The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1899-08-30
BOswOrth Burglary Case.

The hearing in the case of State agains t
Winfred Bosworth was begun in city
court Monday afternoon. M. M. Gordon
and r. p. Carleton appeared for the State
and f. l.. Laird for the respondent.
1t appears that within the past year and
a half Mr.. Cross store at Gouldsville has
been entered several times and petty bur-
garies committed. In the Indictment un-
der which Bosworth was arrested the date
set up is July 81, 1899. But when he came
up for hearing the State exercised the right
OF choosing any date within three years
which is allowed by the statute of limita-
tions and introduced evidence in connec-
tion with the burglary which was perpe.
trated on the store on the night of May T.,
1898 This move on the part of the State
disconnected the plans OF defence which had
been made by the respondents counsel as
he had prepared to furnish An alibi for his
client on the first named date.
Only two witnesses for the State were
examined, Mr.. Cross, the proprietor of the
store, and Eugene Robbins, his clerk.
Their testimony, which was corro5orative
in all essential points, was in substance as
follows: Bosworth was employed as a
stone cutter in Gouldsville and wss a regu-
lar customer at the store, where he had a
running account, settling the same as he
received his pay from time to time. He
was on intimate terms with both witnesses
spending considerable of his spare time
about the store and on occasions when
short Of money would borrow small
amounts OF Mr.. Cross or Mr.. Robbins Pre-
vious to the robbery in May, 1898, Bos-
worth had been out OF work and had told
the witness on several occasions that he
was strapped. On the night OF May 4
1893, he was the last except the proprietor
to leave the store.
The next morning it was found that the
store had been entered by means OF q rear
window. The bottom of the money drawer
had been cut htough and opened and about
four dollars in pennies, five and ten cent
pieces besides nearly full box OF Black.
stone cigars. Among the coins taken were
some mutilated ones. which were kept
apart from the others, some of which were
very familiar in their markings to the wit
nesses. Later Bosworth made a cash pur-
chase at the store for which he paid in coin
OF the description taken so far as denomi-
nation was concerned and each witness re-
ceived from him coin which he was posi-
tive we're two of the mutilated coins taken
from the store on the night Of the robbery.
He also requested Mr.. Gross to get him a
paddock for chest which he kept in a
nearby barn and from which he was seen TO
come forth several times a day after the
robbery, smoking cigars, which on many
instances az testified to by Mr.. Cross, were
Blackston6s. The witnesses admitted,
however, that even after they had, because
OF the foregoing suspicious circumstances
become convinced of Bosworth's guilt, their
former friendly intercourse with him did
not cease, nor did they accuse him of the
theft or make complaint OF him to the au-
thorities, but on the contrary allowed him
to run an account at the store, make 1t a
visiting place and loaned him money as
formerly, continuing to do so until the next
August when he left town.
The hearing has been continued until
Wednesday morning