Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-02-12
STATE AFFAIRS.

A RUTLAND MARBLE QUARRY CAVES IN WITH
FATAL RESULTS.
A shocking accident took place at the
north quarry of the Vermont Marble compa.
ny at West Rutland Wednesday afternoon.
The quarry runs down to depth OF 100 feet
perpendicularly, and siants down fully 300
feet from the first opening into a huge cham
Der or cavern. part of it had been aban-
doned and was filed with 30 feet of water,
covered with ice. At 3 O'Clock. without the
slightest warning, huge mass OF marble,
loosened by the frost, fell from the roof with
a crash, and by the terrible upheaval which
followed E. Il. Cops, machinist and fore
man, was carried to the farther end in a
gorge of ice, while - companions We're toss
ed about by the conclusion, and narrowly es-
capped instant death desperate attempt
was made to reach Copps, who seemed to be
standing bolt upright IN a mass OF broken
ice, but in 10 minutes another mass fell,
burying him out of sight. Work was sus-
pended in all quarries in the vicinity and
great excitement prevailed. The water will
be pumped out, but Copps's body cannot be
reached for days or weeks. The mass of
fallen marble is estimated at not less than
5000 carloads, and it will take months to
open the quarry again. Napoleon Youdette
had a leg broken in two places. Valuable
machinery was ruined and the total loss to
the company will exceed S2j 900. Cops
was young man universally esteemed and
leaves a wife and child. 1t was a sad sight
when Mrs Cops was driven by friend to
the scene and after gazing in mute despair at
the huge cavern where her husband was bur
led was quietly led away by friends.
THE FAMOUS RUTLAND JUG" CASES ONCE MORE.
The session of the supreme court for
Rutland county closed last Saturday and
Chief Justice Royce gave decision in the IA
nous O'Neil liquor case, affirming the judg-
ment Of the county court. John O'Neil, driv-
en- out of the state by active prosecutions,
started a saloon in Whitehall, n. Y, aud
shipped liquor in jugs to Rutland by express
sc. O. D." As Rutland saloons were nearly
all closed by active prosecutions he did a
thriving business. 10 December, 1882, Just
before Christmas, a large number of sealed
Jugs were seized on the arrival of train.
ONeil was afterward caught in the state and
sentenced on 307 convictions for second
| ofense of selling liquor to huo of S6liO
and costs with two months imprisonment
| with the alternate sentence of over 80 years
| in the house OF correction. He appealed
and in argument before the supreme court OF
the county, January, 1884, the judges stood a
| tie, to 2; before the general term there was
another tie, 3 to 3. Since then Judge Redheld
| mas r6SlBueu anu JuuBd hdAhoI huCcttueu
him, so that the tie was broken and result
was reached. The decision holds that the
sending of liquor from New York to custom
| ers in Vermont by express, @. o. D., is in le
gal effect the sale of that liquor aud that the
| express company Is the agent of tho seller
and not the purchaser in Vermont. O'Rei
! will take the case to the United States SUI
preme court on a writ of error, claiming that
the decision is in conflict with the United
States constitution relating to interstate com
MERGE This was allowed and bonds fixed al
| $4,000.
There were 344 births in the to Rn Of
Rutland last year, and 1856 deaths.
futile q Co. of Rutland, state printers
are sending of the blanks for tax inventories
| for 1886. They are the same as last year
About lGO, 900 blanks are required.
The state horse breeders association
has decided to hold the next fall meeting a
Rutland on September 10, tbs citizens OF
that village having subscribed 5000 aud Of
fered the free use of the grounds.
The spring term of the st. Johnsbury
academy opened last week with 25G students
Seth Caswell of Barnard, a weak minded
old man of II, got angry with his wife be
cause she went to work for a neighbor anC
on Wednesday shot her in the lungs prob
ably fatally, because she refused to go hom'
with him. Caswell is in jail. The man is q
years old.