The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-10-14

pers ana ex-nenberS were signed in the
registration book.
~, AMoNG the veterans in attendance upon
the reunion, no one was more Youthful In an
pearance than the Hon. Il. p. Walton.
The SHERMAN BAND were provided with
Derths IN the dining-hall OF the Golden
fleece ana took their meals at HUNTINGDON
iHE representatives Of the press were in
debted to the thoughtfulness of Manager
Waterh0use Tor the facilities afforded them
at the banquet.
SOME sixty-three hundred pieces of
crockery and glassware were used nv
Manager Warehouse in serving the han
quet Thursday evening.
IHE oldest business sign visible durino
the reunion and familiar 10 many of the ex
legislators, was that of the venerable John
Deinerltt, which was hung out in 1929.
SEVERAL members of past legislatures at
tended the reunion who failed to register
their names in the secretarys book Among
these was the venerable Moses p Cheney
of Barnard
BUT Tor the Golden Fleece, Montpelier
would have been entirely unable TO ac-
commodate the great audiences which as
sembled during the exercises of the legisla-
tive reunion.
The boyish, busness-like appearance Of
Bell of Walden formed striking contrast
WIN the bowed, heavy-browed, patriarchal
form OF the Grandfather Bell supported nv
MS long staff, who represented the same
town forty years ago.
Hon. ISAAC n. HALL antedates. in term of
service, all others present at the reunion
1885 being his first year in the Legislature.
lie also represented Groton in the wears
1876, 80, 40, '6T and '6S: and Caledonia
county in the Senate in 1S4S, go and '61.
Mr. Hall was member of the Constitu-
tional Convention of 1850
OF the oldest members present there were
] a
Aiken, aged eighty-siX; John l.. Bowman,
eighty-fve; G. S. Rumsey, eighty: William
Miller, eighty; Homer E. Hubbeil, eighty
one; "A. l.. Miner, eighty-two; w. r. San
FORA, eighty; 0. l.. French, eighty-one;
Moses E. Cheney, seventy-nine
PERHAPS the most noticeable family
gathering at the reunion was that of four
brothers-Danel II Bromley of Pawlet,
who was here in 1854 DIR. George w.
Bromley OF Richmond, who represented
Huntington in 1901; Jerome b. Bromley,
who was sent by Castleton in 1920: and
Adams L. Bromley, who represented Pawlet
in 1882.
a GENTLEMAN in attendance tells of what
seemed to him " the finest sample of third
house members" A child of twenty-one
months, meeting grandfather, with other
| veterans on the street crashed with zest the
grandsre's legs and brought to a standstill
the movements of the whole party. 1t sug-
gested to him the moral: Innocence con-
| trolls wisdom.
! VOLUNTEER HOSE COMPANY, No. /. gave an
exhibition of the working of the Montpelier
| water system, at the corner of Main and
| school streets and on the common near the
| Pavilion, Thursday, for the benefit of a
! large crowd OF strangers. All who witnessed
| the exhibition were loud in their ex-
| pressions OF surprise and pleasure with what
they were permitted to see.
AFTER the concert in the Capitol grounds,
AL no sln 81
Montpelier bands united and marched
together to the head of State street, PLAYING
! Apelles splendid march, Tower Light
Infantry" The great band numbered
forty -seven pieces. The Instrumentation
consisted of two piccolos, one oboe eight
clarinets, one bassoon, nine comets, seven
altos. two tenors, five trombones, two eu-
phoniums, four E fiat tubas four drums and
two pairs of cymbals. Never before was
such music heard on our streets. Mr.. Sher-
man, the efficient and gentlemanly leader
of the splendid organization which bears
ms name, was greatly pleased with the COM
bination, and complimented the MONTPELIER
band very highly. The musicians marched
in the same way at the head of the process
sion, in the afternoon, and played together
on the route.
THE manner in which the MONTPELIER mill
tary band performed its duties during the
Legislative reunion was surprise to many
and great credit to the town. Its services
were first required Tuesday afternoon and
| from then until Friday noon We're continually
| in demand The best work was done at the
farewell concert in front of the Pavilion,
Friday forenoon, when some of the choicest
| selections We're performed and the capabli-
ties OF the organization Were display ed to
| the best advantage. A new interest has
! been awakened in the band, and if this and
the present favorable circumstances con-
tinue to exist, we see no reason why it may
| not soon reach the goal to which it aspires -
an efficiency equal to that of the famous
Sherman band of Burlington. Experienced
musicians express their opinion that for
street music the Montpelier band is already
on par with that organization. Let not
the interest awakened in our band be al
lowed to decrease in any measure.
AMONG the oldest members of the reunion
was our extra well-preserved fellow-citizen,
Colonel Orange Fitield now in his eighty
| third year. In the years 1880 he repre-
sented his native town of Orange in the
House, and did the state very valuable SER
| vice as member of the committee on banks
and especially as member of the committee
on claims. Meeting some of his old fellow
members at the Pavilion, last week. one of
them reminded Colonel Fiield of the way
in which he succeeded in preventing the
state from being teeced out of between
seven and eight thousand dollars while he
served on the latter committee. 1t appears
that IA certain merchant in Burlington had
| failed, owing a creditor in New York city
something like that amount. Under the old
law OF imprisonment for debt, the man was
arrested and lodged in Chittenden county
Jail. He subsequently escaped and fled to
| parts unknown. II was said that he bribed
female attendant nj the Jail, by giving her
| several silk dresses, to find where the keeper
deposited the keys, procure them, unlock
the doors and give him free egress. The
New York creditor was Disguised at thus
losing his debtor, and made a claim for
damages on one Lowrie, sheriff of the
county, on the ground that the officer had
not exercised due diligence in keeping safely
the poor debtor. Lowrie and all his bonds
men failed, and the New Yorker was again
out. Next the creditor appeared before the
Legislature for damages. A bill was intro
duced to pay him and referred to the COM
mittee ON claims. Able counsel was EN-
ployed to put the bill through. Four of the
nVe members voted to report il favorably,
Colonel Fitield alone dissenting. The chair
man said IL had passed the committee unan-
imously, but was little taken aback when
the colonel came in with minority report.
! To use the latter's own words: " saw lust
how it was. | saved all the evidence, kept
stlll and made my report 1t lay in this
way until the bill came up on its final pas
sage | said the chairman had reported it
| as passing the committee unanimously; that
| he should have used the words 'nedrlv
unanimous as it lacked my vote. | argued
| that the state had exercised due diligence
! in this matter; that the Jail was in good con-
! dition, the poor debtor legally committed,
and that | did not believe the state was