Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-05-29
SENT TO RUTLAND.
THE TRUE ISwARDNEss OF DIsoRAoEFUL
PLACE DISCLOSED.

THE TRUE INwARDNEss OF A DIs0RACEFUL
PLACE DISCLOSED.
Last Sunday afternoon complaint was
sent down from the old fair grounds that Jo-
seph Smith, a one. armed negro new TO Brat
tleborO, was drunk, throwing stones, and
cleaning out the whole crowd" Officers
Alls, Warren and Pettee went up and found
Smith, arrested him aud brought him down,
locked him up, and next morning he was tax
en- before Justice Newton and fined So and
costs for drunkenness -amountng 10 SIG in
all. In default Of the money be was taken to
Rutland next day to serve the state in the
workhouse for about 100 days.
These are the main facts in Smiths case.
Another fact il that he WAS probably the
least guilty one in the crowd which infests the
Playground and was involved in last Sunday q
weekly fracas. The officers met Smith on his
way TO the street a. they we're going up. He
had been drinking, but was not noisy or dis
orderly, and turned about and went back when
asked to do so. Everett Willard, one OF the
notorious young negroes who was especially
wanted, had cleared out by the time the off.
GERS got there and was not found.
Smith came here from Keene last week. He
said he was in the army, but lost his left arm
in saw-mill at North Adams after ward. He
is hard case, aud evidently has had vide
brought into court he showed himself a good
lawyer and cross examined the negro Wheel
er, who complained Of him, the police, aud
other witnesses, with much shrewdness and
not altogether TO their advantage. The story
which he told in court, through his own ties
timony and that which he drew out of others,
disclosed the true inwardness OF a locality
which IL blot on the town aud ought TO be
cleaned out.
In brief the story was that the rum which
furnished the inspiration for Sundays row
was received by the Willard boys the night
before by express. It came in a box in four
quart bottles. Smith bought pint OF it, and
that night and the next morning the four
quarts we're all drunk up, 20 that mr.. Hen
nessey," an Irishman who acts as an agent
for the Willards and furnishes liquor for them
to ''other Irish gentlemen" didn't get his
portion when he came up for it on Sunday
Smith drew out of the negro Wheeler the
fact that be keeps a disorderly house, with a
black woman in it of bad character, who con-
sorts with one of the Wizards. He also said
the Willard boys took him over across the
Playground and introduced him to a woman
called the Great Eastern" The generally
disreputable character of all the parties here
mentioned has long been known, and the fact
seems TO be that in less than weeks time
this one-armed negro got at the material to
put the picture on canvas with a few quick
strokes of an artists brush.
Last summer the police we're repeatedly
called up to this locality to quell disturbances.
On their next call, il they do their duty, they
! will arrest the whole crowd. One picturesque
incident Of recent occurrence Was the drag
| ging OF the old man Fitzgerald around the
field by rope tied under his arms. It ap-
pears to be q regular branch of the Wizards
business TO get rum by express aud then deal
it out TO the worst element in town. One
man who watched this brawny negro conduct
his case on Monday suggests that, il there ID
no other way to reach this crowd, il would be
we'll TO bring him down from the workhouse,
give him policeman's commission, and APP
point him to the Playground for his beat
1t is proper to say in this connection thai
the officers are satisfied that there is no
foundation in fact to the story OF attempted
rape on young girl, to which allusion was
made last week.