Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1904-05-13
COST THEM S46.34 APlL,T
FOR COMMITTING DEPREDA.
TlONS ON FAIR GROUNDS.
Seven Local Youths Arrested and Ar
raigned Before Justice Newton for
Stealing Property from the Grounds
OF the Valley Fair Association.

/ OF the valley FAR Association.
) For trespassing upon the grounds
of the Valley fair association and
, committing depredations by breaking
into one of the buildings and carrying
, off number OF articles, the story of
, which was told exclusively in The
, ReformeF few weeks ago seven
Brattleboro youths ranging in age
. from IL TO Is years We're brought be-
fore the bar of justice Tuesday and
, Wednesday. They We're John MUIR
, ray. IS, Martin Dunn, 16, Earl
Whitcher, 10, Louis Demers, Is, Al
bert Deyo, 15 Fred Bastian, IA, and
Clarence Birch IL. The first six were
fined $50 and costs each under a spec
ial statute which prevents trespassing
and committing depredations upon
any fair ground, and they were also
Obliged to pay to the fair associa-
ton $20.07 each in payment for the
stolen property, In consideration Of
Birch's extreme youth he was fined
S15 and costs but the fine was sus-
pended. After considerable skirmish-
ing all the boys had their fines paid
and were released. Murray and Dunn
We're given alternate sentences of go
days in the house of correction at
Rutland, while the remainder except
Birch would have been sent TO the
. Q
mainder Of their minority had they
been unable to pay.
The depredations on the fair
grounds We're discovered early in
April by w. d. ellison, superintend-
ent of the victualling department. On
going to the grounds one day he dis
covered that the candy building di-
rectly behind the grandstand had
been entered by taking off one shut
ter and that a quantity of utensils,
including nine or ten boilers, a cop
/ per reservoir, tumblers etc, had been
taken. Investigation revealed that
the boilers had been taken into the
room beneath the grandstand where
I their copper bottoms had been re-
1 moved and carried off with the rest
of the articles. 1t was found also
( that the secretary's office had been
4 broken into and that several things
I including caps formerly worn by the
I drivers in the trotting races had been
/ stolen
1 The matter was at once placed in
1 the hands of Chief of Police Hall for
4 Investigation with the result stated
I above. The first clew came from w.
I ID. ellison who said that 0. +, Bas-
7 tian told him that his son had been
4 in some scrau9 on the graul.ds. Act
! ing on this knowledge Chief Hall
! questioned the boy closely and finally
forced him TO reveal the story of the
proceedings. 1t seems that Bastian,
Dunn and Murray were the boys who
broke into the candy building and
carried off the copper boiler bottoms,
the theft taking place April /. A
few days afterward Earl Whitcher
visited the fair grounds and took
quantity of tickets from the secre-
tary's office, although he claimed at
the hearing he found the door already
open. Deyo, Demers and Birch We're
at the grounds some time later and
carried away a number of articles,
among them some knives and forks
Bastian, Murray and Dunn said that
er whom they met on their way down
street, but it has since been learned
that a local merchant bought
it. An inventory of the stolen
goods was made as follows: nine
copper boiler bottoms, one boiler, one
copper reservoir, five brass lamp
burners 400 water tumblers, two
spring scales, five pounds of tea, one
large milk can, and two carving
knives.
Bastian, Dunn, Murray and
day afternoon by Chief Hall and
arraigned before Justice Newton,
States Attorney Schwenk appear
ing as prosecuting officer. Each
pleaded guilty to the complaint
against him and was fined
$40 and costs. A short time later
Birch and Deyo were taken and
arraigned and Demers was arrested
and fined Wednesday morning. 1t
looked for a while as if the majority
of the lads would have to serve their
h1f O
were finally paid. J. H. Holden paid
the fine for Bastian, his grandson;
Dunns grandparents. Mr.. and Mrs.
Baker paid his, while those of
Whitcher, Demers. Deyo and Birch
were paid by their parents. Murray
in the lookup until We'd
nesday afternoon but his mother at
length secured money enough to make
The total in each case
with the exception OF Birch was
S46.S4
The statute under which the boys
were taken is section 5025, which
reads as follows: A person who COM
mits a trespass upon the fair grounds
of any state county or town or other
agricultural society or
fair or breeders association, by
over or breaking through
any fence or enclosure thereof, or
commits any depredatlOnS Dy cutting
Or destroying any timber or water
pipe within such enclosure or by
breaking or carrying away any prop
arty owned or controlled by such So
,iety or fair shall be fined not more
han 500 and not less than So. and
shall be liable civilly for all damages
sustained by such wrongful acts.
For several years past the Valley
air association has been subject an
,ually to more or less pecuniary loss
m account of such vandalism as that
or which these boys were arrested,
md the executive committee wish
[ distinctly understood that hereaf-
er any such offence will be dealt
With to the full extent of the law.
several other boys are now under
uspicion of having done more or less
amage at the fair grounds and If
roof can be secured they will re-
eive their just deserts at once. 1t
rould have been possible to ar
est the boys for breaking and en-
ering. which is a states prison Of
ence.
One of the most discouraging fea-
ures of the case is the spirit of
ravado displayed by the majority of
he culprits. Apparently they had no
ceiling of remorse for the crime they
ad committed, and one of them was
card to say. after he got out OF the
,ckup. that he didn't care. the fine
idn't come out of him.