The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1903-10-26
BROOKFIELD TREASURER
Town Brings Action For Him to Appear
in Court in December Matter TAX
en- Into Special Town Meeting.

Brookheld, Oct. 26.-The town 0f
Brook6eld through its selectmen has
brought bin against its town treasurer,
Charles H. Bigelow, for an accounting in
equity Of alleged deficiencies Of $4, 132. 50
In his accounts, covering period Of ten
years, and all the bondsmen Of the treas.
uTer for that period have been enjoined
Judge Watson has also issued an injuuc-
tion against Mr.. Bigelow's destroying any
books or documents relating to the trans
action OF his business as treasurer of the
town. The papers were served Saturday
and Mr., Bigelow ID summoned TO appear
before the court Of chancery to be held at
Chelsea the first Tuesday in December.
The papers were served by Officer w. Fl.
Sprague
It is related By those representing the
town officials that Just before the March
town meeting this year discrepancy Of
S204.l7 was discovered in Mr. Bigelow' S
accounts Atfirst be claimed they were
correct and that they had always been
kept that way, but later admitted he was
in error and made good the S20417 to the
town.
The selectmen soon after began to look
further into Treasurer BigelOw's accounts
and when they asked for seleetmen's stubs
aud treasurer's books for the past years
they could not be found, Mr. Bigelow
stating that they must have been Rcei-
dentally burned with other old papers he
had destroyed In eleaningu up. This caused
the selectmen TO more vigorously prosecute
their search into the old accounts and
James W. Hall Of Barre was employed to
20 over the books with the result that he
reported discrepancy OF S4, 1872. 50 in the
treasurer's accounts.
So great has become the public interest
in the affair, a special town meeting was
called for this forenoon, the warning con.
tainlng articles to see If the town would
vote to arbitrate its differences with town
treasurer G. IT, Bigelow and to see if it
would instruct it's selectmen to bring suit
or not against the treasurer.
The town meeting adjourned this fore
neon without having taken any action
other than to dismiss the articles of the
warning. Soon after the meeting was
called TO order an attempt to adjourn was
made but it failed
The frst article to see If the town twill
appoint committee to investigate the
claims that exist, or may have, to date
against q. II. Bigelow as treasurer Of said
town OF Brookheld, from March, 1889, to
the present time, and make report thereof
to the town at some future meeting was
dismissed.
Then article number 2, ''to see If the
town viii vote to direct the selectmen Of
said town TO arbitrate or endeayor to aTbi-
trate on matter of difference now existing
between said town and the said treasurer
was also dismissed Following this an at
tempt was made TO dismiss all seven ar
ticles but this failed
Mr.. Bigelow was called upon. He re
spouded but said that as long as the town
had already sued be didn't think It was
proper for him to explain now. Mr.. Big.
CLOVIS daughter.in.l Law died this morning
and for that reason, too, he was not press
ed for any further statement The sell
eetmen, J. A. Untiedt, A. f. Churchill
and A. d. Reed explained the towns side
Of the case and then the whole list of ar
eles was dismissed, and the meeting
adjourned
The articles dismissed we're as to the
appointment Of Rrbitrators, to see II the
town viii settle and on what terms, to see
what action the town will take regarding
such claims the town may have againgt its
treasurer, to see II the town viii bring
suit. This last article was dismissed as
the town has already sued The action of
the town meeting was taken to be backing
up the selectmen