The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-05-29
CHARGE AGAINST WROUGHT IRON
STOVE COMPANY.
brought About by Arrest Of r.. IL. Pratt
OF Dover.


f. W. Conkin collector Of tn,
Wrought Iron Stove company of St
Louis who is now engaged in collecting
the notes OF said company in this vicin
, itv was arrested Saturday afternoon b,
Officer Mcclure on states attorney
complaint on the charge of extracting
money from +. H. Pratt of Dover b,
threats of prosecution and personal
harm and was tried before Justice S.
II. Sherman at East Dover Monday. Ii
appeared that one Apthrup left the
stove at Pratt's last fall and Pratt
claims the arrangement was that the
stove should be left on trial and that
he could do as he liked about keeping
it: that he had no use for the stove
whatever and II was only by great
deal of urging that he permitted the
agent to leave it on trial, At the sug
gcstion OF the agent a contract was
signed by Pratt, one of the company's
printed blanks making tho terms as
Pratt claims they were. Soon after
| Pratt ascertained that they claimed to
/ have his promissory note for 500
! Then he followed the agent Apthrup
and insisted on his tax ing the stove
and delivering up the contract or
stove which Apthrop agreed to do but
| never did The next that Pratt heard
of the matter was last Friday morning
when man Who claimed TO be e. S
deputy marshal appeared at his place
and began to talk about the stove amt
To- question and note. II seems that
at Apthrop's suggestion that Pratt
had written his wife's name under his
own on the contract or note, his wife
knowing nothing about it. After some
talk the L. S. marshal accused Pratt
of forging his wife's name, placed him
under arrest got "a Justice of peace and
brought him to Pratt's house
lie tried to get Mrs. Pratt to agree
that the signature was by her consent
and permission and so end any con
troversy as tn the instrument She re
fused to do this aad the marshal said
he would take Pratt to Jail and could
take him anywhere. Conklin then ap-
peared and begai to press Pratt for
payment and unless Mrs. Pratt &C
knowledged the contract they would /
arrest Pratt that day unless he paid /
the note. This seemed to entirely |
overcome Pratt and upon threats of |
prosecution finally paid the note ana |
immediately reported the case 10 States
Attorney testimony was practically as /
set forth above. Samuel .Jenne and +. |
ID. Miner. who were at Pratt's house
during a large part of the time Mar
shall ADAMS and Agent Conklin were
there. corroborated him fully. II. /. I
Turner testified about having heard I
Conklin say that he had u. S mar
shall to look after Pratt and deal with
him.
The defense put on j. II Metcalf of
East Dover who testified that Conklin
and adams the man who claims to be
marshal stayed at his house the night
before and seemed to be strangers To
each other, as making acquaintance a.
the breakfast table that morning.
\. W. J. Wilkins of Putney test.
fed that be knew these men were
working for stove company with head
quarters at Putney and that no such
man as adams was connected with that
j. G. Raines. who said he
was from 81. Louis and was manager of
the company in this vicinity. testified
that no man. answering TO the de
scription of this marshal. was en-
ploved by their firm and that Conklin
must have been duped by him. That
he had Eo authority on the mart of the
company, Ia hire marshal TO assist
him ~ collect notes. He said that col
lectors had nothing to 10 with the