The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1890-07-16
Desperate Encounter with Thief.

Deputy-sheriff Heath of Warren received
a notice. and an offer of S2j reward. on
July 3, for the return OF team stolen from
a Mr.. Baker of Ripton and the capture Of
the thief. No team answering to the de-
sCription having been seen in town, he took
no notice of the matter until Monday, July
Z, about nine O'Clock in the morning, when
Fred and Warner Pierce came to Mr.. Heath
and said that sometime during the night
their fathers road-cart had been stolen,
and that the thief had hid wagon in some
bushes near Fred Pierce's house. They
brought whip with them that was
left in the wagon, which Sheriff Heath
identified as answering the description of
the one stolen in Ripton with the team, it
being marked 81. w. Baker, Middlebury."
The supposition being that the thief had
taken the cross-road from Mr. PerCe's to
Lincoln, Mr. Heath and H. r. Kennedy
started on the Lincoln road. Before they
had gone far they discovered a track made
by a road-cart, but could get no other clue.
When they came to the cross-road there were
no signs of any one having been over it in
the night, so they went over to Mr.. Pierces.
There they found a wagon answering the
description OF the one taken from Baker
They also found that there had been part
of bag of meal, wrench and an oil-can
taken from e. G.. Heath's shed the night
before. Sheriff Heath took the wagon into
his possession and returned to the village.
On the way he found that team had been
heard to cross the bridge near Walter Bag
ley's about three o'clock in the morning
a team was heard on the Lincoln road by
several other parties, the time given vary
ing from three o'clock to half-past three.
About one o'clock Sheriff Heath and Carlos
Martin started on the road-cart track found
in the morning, which was very easy to fol-
low, as it was new cart and was driven on
the right side of the road all the way.
About one hundred fifty rods up the
mountain they lost the track. Sheriff Heath
got out of the wagon and found where the
track of a man aud a horse turned into the
woods. The man carried the back part of
the cart about two rods and then put it down.
When Heath found the cart track again lie
motioned to Martin to come. About six
rods from the road was r. B. Miller's
sugar-house, in front of which he saw a
horse and the cart that was stolen from
Pierce Heath looked into the sugar-house,
but there was no one there. He then
went around to the west end and
found a man sitting there. As soon as the
man saw Sheriff Heath he put his
hand into his hip pocket. Sheriff II cath
waited no longer, but clinched him, and
called to Martin to come quick. When
Martin came up he found Heath engaged
in desperate struggle. Heath said, " Take
that revolver away from him, =" which Martin
at once proceeded to do, but did not succeed
in so doing until he fired once, the ball pass
and under Martins arm. Martins next
discovery was that the unknown had Heath's
| wrist in his teeth. Martin struck him sew
! eral blows in the face with his fist, but with
no apparent effect, and as a last resort he
dealt him a blow with the revolver he had
taken away from him, which closed his eve
and caused him to let go his hold on the
wrist of Heath and say, 81 give up" The
officer at once bound the prisoner and
searched his person, but no more weapons
and no papers to tell who he was were
! found. The revolver was a thirty-eight
calibre, double action, of English make, and
a dangerous weapon for a man to fight
against with no weapons at all. Sheriff
| Heath arrived in the village about three
| o'clock with the horse and harness stolen
in Rpton, the cart taken from Mr.. Pierce
and the prisoner, who refused to give his
name or even talk at all about the matter
| 1t was rather a rough looking party when
they got TO the hotel. Sheriff Heath had
cut on the head about an inch long, which
had bled quite freely. The prisoner had
one eye completely closed and face all blood
and Martin a small cut on the hand. There
were exciting times for a few minutes
Tuesday there were two complaints sworn
out against the unknown prisoner, one for
stealing the road-cart and one for an as
sault on Sheriff Heath with intent to kill.
The prisoner made no plea to either. The
state put in their evidence, and Justice c.
! w. Bragg held that il was sufficient to hold
| the prisoner until the session of the grand
! jury, and that he should furnish bail to the
amount of five hundred dollars for first Of
! fence and one thousand dollars for second
or be lodged in Jail. The prisoner said he
had no bail to offer and was lodged in
Washington county Jail that same night.