Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1903-10-16
ANOTHER BRUTAL MURDER
EPHRAIM ROOT POUNDED TO
DEATH At WEST ROCHESTER.

u. >. MARSHAL Field Removed Tor De.
reelection Of Duty-Anarehis Condi.
tions at earre-eis Granite Con.
tract Received.
Ephraim Root, aged As. who was en-
ployed at John Greenes sawmilI near
West Rochester. was brutally murder
ed Monday night and Joseph Bean, a
former employee of the saw mill, was
arrested Tuesday charged with the
murder. Root and Bean were said to
be in love with a woman connected
with the household of Mr.. Greene,
where both had worked. Bean is also
said to have laid his recent discharge
to Root, and hard feelings had existed
between them. On the night of the
murder Root went out after supper and
was found lying unconscious on the
barn floor about $50 o'clock by two
sons of Mr. Greene. with his head bad
ly battered up. evidently by blows
from a club and his body badly bruised;
and he died at o'clock in the morning
ness. pa =.
The members of the family state that
they heard no signs of struggle, but
the marks around the barn bear evil
dences of one, and one theory is that
the man was struck down outside and
dragged into the barn.
An autopsy Wednesday showed that
Roots skull was broken in five places
any one of which wounds would have
been fatal. The murderous weapon
has not been found but seems to have
been some kind of metal instrument.
Bean boarded about five miles from
the scene of the crime. People in the
house say he went out after supper
and did not return until quite late.
Bean claims he was out in the barn all
the evening. He says he was tired and
laid down on the hay and went to
sleep. The officers, however, have evi-
dence that Bean was very sweaty when
he came in and the mans shoes fit very
closely into some tracks around the
barn.
The Burlington music festival was
an artistic but not a financial success
and future festivals may be abandoned.
Fifty-nine cases are set for hearing
at the october term of supreme court
hat convenes at Montpelier Oct. 81.
Six are from Windham county.
The entire board of directors of the
:. V. r. company was reelected at its
meeting at st. Adams this
week. The board Immediately re-
elected last years officers.
e. B. Ellis Of Northfield. a granite
has received the con-
ract for the stone work on the new
depot. 1t will amount to
,ver $1,000, 600 and is the largest single
building contract of the kind ever
made in this country. The stone will
,e taken from Bethel quarries.
York Ordway, 16 of Washington,
escaped death by being run
,ver by a moving machine Tuesday.
lie was bringing the machine from the
ield with a yoke of oxen. They be-
anne frightened, he was thrown in
ront of the machine which passed
'ver him injuring him seriously.
At the state W. C. T. U. convention
t Woodstock Wednesday the treas
lrer reported receipts of $932.05; ex-
,enditures, $746.12; balance in general
reasury, $1S5.93. There is $1.s6s.12
n organizing and campaign funds.
secretary Mrs. G. e.
)avidson's report showed that there
re 1913 unions in the state with a to-
al of membership of 24S3. The local
MONS held 1923 meetings and there
,ere 240 public meetings. During the
eferendum campaign $4,000 leaflets
rere circulated. Children have been
rganized into loyal temperance leg
,ns of which there are 80 in the state
nth 472 members.
The president upon the recommen-
alton of Attorney General Knox has
u S. Marshal Fred A. Field
f the district of Vermont for derelic-
on of duty in permitting the escape
t Providence, r. l., of three China
len entrusted to him for deportation.
he prisoners who escaped with eleven
theirs. We're under sentence of deporta-
on and were conducted to Providence,
. l.. on the evening of June 20 and
ere placed on board a steamer some
me prior to 5 o'clock. At $50 the
larshal left the boat and returned to
oston. leaving the prisoners in the
,arge of his son. on Mr.. Fields au-
,oritv. his son left the prisoners in
,arse of two men on the boat while
o went to sumner. on his return the
yo men and three prisoners were
me. Mr.. Field claims that he left the
risoners in charge of the steamship
,mpanv whose agent recommended
10 two grards as comnetent. The