Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-08-14
THE CHAOUETTE CASE.


Collette at Ferrisburgh on the night of
Sunday, August 81, 1890, which began in
the county court here on the 18th inst, is
still in progress. Present indications are
that the case cannot be given to the jury
before next Tuesday or Wednesday, if
then. The whole of the eight days so far
have been devoted to the examination of
the States witnesses, and not all of them
have been heard as we go to press. Pub
lie interest in the trial is great; the court
room is crowded almost all the time.
Many ladies attend, over 100 of them be-
ing there at once one day this week.
The evidence tending to show that
Chaquette committed the crime is wholly
circumstantial, but there is a good deal
of it.
The chief witness last Thursday
afternoon was Alonzo Bell, who tes
titled that he occupied the same room as
Chaquette at Robt. Sattley's, for whom
both worked; that Chaquette went away
from the house about 80 the night of
the murder and returned about | o'clock.
On Friday, the witnesses were Miss L.
Garrapy, who said that Chaquette told
her that if Minnie Pidgeon (the widow of
Collette) married Collette he would kill
him; Joseph Larrow, who told a similar
story; DR.. Shipman of Vergennes, who,
with DR.. Cram, made the autopsy, and
gave an account of what they found: j.
II. Harrington, clerk in Booth & Sons
hardware store, Vergennes, who said he
sold Chaquette ammunition and a ram
rod; Ira Upper, who went to the Hanks
house, where Collette and his wife lived,
the night of the shooting and helped clean
up; Robt. p. Sattley, who gave an ac-
count of the sale of the gun to Chaquette,
though he never knew him to go out gun
ming, and of the proceedings at his house
on the night of the murder, ending with
the arrest of Chaquette; A. Douglas,
who was in Mr.. Sattley's employ at this
time, and said Chaquette went away early
in the evening of the murder, returning af-
quette had shot the gun to try it and that
he was not in the habit of being out
nights; Fred Ball, for whom Chaquette
had worked and who testified that Cha
quette had told him that if Miss Pigeon
and Collette were married they would
not live together long; Holden Beach,
who said Chaquette was a disagreeable
man to get along with; \. L. Booth, who
was at Reuben Parker's when he heard of
the murder and went to the Hanks house
with Mr.. Parker, by whom the body was
prepared for burial, after which they
went to Sattley's, where he saw the pis-
tol taken from Chaquette and examined
Chaquette's shoes and trousers, which
were wet and muddy. President Brain
erd was recalled and gave new facts rel
alive to the premises, he having made adj
dtional measurements on Thursday.
\. L. Booth was concluded and Reuben
Parker gave his testimony. Mr.. Booth
said the gun was found in the hog pen.
There were tracks in a potato field in the
direction of the creek and at the Hanks
house; witness examined the tracks and
thought the tracks were alike at both
| places and that Chaquette's shoes made
them; the buckshot found in Chaquctte' 5
gun were not ordinarily used for hunt
ing. Mr.. Parker testified to going to the
| Hanks house after the murder and to the
condition of things there, to the finding
of tracks on the north side of the house,
which were compared with Chaquette' S
shoes and were such as they would have
made. Mr.. Parker said further, that he
and others on Thursday walked over the
ground from Sattley's across the creek
through the fields to the Hanks house, to
ascertain what the time would be in go
ing over the route the State claims
Chaquette went on that Sunday evening.
The distance is about mile and three
quarters. Mr.. Parker stated that they
made the trip at a common walk in 43
minutes.
On Monday the first witness was Pres
ident Brainerd, who said it was three
rods from the Hanks house to the road
fence. VIM. r. Nichols examination con-
sumed considerable time. He lives in
Ferrisburgh, was at the Hanks house
soon after the murder and went to Yer
gennes after the officers who arrested
Chaquette. He accompanied them to
Sattley's, where Chaquette was foun III
bed. Chaquette got up and dressed him.
self in clothes which he took from his
trunk; his shoes were very wet; Cha
quette told them his gun was in the hog
pen with one barrel loaded; the other he
said he had shot off at hawk. The gun
was found in the hog pen and one of the
barrels was foul. Witness said that OF
Sunday last he made the trip from Sat
tley's to the Hanks house by the rout,
Chaquette is supposed to have followed
and that he did it in 30 minuees. An