851 Villain Is. Catlin, Il small
FARMER III tine TOWN. OF Goshen. was taken
III with what was supposed to be typhoid
IeNcf' On tlle ia OF December, month
al'er ms Hrst attack' ne dled. during
tile ihohIh previous TO DIS death he raj
ilea several times ana had rs many re-
lapses. IN the meantime suspicious of
loul play had been aroused. and an in
VeStlSallon was entered upon. 1t was
=
llrst attack Mrs. tatlln had bought an
ounce OF arsenic ut Brandon for the pur-
pose, as she sand OF killing lice on colt.
ohe admitted giving Mr.. Catln dose of
the arsenic ON December -, but claim d
mat IL was through mistake. The story
ABOUT tle colt Wllen there was no such
animal on thc premises. was explained
by her ny saying III l the real object Of
tilc purchase was TO XIII ice on dog
put that sile ana not want II known that
iler Ialhlly KEPT lousy dog, and so she
SAID colt. Inc alleged motive for the
CRIME was an improper relation between
Mrs Catlln ana the hired man. This is
the story OF the crime as told in the pa
pers AT the time. III was expected that
the defense would claim that Mr.. Catlin
dled OF typhoid fever. anu so the prose-
cutlon endeavored to obtain evidence not
only that he dld not die OF typhoid fever,
Dut that ms death was the result of doses
OF arsenic administered by his wife, both
al the date OF ms llrst attack and also on
| subsequent occasions. Now IN order to
the establishment OF these premises and
the nope OF conviction it was requisite
TO nave competent expert testimony,
hrst, that death did not result from ty-
phold fever; and, second, that arsenic
had been found in the organs of the de-
ceased in such situation and quantity as
TO nave caused his death. DR.. \. i.
woodward OF Brandon, physician and
surgeon OF considerable local reputation