Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-11-26
THE PUTNEY COLUMN,
Robbery at f. NJ. Wilson'S.

Ovrrcoats and Money Taken---Circum-
stances which Point TO John Pett.u
rs the Guilty One.
Events which have transpired durino
the past week lead one to believe that ,Job5
Paten, whose exploits have been noted i'm
The Phoenix from time to time, is follow
ing in such ways that it would have been
better for him to have been given a course
IN the house OF correction after his return
70 putney last July than to have been al
lowed his freedom with nd parental hand
TO guide his actions. Patten is about %
years old. For the past few months he has
spent most of his time working for Gard
ner kathan and in Springfield, this state
Some time during last week he returned
to MIR. Kathan's and during the forenoon
of last Friday he called at the house of f
NJ. Wilson, who lives alone about half a
mile south of the village. He had previ-
ously worked for Mr.. Wilson and for that
reason Mr.. Wilson attached no particular
significance to his call. 1t has since be-
come known that Patten was ACCOMPANIED
10 the vicinity of the house by another per-
son whose name Patten said was Clark
and whom he also said was his step-broth-
en- Clark remained out of sight of the
house while Patten called on MI Wilson.
When Patten left the house he was
again joined by Clark and the two proceed
ed short distance along the Brattleboro
road, meeting team driven by persons
from the Tibbetts house where Patten had
also worked. The boys accepted an invi-
tation to ride, but they soon left the team
and proceeded on their former course
When the Tibbetts family returned to their
house they found it occupied by the two
boys, who said they had come for dinner.
Soon after l o'clock Mr.. Wilson, whose
eyesight is not good, went to the home of
neighbor to get them to read the daily
paper to him, and little later Patten and
Clark left the Tibbetts house. Up to that
time neither boy wore an overcoat. When
they were next seen they were going
toward the depot and one of them had on
dark overcoat. They took the o'clock
freight train south and, it has since been
learned, stayed in West Brattleboro over
night and bought tickets for Boston the
next morning.
During the forenoon Saturday Mr. Will
son discovered that dark overcoat which
he recently bought was missing, and a
search revealed the fact that an under
coat, waistcoat, two suits of under clothes,
a pair OF gloves and about 81 in cash were
also missing. A watch which hung in a
waistcoat near by was not disturbed. Mr..
Wilson made his loss known and Deputy
Sheriff A. W. j. Wilkins took the matter
in hand in behalf of the state. Mr.. Will
kns learned the facts as stated above and
as Patten had said that his mother lived in
Somerville, Mass, Mr.. Wilkins telephoned
the police there to be on the watch. Mr..
wilkins went to Somerville Monday, but
he has nothing for publication just now as
the result of his visit.
Patten first came into prominence here
several years ago when he was at work for
Frank Lewis. He took Mr.. Lews's gun
one day and started out hunting. He did
not return at night and the family enter
tanned fears that he had accidentally been
shot, A searching party was organized
and the woods were secured but nothing
was found of the missing boy. 1t after
ward turned out that he had stolen the
gun and had run away, but he was forgiven
upon returning. In May of this year Pat.
ten hired $50 Fitchburg bicycle Of A. j.
Aver for a short ride He rode the wheel
to Somerville and then to New York, writ
ing Mr.. Aver twice on the way. His last
letter stated that he had taken the wheel
to the express office at New York and had
had it forwarded to Mr.. Ayers address.
At New York Patten took passage to LiV.
erpool, England, on a cattle steamer, re-
turning in July. He appeared much sur
prised when Mr.. Aver told him that he
had not received his wheel, and it was con
clu1ed that the wheel was lost through the
carelessness of the express agent. AS
Patten had no receipt from the express
company it was deemed useless to make
any demand upon the company and thu
wheel was never recovered. Mr.. Aver il
now strongly of the opinion that Patter
knows where the bicycle went to and /
occasion is given he will be asked to ex