Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1895-10-07
COUNTY COURT.

Der the shooting affair at Barton lds0
December, in which Mrs. Lena Bars :
tow was shot at her home by some
unknown person, the subsequent ar
rest of one VIM. Lathe, charged with
the crime, his preliminary hearing be-
fore the justice, and the finding of "a
true bill'' by the, grand jury at this
term. He was arraigned before the
court Monday, Sept. 80, and plead
mot guilty'' to the Indictment charg-
ing him with an assault with intent to
kill A great deal of difficulty was
experienced in getting jury AS near
ly all the jurymen had formed and
expressed an opinion in the case.
Tuesday morning the panel was COM
pleted and the following named gen
tlemen composed the jury: Judson
M. Page, Holland, Henry N. Deatte,
Jay, Lincoln Goodsell, Morgan, Car
ter E. Fowler, Westfeld, Portus w.
Dawson, Craftsbury; James D. Leav-
lit, Craftsbury; Homer Tillotson,
Westfeld, Horace McLaren, Green's
boro, Frank Trip, Charleston, AL
phonso @. Pillsbury, Derby, Fred j.
Grant, Irasburgh.
Mrs. Lena Barstow sworn, testified
substantially as follows: cam the wife
of George Barstow, and reside near
the south edge of Barton Village, on
road to South Barton. My husband
was night Waterman in engine house.
On the evening of Dec IA last he went
to work about O'Clock. About 7:3O
he came back and got some money to
pay boys who had been working for
him. After this l was alone. [ sat in
the kitchen reading, and about
o'clock some one knocked at the door.
I opened it and some one fired shot
into my face. 1t was bright, moon
light night, and as the person stood
in the door, I saw that he wore a dark
SLOUGH hat. At the first shot, I said,
go dear,n and backed into the room.
The light had gone out and I fell over
basket. AS fell, I said, "what have
I done?" The person made no reply,
but fired a second time, but this shot
did not take effect. 1t was dark in
the room at this time. | saw that the
person had a moustache, but could not
say whether he wore any other beard
or not. I did not remember any more
after this until [ found myself in the
middle of the road on my way to en-
CINE house, where my husband was.
I told him what had happened. He
went to the house and I went to Mr..
Hopkins, the next neighbor. DR..
Sedgwick was called, and shortly after
[ was taken home. l was confined to
my bed days"
Cross examination: ST do not know
who it was that fired the shot at me.
I heard no noise about the house dur
ing the evening""
George D. Barstow: "Reside at Bar
ton. On Dec. 18th last I was night
Waterman at engine house. We had
supper that night between $50 and
o'clock. [ went to work right after
supper. William White had worked
for me that day. He is carpenter.
He had supper with us. After supper
he went home across the lake; saw
him go, and shortly after saw light
near his place. William Lathe came
into the engine house a week or ten
days before Dec. IA. He had lived in
Barton or years ago. [ knew him
then, but did not recognize him that
night till he told me who he was.
He told me that he was "braking" on
the G. P. railway and would soon be
baggage master; said he had come to
Barton to get witnesses to get di-
vorce from his wife. He asked how
was getting along, and how much I
was getting per day; said he suppos-
ed that I must have laid up some mon
ey. l told him emo" Then he show
ed me his revolver and asked me to
trade. I told him I did not care to.
Shortly after he went out, saying he
was going to ride to Newport on a
freight train. A few days after he
came in, but l had no talk with him
On the evening Oh D0c. Ii, dOOuU .Ic,
as I stood in the door of engine house,
saw Lathe running south on railroad
track past engine house. A freight
train was just pulling in from the
south. I crossed the track, and as
the train passed me, saw Lathe stand
ing in the door of the caboose, look
ing in the direction of my house
Paid no more attention to him at the
time. Then I went to the house ano
got money to pay Sinclair boys, who
had been working for me. This was
about 1880. About o'clock my wife
came into engine house and told me