Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-01-15
Of the letter Wood was in Brattleboro in
very apparent state Of drunkenness.
Wnnnln nn.innn. mnrnrh

OOO teet) OF the lumber was lett, the balance
having been sold When this fact came to
the knowledge Of the directors they we're
agreed that he should be prosecuted for tro-
yer and a writ was soon after issued
against him. His arrest took place in No.
vember two or three weeks before the loss Of
the letter, but by arrangement with the bank
Wood WAS allowed to remain in Londonderry,
he having given a mortgage on his mill prop.
erty ~ further security for his debt and prom
Used TO pay $500 on Dec. 10, 5000 on Jan 10,
etc. He failed to pay on Dec IL AZ agreed,
and was again taken into custody, but was
again released on paying Sl03 and arranging
to make further payments During this time
the fact was developed that wrts of attach.
ment were running on the property last
mortgaged, at the time the mortgage was
given, but of these Wood claims to have
been ignorant.
While Woods business operations gave
considerable life to the village for a time they
do not seem to have been very successful. A
Trustworthy correspondent says that numer-
Gus unfortunate transactions of his could be
named aud that he is at present owing con
siderable number Of bills ranging from $50
upward The livery stable keeper claims to
be one of his victims, to the extent of @l75
aud among other instances it is said that
three men within as many months, have sold
Wood lumber, expecting to get pay when de.
livered, but were told that he would pay in
20 days, but 60 days have passed and there
is still no prospect Of any money for them.
Mr. woods Successor.
The man named by the department to sue
coed MIR. Wood il II. w. Goddard, n man Of
60 or 60 years for whom petition WAS cir
cuated last summer, while Woods appoint
ment was pending. His life has been spent
on farm at the foot Of Glebe mountain but
his farming WAS not pecuniariy successful
aud latterly he has lived in the village work.
ing at odd jobs. lie Is a man of undoubted
integrity, but this seems to be bis only quail
hcation for the Office. II is claimed that he
has been strongly supported for the place by
j. l.. Martin, and by his son. NJ. IL. Goddard
of Ludlow. The point seems to be, and is in
fact 80 stated by Mr.. Martin, that So. Derry
village is entirely lacking in Democratic tim
Der suitable to make postmaster out Of, and
the only reason for Goddard's appointment
is that 1t il the best that can be done out of
"home talent" in the Democratic party. MIR.
Martin claims, with other Republicans, that
the Office should have remained in the hands
of the Republicans, many Of whom are fully
competent to transact its business to the sat
istaotion OF its patrons. The arrangement
which NJ II. Goddard has made for his faith.
err is that he shall put the office in II p. Chase's
store and that Chase aud his clerk, G.. o Hunt
ington, shall lie appointed assistants. In this
way the office will be nominally in the bands
of postmaster who is honest and reputable,
while his assistants, who are both OF excel.
lent character, will be capable Of running the
office properly. This also looks like trade, "
but it appear to be a fact that trade is nee
essary in order to have a Democratic post
master at South Londonderry
At the best the strongly Republican CON-
munity Of So. Derry does not take kindly to
the thought Of a Democratic postmaster, aud
monstrance against Goddard has been
circulated on the ground Of his "Incompe-
tency" aud "lack Of qualification for the Of
flee One hundred and thirty xix signatures
were obtained on this remonstrsnce, good
many of them, however from No Derry,
and the remonstrance, with other documents,
has gone on TO Washington. Whether It will
produce any effect remains to be seen. II it
does it will be interesting to see where the
department goes next for a Democratic post
master.
what Wood Claims for Himself.
Ia presenting this account we have aimed
to state the case impartially, from reliable
sources OF information, as it is generally IN
derstood to be by the So. Londonderry commu-
nifty. In order to be just to all concerned we
addressed Mr. Wood letter asking him for
any statement that he or his friends might
choose to make. In reply he says that be has
coute mplated writing out full statement of
the facts for publication in our columns, but
that d, velopments showing conspiracy
against him are coming out every hour and
that be waits for the facts TO fully convict the
conspirators. He adds
"Sufhce II to say. propose to prove in every par
ucular as 10 the charges made against me, # can
learn what those charges From letter received
from the department under date Of jan q, 1t seems
there have been no charges preferred, and how the
matter OF the appointment Of Henry W. Goddard was
obtained If mystery, unless by the ugiug aud hocus-
pocus OF Inspector Lamson and the Retormer clique.
The sentiment aud sympathy Of the people here be-
leye to be strongly growing In my favor Marks Of
such evidence are showing themselves daily. l have
demanded full and rigid investigation OF the de-
pIrtment, but get no satisfaction from that quarter.
feel the cnuspirators fear it, and do not desire that
may be given opportunity for defence Il m ght
bring to light evidence OF their dirty work.
The letter from the department, which Mr..
Wood refers to, is as follows;
POsT-oTFIcE DEPARTMENT,
OFFICE OF The PosIMAsTER GESERAL. I
WAsmSGTGS. u. c., jan. 5, 1850
Dear Sir Your favor Of Jan. "a, addressed to the
Postmaster General has been referred to this ONCE for
answer and action. So far as am Informed there
no charges pending against the postmaster re-
ferred to- Until charges properly preferred 1t is
not deemed necessary to send an inspector.
Respectfully, WM A. WEST,
Chief Post Ofice Inspector.
friend Of Wood writing for him, says
he has been "shamefully abused" and hunt
ed down" OF the lost letter he says :
There is only Winchesters word that the
letter was sent, aud a large majority OF our
citizens do not believe that any money was
lost. IL the letter was sent, AZ claimed,
there is not ot OF evidence that it was pill
fered at this office" We are forced to say
that we do not believe these last statements
are at all borne out by the facts.
This friend of Wood says of the transac
ton with the Jamaica bank that the lum Der
was mortgaged with the understanding that
Wood would ship from it a. long as he was
adding to it, or kept the security good, and
he further says there never was time when
the bank didn't have security to the amount
OF five times" its loan. Whether these
statements correspond with the facts must be
left for Londonderry people to Judge for
themselves. The same correspondent says
that Woods opposition to the Central Yer.
mont ring, and personal animosities between
Martin, Smith and others are at the bottom
of the trouble.
H rs "a Democratic Fight.
So far AZ can be learned we Judge that,
with the exceptions which have been named,
the affair has been almost exclusively Dem
ocratic one. The Republicans as whole
have kept aloof from interference in it, The
correspondent alluded to in the first part of
this statement says $50 far az | can learn
the petitions of both applicants, Wood and
Goddard we're signed by Democrats only,
though it is claimed that one Republican
signed Goddard's petition. Cudworth, our
last representative, Republican, wrote a let.
ter Of recommendation for Wood, and Shanks,
editor of the Sitter, used his influence for
Wood A"