News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1896-05-14
HARRY BLODGETT.
The st. Johnsbury Lawyer Tells What
Gov. Woodbury. Said.


Harry Blodgett of st. JohnsDury, in a
deposition taken at st. Johnsbury April 8,
said that he was lawyer and, when asked if
he knew anything about liquor in the Van
Ness house, said =
A. In June, 1892, Henry C. Ide, Mathew
j. Caldbeck and myself came from Benning-
ton County court and stopped over night at
the Van Ness house. In the evening Mr..
Ide ordered three bottles of Bass ale from a
bell boy. 1t was brought to the room.
have no recollection as to who paid for it or
whether 1t was paid for at all. In July, '95,
the night before hearing was had before
Gov. Woodbury. upon an application to par
don Mr.. Howe from the workbOuse, William
7. King and myself stopped at the Van Ness
house over night. Between 10 and IL
O'Clock in the evening, think, Mr.. King
ordered, from bell boy, two bottles of
lager, which was brought TO my room by the
boy. Mr.. King paid the boy 40 cents. That
is all that know upon the subject matter of
the question.
3. On each of the occasions mentioned,
where was the order given to the bell boy?
A. In the room at the Van Ness house.
4. How soon after the order was given
was the liquor furnished? A. / can't say
about that, but 1t was few minutes.
5. Was the liquor drank in the room on
each occasion! A. 1t was.
6. Did you attend the hearing which you
have mentioned as having taken place be-
fore Gov. Woodbury. in July, 1895, and If so,
who was present at the hearing? A. did.
Henry c. Bates, Horace X. Ide, William T.
King, Stephen j. Hastings, Editor johnson.
can't say whether Nj. Powell, the gov
ernOr's secretary, was present or not.
I. Describe, briefly, what occurred at the
hearing, so far as may be necessary to ex-
plain what was then and there said by Gov.
Woodbury. on the subject of sales of liquor
at the Van Ness house, and then state as
nearly as possible what the governor said
upon that subject? A. MIR. Howe at that
time, the proprietor of the Avenue house In
this town, had been sentenced to the house
of correction for the sale of intoxicating
liquor. An application had been made to the
governor to pardon Mr., Howe from that inn
prisonmeht. A petition was presented to
him and some letters from some citizens in
st. JOhnsbury and Mr.. Bates urged the sub
ject matter quite strongly upon the governor.
Gov. Woodbury. said In substance: 81
understand that II takes man with very
stiff backbone, In the state of Vermont, to
run hotel and not furnish his guests with
liquor. / have been impOrtuned to do It,
but have always declined. ! understand that
the bell boys have occasionally gone out and
procured liquor for guests and taken it TO
them at their rooms, but that is matter that
am not responsible for" That is, In sub
stance, what / remember that Gov. Wood
bury said upon that occasion, but IL Is prob
ably not exactly as he said it.
S, Was your attention called at the time to
what the governor had said upon the SUBJ
ject and did you take notice of what he had
said? A. Soon after my attention was called
to it and of course paid attention to what
the governor had said upon the subject mat
ter.