The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-04-08
Washington County Court.


Tuesday morning, the criminal docket was
called and only four liquor cases were found
to be ready for trial. The following pleas
of guilty were accepted: N. j. Duke, one
first offence; fined $40 and costs, amounting
to S42 r. B. Downing, Northfied. one
first offence; fined $40 and costs. Harvey
Wiley, Worcester, one first offence; fined
$40 and costs. Peter Gay, Montpelier, two
first offences; fined $50 and costs. William
Miller forfeited his bail of $50, and war
rant was issued, on motion OF the states
attorney.
The first case for trial was the State
against j. A. Locllin of Montpelier on an
Indictment found by the grand Jury for
selling lager beer to Elmer Hill and Herman
Hill, both sons of Marlin Hill of Berlin.
The offence was charged to have been COM
mitted on the I'd day of August, 1884-the
same day Of the assault by Maurice Locklin
upon Herman Hill, as mentioned in the
last issue of this paper. The two Hill bows
testified in straightforward manner to the
purchase of the lager beer and to drinking
it in the respondents store. The respond
ent claimed that the testimony on the part
of the state was the outgrowth of the
trouble which had been existing between
the Hill boys and Maurice Locklin, nephew
Of the respondent After a full trial of the
case, in which the respondent, Erastus
Locklin (his brother) John Jerrods and
Henry Washburn all testified that the beer
sold and drank by the Hill boys was tonic,
or birch beer the case was given to the
jury, who returned verdict of not guilty.
States Attorney Kemp for the state. S. G.
Shurtleif and George w. Wing for the
respondent.
The next case was that of State against
Frank H. Bascom of Montpelier. 1t ap-
peared that on the 9th day of September
one William Hull of Washington came to
Montpelier and, after wandering about the
town for the greater part of the day, got
tr,f1 ha oil tpha u.Nft Ioxrr
up. He disclosed before w. G.. Ferrin, JUS
tice of the peace, to having bought of Pit
kin boy (who was clerk for Bascom) one
drink of whiskey, and warrant was issued
for Bascom's arrest. He was tried and
found guilty, and an appeal taken to the
county court. When on the stand Hull tes-
titled that he bought the liquor and then,
on cross-examination,t testified that he could
not swear that he got it at Bascoms at all.
This was all the evidence there was on the
part of the state, and the jury rendered
verdict for acquittal. States Attorney Kemp
for the state; George w. Wing for the re-
spondent.
State against Elmer K. Bliss was next
called. On the 14th day of January Frank
Adams and Thomas McCarty of Northfield
came to Montpelier and claimed they visited
Bascom's, Bliss Campbells and others, and
got pretty drunk. They were arrested by the
authorities at Northheld the next day and
disclosed on Bascom and Bliss. Warrants
were issued and trials had, and the cases ap-
pealed to the county court. They testified
that they got lager beer of " Joe " Nichols, in
the store of the respondent; but the respon-
dent went on the stand and testified that
Nichols had not been in his employ at any
time. Nichols also testified to the same
Verdict, mot guilty" States Attorney
Kemp for the state; George w. Wing and
William A. Lord for the respondent.
State against Frank H. Bascom was a
haSpH a aSta ta1
in the preceding case. Adams testified that
on the 14th day of January he and McCarty
went into the store of the respondent, at
about eleven o'clock in the forenoon and got
drink of rum apiece of the clerk in the back
room. In the afternoon of the same day
Adams testified that he went into the store
and got bottle of rum, for which he paid
eighty cents. Bascom testified that on the
morning of the 1ith day of January he and
Charles III. Heaton were in his back room
studying the ritualistic work of the Consis-
tory and that the two fellows did not
come in there at all. Heaton swore to the
same, and that he stayed there until noon.
He testified that since about the middle of
February he had been in the habit of going
to the store of the respondent and staying
while Mr.. Bascom went to dinner; that his
pay for this service was all the cigars he
wanted to smoke, and that during all the
time he had not dispensed any of the pro-
hibted article. Mr.. Bascom testified that
Adams did not buy any liquor in the after
noon, which it supposed cast a " reasonable
doubt" on the evidence of the state.
Verdict, mot guilty" States Attorney
Kemp for the state; George w. Wing for
the respondent. The jurors in this case were
as follows: j. w. Sleeper, c. NJ. Richard
son, Erastus Keith George W. Chase, ID.
w. C. Ormsbee, F. f. Templeton, Will
Herrick, Dexter Moody, F. w. Tuttle,
Charles M. Bennett, John V. Sprague and
Henry Smith.
The case of State against George Durkee,
for an assault with intent to commit rape,
was disposed of by a forfeiture of the bonds,
and motion to chancer was made by o. b.
Boyce, his counsel. The bonds were chan
cered to fifty dollars.
This disposed Of the criminal cases for
trial and the jury was discharged for the
term. The court then took a recess until
Tuesday, April 14th, when the business not
for the jury will be taken up. The divorce
cases are, as a general rule, continued to the
next term of court on account of the law
passed at the last session of the legislature
to that effect. This may not however,
affect cases which were pending before the
passage of the act.