Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-07-17
o. p. MEAD'S CASE.

y. p. MEAOS CASE.
Oliver p. Mead of Salisbury went away
from home two weeks ago today and
when last heard from was in the vicinity
Of Toledo, O. His letters and actioIs
tend to show that he has become insabe
from financial troubles growing out Ibf
the misuse by him of trust funds.
The facts are said to be substantially
ds follows: The late Hon. James NJ.
3lade of this town by will gave his
youngest daughter, Miss Ella, a spdeial
lbgacy of $4,000 and made Mr.. Mead ME
Trustee of the fund. For yeai or more
Miss Slade has been able to get out of
Nh. Mead only small part of the in
come which the fund ought to yield, and
she finally appealed to her brother,
Judge Slade, for assistance in making
him come to time. Mr.. Slade on exam
lining the records of the probate court
found that Mr.. Mead last settled his ac-
count just before Judge Knapp gave up
the office and that he then squared up to
January l, 1889. The law says such
accounts shall be settled annually. Mr..
Slade then called for an accounting.
Mr.. Mead came up, and, after considera-
bic talk, admitted that he had taken
$1,000 of the money, producing at the
same time box which he had kept in
remaining $1,000. Mr.. Slade was, of
course, astounded at the confession, and
told Mr.. Mead that he must make the
fund good and that right away. The
latter proposed one or two methods by
which he thought he could do it, but
went home without doing anything. He
told Mr. Slade that he was badly in
volved and that it would be hard for
him to raise the money. This was
early in June. He did not again appear
at the probate office. and at last Mr..
Slade wrote him setting Friday, July 3,
as the day when he must come and fix
the matter up. That morning Mr.
Mead rode to West Salisbury depot with
his wife, telling her that he was going
should PROBABLY not return till the next
day. At the depot he wrote two letters
one to his wife and the other to Mr..
Slade. When next heard from he was
at Toledo, o., whence he wrote Mr..
Sade curiously wild letter, saying,
among other things, that he was going
to Chicago to run the Worlds fair. A
later letter indicates that he is making
the Journey from Toledo to Chicago on
foot.
Mr.. Mead is about 80 years of age. He
is son of the late Sidney Mead of Mid
dlebury and has two brothers, Messrs.
Judson and Wakeman Mead, both SUBJ
stantial farmers, who reside in the east
ern part of this town. Mr.. Mead him
self lived in this village till 1876, when
\ he removed to Salisbury to manage the
farm of his father-in-law, Mr.. Scott.
His own family consists of wife and
three children. He owns some property
in Middlebury, chiefly houses and land
on the south end of Court street. Inves-
LEGATION shows that these are heavily
mortgaged and that he is worth scarcely
dollar. His father was his bondsman
The old gentleman's estate was not set
tied through the probate court, the heirs
dividing the property among themselves
1t will probably be claimed by Miss
SHADES counsel that the property is still
holden for the bond and that the heirs
must make good the loss, which is likely
to figure about $4,000 in all. What Mr.
Mead could have done with the money
passes the comprehension of his friends
He had no expensive habits, dressed anG
lived plainly and must have had an in
come from the farm fully up to his re
quirements. He has been a promne1
member of the Methodist church fol-
years and quite an active worker in the
temperance cause.