The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1894-08-10
THE POsTOFFICE CASE.

animation and sitting OF the new
titions which have been circulated q
past two weeks in favor Of w Butterffe!
and Alfred Dow. the only candidates renal
Ing in the field. The county committee hi
selected j. G.. Ullery, its chairman, 10 a
with Mr.. Holman to decide any question
that might arise. Every effort had been mac
thing fair, both Butterfeld and Do
being required to be present., eat
to find any flaws he could in the others pet
ton. 1t was all done by agreement after FL
consultation with all the candidates. III
agreement was written one rs IsnoWs' ~
We, the undersigned, candidates for the pos
ti0n of postmaster at Bellows Fails, VI, III COZ
sideration of the fact that the petitions alread
circulated by us are not 6eyyeb eV ,S ti
draw our former petitions and agree 10 circua'
new petitions upon the conditions hereto =
tached and we also farther agree 10 aoioe
c.. w. BUTrERFIEDn,
ALFRED Dow,
fSjrned) ANDREW .J0I BERT.
The conditions controlling the new pet
lions, also by agreement of all, were as TO
lows:
The petitions are to be circulatedam consit
cred under the following conditions viz
~ The petitions must be in the hands of tn
state committee for Windham county not late
rs A day will be appointed when all tn
candidates will meet at some appointed place I
the SO desire, and the several petitions will then b.
examined by one member of the county commit
tee and the member of the state committee from
Windham county.
b. The county committee will selectthc mem
Der who is to assist in the examination.
ts) In case of disagreement between the
member of the county committee, and the mem
Der of the state committee on the right or the
name of any petitioner to appear ona petition
they, shall select third person whose decision
shall be final.
AZ In event of the two members ofthe county
and state committee being unable to decide
which candidate is the choice of the people, the
several candidates shall agree to abide by the
decision of a caucus conducted under what Is
known as the "Windham County Plan" which
shall be held at a time that the member of the
state committee shall elect
10y No names shall be considered that appear
On more than one petition
(6) No names of persons other than those liv-
ing in the town of Rockingham and the town Of
Westminster and who are patrons the post
Office at Bellows Falls will be considered, on any
petition
"a No names except legal voters in the above
.owns or those that will become such in time to
vote in the coming September election, Will be
considered.
Mr.. Buterfed with Geo. b. HIT of
Brattleboro as counsel appeared before the
committeeman at Brattleboro Wednesday.
Mr.. Dow appeared with lie. OiBrien as
counsel
The first step before the committeeman
indicated that Hit was in the thing for
Il fight and mess. He called for the pro-
.luction of the original petition in favor
of Butterteld to he produced, though it was
abandoned and thrown out of consideration
by the terms of the above agreement. OF
course there was no objection to surrender
ing it, as it was private property; but it so
happened that Mr.. Holman, who had come
up from the seaShOre especially for this hear |
ing, had not brought his keys'with him and
the petition was in Il locked desk and could !
not be reached. But Hit insisted on it, while !
inst tod hiatt hnI ,.i,,fr
on the case anyway and while it should be i
obtained and given up as soon aas possible, !
the hearing ought not to be delayed on ac-
count fit. SO Hit got out ia writ of re-
pleyin, Sheriff Starhes served 1t, the !
desk WAS forced open lin Mr.. !
Holmali's office, the petition got out and
the whole form gone Through of 'appraising
it by Dea. G. F. Thompson and Col II. f.
Taylor as:appraisees, and takingN' bond from
Then Hit showed the purpose of H. pro-
ceding by Withdrawing 8MtterffekEs Est pc
tifion and delivering the following ilefter to
the committeeman:
r. j. Holman, MEMBER paEsIaGRaTIce COMMIT
mEE FOR WINDHAM COUNTY.
