The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1884-12-11
ADDISON COUNTY COURT.

ADDISON COUNTY COURT.
| List of Petit Jurors-The Disposal Of til
| List of Cause.-The Celebrated Catiin Tr,a
| Comes to Naught and Mrs Catth IL y
1 Distinguished Legal Lights IN a.
/ tendance. 4 /.
Especial Correspondence of the REronMER,]
MIDDLEBuRY, Dec 10.
The December term OF court for Addiso
county was commenced here yesterday. In
officers of the court are as follows: Hon w
Veazey OF Rutland, presiding Judge; Hon Hen
nv Lane of Cornwall and Hon Edison Dou'
of New Haven, assistant judges sheriff, How
ard Clark, I'd, of Lincoln; states attorney, Eu
ge ne w j Hawkins of Starksboro; clerk, Ru
fus Wainwrish of Middlebury; stenographer
Henry Oviatt of Montpelier.
The petit jurors summoned are as follows
Addison, Ezra Whitford George Smith
Bridport, Phelps Smith, William BREASTED
Bristol, James Balm, A Rathb1n; Cornwall
B L Haskell, Rollin A Fost; Ferrisburgh, |
w Field, Asa w Upper; Goshen, L Brown
Granville, Il Flint, John Wood, Jr; Han
Seymour; Lincoln, Charles G Butterfield
G gorge A Thayer; Middlebury, John w Hal
laday, Smith X Seeey; Monkton, William I
Patterson, Charles IL Stone; New Haven
Charles II Wicker, Harrison Mills; Ripton, w
S Huntey; Salisbury, John L Dyer; Shore.
ham, Miner Jones, Elmer Barnum; Vergennes
Frank Goss, Charles Stone; Waltham, Will
lard p Bristol; Weybridge, Willis Child
Whit ing. Abram Ellsworth. The towns OF
Panton, Orwell and StaIksboro, not having
complied with the law governing the drawing
of Jurors, have no jurors this term.
There were a large number OF legal lights
from abroad present at opening of the court.
Among tho gentlemen of the bar in attendance
from out of town were the following: Hon
George w Grady and Hon F E Woodbridge of
Vergennes w w Rider of Bristol; Chas f
Kingsley of Salisbury Acknowledgement
+ Ormsbee and Walter p Wheeler of Bran
don; Z G Hunt of New Haven; Hon w c
Dunton and G E Lawrence of Rutland; Luz
ther Durand and Joel H Lucia of Montpelier
and Hon II Hard, Hon Henry Ballard, A V
Spaulding and W G Burnap of Burlington.
The list of cases set for the jury, twelve in
all, diminished rapidly upon being called off
bv the court. The cases and the dispositions
made Of them were as follows: l. G Porter VS.
S A Spooner, trial; John G Stapleton VS. b
Hope, continued on account OF the plaintiffs
illness at Meriden, Conn; Gibbs VS. d W
Smith. continued and referred; Ira Tucker ct
al VS. L Lawrence ct al, trial. L Griffith vs.
jerry DTaSSO, COHllIlutu anu IelclIcu, jury
Brasso VS. S L Griffith, apt, continued and re-
ferred; James Kenworthy VS. A Spoonei, set
tied; Wheeler & Sheldon VS. E G Hunt, con-
tinued; Anna Hale VS. Grand Trunk II r Co,
Hiram Cutler VS. + I McDOnough,
S and G L Nutting, apis, VS.
Henry Hopkins, plaintiffs nonsuited; Emily
King VS. WATSON Atkins, continued. This left
only two OF the cases on the civil jury docket
tor trial
On The old docket the three following cases
we're thus disposed of: Lambkin & Foster VS.
Thomas Mack, plaintiffs nonsuited; Ellen l.
Benton vs. w Holland, and Phlander
Hanks, admir-, VS. Holland and Parker, contin-
led by agreement.
AS soon as the court had reconvened after
Inner, Lawyer 4 X Hard of Burlington got
Up and asked that the court should grant an
rider that the necessary expenses OF the de- |
ense in the case state VS. Catlin should be |
,orne by the state, and Mr. Wilds read an aft
lavit sworn to by Mrs Catlin, showing that she |
lad no means for proper defense. Just as
he court was on the point of granting the re-
Iuest, Lieutenant Governor Ormsbee, lead
ng counsel for the state in the case, rose and
sked the court to order the case nole pressed.
From the statements OF lawyer Ormsbee and
'urnap it appeared that the counsel for the
tate had looked their case over in all its bear
lgs and had come to the honest conclusion
nat it would not he possible for the proseCu-
|
as no evidence that Catlin, the deceased, had
led by poison. There were strong grounds
n suspicion that such was the case, but it
ould be impossible to prove it. DR. Woodland
Brandon, had sent certain portions of the
Scera and inlestines of the deceased to New
DIRK for analysis few days before the sitting
the special term OF court set for the trial OF
G case in June, and at that time, on the re- ;
lest OF the state, the case went over so that
e state could have the benefit of that analysis.
was claimed by the defense that Catln died
typhoid fever, and the state wanted an anal ,
is of the ieum, by which it could be posi-
1ely proven whether Catln really had died of |
hold fever or not. But DR. Woodland had
mt the vscera, etc. to New York without the
lowedge of the counsel for the state. And
re the question arises, supposing DR. Wood
d had not thought OF sending the viscera
'ay for analysis and the case had come to
al III June, what would have become of the I
)Secution 1t would have been converted o
o a. roaring farce and would have been tt
lghed out OF court. So DIR Woodland saved O
, states case that time, but this time he v
nned it. When he sent the viscera, etc. to r
" York, he put everything into one jar WITH a
labelling 1t, or III any way marking it for S
and sent it to his son, who is con- b
ted with Bellevue Hospital. The son sent n
~ messenger to DR. Pruden, of the College C
PLY slcians and Surgeons of New York, Il
III u request W dHdiyZe TIE contents Tor traces ii
typhoid fever. But DR. Pruden is very
~ man, and as the jar had not been propsr-
marked for Identification, when the counsel :.
the defense called on DR. Pruden for the re- W
is of his analysis, all he could tell them ~
that he did not find any evidence of death :, ~
N typhoid fever. But neither had he found -.
evidence of death from arsenical poisoning, a.,
having been requested to search for that. -;
it came about that the state found itself in - =;
1T, with case so vitality defective that, as =, -,
Ormsbee said, the states counsel consider ed y.
npossible to secure conviction. Accord -. ~
y Judge Veazey directed the clerk to enter ~, ie
'l pros, and ordered the respondents dis 'n
rye, and SO Mrs Catiin breathes the free air
heaven again after six months OF imprison-
It, and this celebrated case, SO badly bunsl d
II the beginning 10 the end, passes OFT from s.e a
docket Tor ever. States Attorney Hawkins, iu
! L Ormsbee and w l. Burnap were the
nsel Tor the state; and Messrs Charles NJ m'
DIS, Z Il Hard and Walter p Wheeler ap- m;
led for the respondent. mt
he first case brought to trial was that of l.
atch VS. 5 A Spooner. Ii is a case of tres he
!, aud involves the title TO strip of land.
III is Hinesburgh man and Spooner lives De
lonkton. The plaintiff claims that the de- | ter
ant has cut the timber off from some seven
6 of his land, and wants damages there or. | ar,
case is still on, and it is not vet known ,
the defense will deyelope. A V Spalding q,
Charles M Wllds appear for the plaintiff; a.
Rider and w c Dunton for SpoOner.