Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1904-05-13
BOYS FINED HEAVILY
Committed Depredations in Build.
lngS at Fair Grounds
Boilers, Smashed 400 Tumbers and
Stole Great Variety OF Articles

S'O'e OTedt variety OF Articles.
Seven Brattleboro boys have learned
this week that while the Valley Fair as
ISOLATION property is not well guarded il
does not pay to NEEDLE with II and most of
them paid a high price for the knowledge.
Not only were they fined for their Grim
inal conduct, but with one exception they
We're ordered to pay the Valley Fair as
sociaton enough to settle their bill for
civil damages. The total damages fines
Whitcher, Is, Fred Bastian "A, John
Murray, is, Martin Dunn, 16, Louis De
mers, 10. Albert Dcyo, IA, and Clarence
Burch, Il.
They were arrested by Chief Of Police
T.. =. Hall on complaint of States At
torney a. +. Schwenk, to whom complaint
was made by the Valley Fair association
| The warrants charged them with tres
passing on the Valley Fair grounds and
carrying off nine copper boiler bottoms
one copper boiler one copper reservoir
1--WE brass lamp burners, two spring scales
400 water tumbers. five pounds OF tea
one large milk can and two carving
knives. Various other articles were miss
ed including some tickets the bell on
the judges stand and some silk caps
worn by drivers of trottng horses
The depredations were discovered dur
| ing the latter part Of April. when w. d.
| ellison went to the fair grounds to make
an inventory of the property i'm the vict-
! utlllnS department. The utensils used
| there had been stored i'm a small build
ing in the rear of the grand stand. used as
| fruit and candy store. Mr.. ellison found
| that this building had been entered and a
/ large number Of articles had been car
| red away. The boilers had been taken
! to the room under the grand stand and
! the bottoms had been cut off with a
| cleaver Further investigation revealed
| the fact that seven buildings had been
| entered and their contents overhauled
| and strewn about. The buildings in
! cluded the grand stand. the fruit store
| the Sccretarys office two structures
owned by Leonard & Roess. the Crosby
| building and the Estey building.
The case was placed in the hands Of
| Chief Hall, and it was not long before
| he obtained evidence pointing to one or
| two OF the guilty boys. Close ques-
tioning brought out evidence duplicating
others, so that when the proper time for
! action came Chief Hall put seven boys
| under arrest Six of them were ar
| raigned before Justice w. $. Newton
| Tuesday afternoon. They were Whitcher.
! BaStian. Murray, Dunn. Deyo and Burch.
| All pleaded guilty except Burch. who
| stood trial and was found guilty.
| Wtcher said he had nothing to do with
| the larceny of the articles specified in
the warrant. but that he went to the
| grounds about a week after the other
| boys We're there that he saw that the
| door of the secretary's office was open
| and so went in and that he took a box
! of tickets which he afterwards burned.
| Demers was arraigned before Justice
| Newton Wednesday morning and pleaded
| guilty. The boys said that they used the
tumblers for targets and sold the copper
and other metal to a junk dealer whom
they met on Canal street, but whom they
did not know. The sale yielded them
about 81 each.
Dunn, Murray. Bastian, Whitcher and
Demers We're fined each 500 and costs,
amounting to S26 - and were ordered Ia
pay the Valley Fair association 500 o.
each, in addition to the fine and costs,
that amount being one sixth Of the dam
age sustained by the association. Deyo
was fined SO and costs. amounting To
S16.27, and was ordered to pay the as
sociation $20.07. Burch was fined 81
and costs amounting to $2l27, but was
not ordered to pay anything to the as
ISOLATION as he was led on by the other
boys. His fine also was suspended dur
ing good behaviour on payment of the
costs of prosecution. The boys We're Civ
en- "a hours in which to pay the fines and
costs, it being optional with them as tc
whether they would pay the civil damages
or he sued by the association. The al
tentative sentence for Murray and Dunn
being 16 years old or over, was so days
in the house of correction, and for the
other boys the remainder of their mi
nority in the industrial school in Yer
|
Wednesday night, and either paid or ar
ranged for payment of the civil damages
The Valley Fair association has beer
troubled for 10 years or more by having
their buildings entered and having small
articles stolen. They have not minded
the property loss, but the annoyance ha.
been very great, and now they have de
termined to put a stop to these depreda
tions, not merely on their own account
but because it is not a good plan to lie
matters of this kind go unpublished
President Pierce says he is positive tina
other boys besides those caught ar
equally guilty and that there will be M
let-up in the search until they are caught
The statute under which the boys wer
prosecuted is section 5025, which says
"A person who commits a trespass upol
the fair ground of any state, county
town or other Incorporated agriculture
society or fair, or breeders association, b
climbing over or breaking through an
fence or enclosure thereof, or COMMITTING
any depreciation by cutting or destroyin
! any timber, tree or water pipe witht
, such enclosure or breaking or carryin
away any property owned or controlle
, by such society or fair, shall be fined no
more than 500 and not less than So an
shall be liable civlly for all damages sus
tanned by such wrongful act