!Sir:-Whereas was inducedtto> enter into an
agreement with reference to my candidacy for
the POstmastership at Bellows falls,,a, copy of
which is hereto attached, by misrepresentation
and to sign an agreement that my petition circu-
lated priortto July "a, 1884 should mot .be consid
cred, 1 hereby withdraw and reEaltiiaae adj said
Of the committee named therein whereby Lam
denied the benefit of any petition circulated in
my behalf Respectfully,
August s ltS4. CHAS. ny. EiiTTERfIELD. ,
Mr.. O'Bgien called on HIT forO;e statement
of what they claimed the misrepresentation"
Us alleged above to hsve consist
ed. Hit anil Butterteld ooonsilited for IA
few moments, and then Hit said I
terrified as al inducement to- sign the above
agreement, alaat the Posto6tioe department
had ruled at no petition Over three months
old would se considered, ,nd therefore that j
his first petition, to which MANY ,oflthe sigma
lures We're obtained some two Mea1SiagQ, WAS I
useless. Ne Holman denied positively that t
he ever ma,ieainy such statement or ytbin9
approaching H.. c ii Davenport who hap ;.a
,,ened to be present, volunteered inSstatament
rs showing az There was to this claim. His
statement sIihat at conference with Mr. {
kutterfield anStGeo o Guild in MOlnaan's Of l
ice about the matter, and that there Mas 40 i
arch represents lion and nothing &ike,it.
The proof Is therefore that mo ,s,te}apep- "a
rssentation made at this Interview. I,he t
AMY other opportunity was at the conference v
Vt July 20lh 1aAvYsen Mr.. Holman aniathe t
tkmee candidates, Mltterfield. Dow and .Jnu- i II
sest. And not only Mr.. Holman says that d
sSfhing of the kint,was said, but MIR. DON t
s he was present .uttihe whole of M..e0nfrn,s L |
linz, and so does Mt JOubert in tine follow y
NJ statement: r
BalIikows FALLS, Axs.rs'H &C
I xas present a.ne.ef the candidates.; at. that
inc sgth Messrs. c. W. Butterfield and ALFRED iii
bow in the conference ,uly %, with r. -. Hol. n.
laE and DIR. Conland when the new petition =.
Ian ~ settling the post office contest de -
ided spOn Mr.. Holman urged Us all Ie.agree f6
pom H. because the pfexiGus petitions were too Isl
Vi t. Indicate the wishes ri the people: hut he hi
id not sey TINT the departisent had ruled that M
petition mo e than three ponihs old wOu]t mot m,
Z considered. He noe ,aiil, said nothing st the
ind, bm nothing which 3olif be construed isao ~
ny such Gleaning. To the best of my recOll.r.- ei
bxs M m pa fhs' a al
ANDREW JorBtRI En- Candidate ,el
Mr. Holman has always Leone,areful to have ~,
,Ine one present for CONSULTATION at every ~
inference. At that of July 20 DIR James H.;
Onland wac present He s;iys that no such nv
~ ButterG@d claims was "
ade. The eases WAS made as plaip As it could NJ
by Mr. H0Jslan over and oyf,s again that 81
Dne of the old petitions wOukl Le,,Dnsidered i,s
IMPLY because they did moi represent the ~.
-eseBt wishes Of the people OF Bellows Falls. On
Othing whatever was said about any three m,
Ontlis limit, and when some one i'm the m.
rty In the cour,< of the casual s9eyersa- ya,
N spoke of the exclusion of old petitisns as no
Itterfeld himself secuted the idea, in
ted there could be soothing to it. and Abe A., :
sitter was dropped. no further attention u. ~
ing given to il. The call statements ssoef ,ne
apartment rulings" Were that Mr. Titus Wa Io ~.
{ eligible ~ "a candidate because not u citi " !
a of Bellows Falls. and that no Walpole ~
tiers could count in determining the re. in
n. sfa
After this specification with regard to
and the answer TO il by
sc witnesses. Mr.. Hit was explicitly called y
by Mr.. OBrien and the committeeman TO ,an
te whether they had anything more 10 On
,pe in support of the claim The reulY ~"