Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-05-28
THE PEDLER's vAL1sE MYSTERY AN OLD MA
NAMED WILLIS PROBABLY THE VICTIM.

THE PEDLERs yAL1sE MYSTERY AN OLD MAN
NAMED WILLIS PROBABLY THE VICTIM
"A West Dover correspondent writes: 1.-THE mystery
OF me peders yalise account Of which was given
10 the last weeks Phoenix under the head of "a SOM
etset Mystery has been partially cleared up this
week IL appears that the pedler who carried Tho ya
lise was one-armed man. about o. wears of ace. bv
the name Of L. p Willis and that he left lis hone
ehdlng TO go to fttchburg Mass to visit his brother
and daughter who reside ia that place After he ieft
ms home he was not heard from, aud his son who
nVes IN brdgewaer made search and inquiry for his
father, but could get clue until he heard of this
yalise aud he Immediately came here aud Identified
the Vaise aud goods as his fathers. party was or.
ganized to search the woods for the BODY but notb
ing was found. Upon inquiry 1t was learned that the
pe ~, Nas ast seen, after peddng through Somer
se. eulerlug me woods back of the house OF Mr. Em
cry Parsons, and It is thought that he attenpted 10
cIuss tne mountain To Glastonbury and became lost
anu could not hnd bis way ont. Further search will
probably be made" "
Another correspondent writes tnat the old mans
sou aud another man came 10 Somerset last Friday
aud on Saturday, in company with is otbers thsy
searched the woods and in the vicinity Of where
the valise was found; but made no discovery and
they went as far as West Dover that night on their
way home, having given up tue search Mr. Willis
nau oeeh helped by the town, which htttd him out
with few articles to peddle just to get his living
He left home the goth of last September, and was
seen ia TINS place about month later, but no one
seems TO know where he went TO. He had but one
arm ard was not thought to be Of a very sound mind
The Springfield Republican correspondent, who was
IN Somerset last week, has this item about the
mystery some years ago Bridgewater aud Shafts
bury, in Bennington county, commended over the sun
port OF poor man who had lived in both towns lie
crossed the mountains back aud forth, aud If Willis
be the unfortunate, 1t is probable that IN r.crnssua
through this unbroken wilderness he lost his Way and
died OF hunger, his body being dwl into hair deus
aud deNoured by bears. THIS thrury s summarized by
tue hudng Of coatsleeve In "a urighhurup thirk,t"
The Bellows Falls Times of this wrrk SAYS: IS ,no.
time last November, pedler SUPP SD tu have been
Wits, called at the Somerset huuses at Messrs Bur
nap and Fegan and It ts remembered that, instead Of
returning to the highway, he took d VINO road witch
led to the wilderness. On November 10th pn.ma. ter
Bond OF Searsburg and another rtsiottt were en-.
gagged In runninga boundary liue between Suurrse
and Sttatton, and when coming out Of the woods
they frequently heard indistnct cries long way ur
like those Of a human being, but which they finally
ing were possible for body but thrus Ives To be
IN those woods, especially on tn day, which was
OF the very coolest Of the winter. II therefore
pretty generally believed that those cries came from
the lost and distracted pedler who, being an old man
had mistaken the much-used wood road for the biph
haps frozen his body hually preyed upon by the
bears or other wild beasts which iufest that drga
country. Rumor has It that taered coat sleeve has
been found near where the pack discovered"
THE FACTS IN THE POST OFFICE CASE
"A correspondent writes; ain regard to the post
office in this town the facts these: The mail runs
| twice week, Tuesdays and Saturdays, aud Mrs. SUIT
ton, the postmisreRa requested the patrons Of the
office TO got their mail so that she could be absent two
days n the week-Wednesdays and Thursdays--if she
wished to be, aud no one found fault with this ar
rangement except +. ID. Chase, Esq, who having
! found her absent from home more coca
sons made complaint and procured Inspector Lam-
sons visit to this place. The next day after Iuspec-
tor Lamsons visit petition asking that removal Of
the post office or postmaster be made signed by
cry man in town except Mr.. Chase was Forwarded to
J the post master general.