Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1902-12-24
40 YEARS A TOWN CLERK.
\ SKETCH OF WILLIAM s. NEWTON, BRAT
TLEBOROs VENERABLE JUSTICE.

SKETCH OF WILLIAM ). NEWIUN, bhhI-
TLEB0ROs VENERABLE JUSTICE.
Has Held the Office of Town Clerk and JUS
tice of the Peace Since 1868 and Has Pre-
sided at Hundreds of Cases Attributes
His Long Life to Regularity of Habits and
Plain Livin
There is no man more widely known
in southern Vermont than William
Sawyer Newton, the veteran town clerk
and justice of the peace, who was so
years old the 26th day of last June.
Notwithstanding his advanced years
Mr.. Newton enjoys good health and
works regularly at his Office every day.
In his office, surrounded by ballot
boxes. pictures of Daniel Webster,
Henry Clay, Gen Grant and other
statesmen, with his snow white hair
and clean -shaven face, Mr.. Newton,
in looks and manner is a perfect rep
resentative of the old school gentle
man.
He was botn in Marlboro, VT, June
2G. 1922. He was of the seventh gen
Grafton of the line of descent from
England. Cotton Newton, his grand
father, was soldier in the revolution
ary war and was at the battle of Still
water. The educational training of
William Sawyer Newton was obtained
in the common schools and at the West
Brattleboro academy He became a
clerk in the store of Jesse Cone in
Marlboro when II years old. little
later he was for two years clerk IN
the store of Gardner G. Hall in Brat
tleboro. Still later he was for time
I L l. I'D
to Brattleboro and it has been his res
idence for full half-century. For a
time he was employed by the Vermont
& Massachusetts railroads and then he
was clerk in the post office when
Samuel Dutton was postmaster. In
1853 he was in the grocery trade with
Nathaniel Cheney, but this lasted for
only few months Mr. Newton, how
ever, continued the business until
1887.
He was elected town clerk March 3,
1863 and justice of the peace at the
September freemen's meeting in the
same year. As justice of the peace he
has heard hundreds of cases. A JUS
tice of the peace in Vermont has a
much wider jurisdiction than IN many
other states. Perhaps the most wide
" known case in which Mr.. Newton
presided was that of Rudyard Kipling
against his brother-in-law, Beatty 5.
Balestier. In that case the worldfa-
nous writer charged that he was in
danger of losing his life at the hands
of his irate relative by marriage
There was much amusement and fun
in the case. and Mr.. Newton secured
his share of it while carrying the re-
spnnsibility of arriving at the right
| judicial decision.
As town clerk, too, he has given un-
iversal satisfaction. There is wide
range of work for town clerks in Yer
mont, from making holes in the ears
of the skins of animals with a punch
! in order that the man who killed the
animal may receive the bounty, up to
seeing that the right phraseology is
used when the town is authorizing a
loan and diverging within these limits
into many side issues. 1t is certain
that Mr. Newton will hold these of
| fees as long as his health will permit.
| He was elected trustee of the Yer
mont savings bank in January, 1882,
and vice president in January, 1891,
both of which offices he still holds. In
politics Mr. Newton was first whig.
Later be was troubled at what seemed
to him political trade. and from 1850
to 1860 he did not vote at all. He then
voted for Abraham Lincoln for Presi-
dent, and since then has acted with
the Republican party. His religious
preference is the Congregational faith,
Mr.. Newton was married to Mrs. Lu-
cinda W. Harris, daughter of David
W. and Salome W. Goodrich of Ches-
terteld, n. H., March 80, 1858. She
is.still living and has been a worthy
helpmate of her husband during their
long lives. There have been no chill
dren by this marriage. Mrs. Newton
has one daughter by her first marriage.
Mrs Anna L., the wife of Charles G.
Brooks
Mr.. Newton has never used liquor
as beverage during his life. At one
time he occasionally smoked a cigar,
but that was years ago. In the sum-
mer time he rises at 5 o'clock in the
morning, and either rides or walks.
He attributes his long life and health
to regularity of habits, plain living
and a good constitution. Gifted with
a sense of the ridiculous, no one APP
preciates the humorous side of life, or
enjoys with more hearty zest the droll
occurrences that are continually aris-
ing to relieve in considerable degree
tho irlycnma rOil of life -RoStOn G1ohe