Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1904-12-30
COUNTY COURT.

After a recess of eleven days, work
was resumed in the Comfy Court at
8 nine o'clock Tuesday morning, with
criminal matter to the fore and with a
prospect of bringing the term to a
close this week.
The first case up was state VS.. Wyman
Odell of Middlebury, who had previously
pleaded not guilty to an information
charging him with grand larceny in the
stealing of a large quantity of furs and
a couple of rifles from Solomon Wood
ward of Orwell, on the night of Nov.
10Th last in connection with his younger
brother, Eli Odell. Wyman withdrew
his former plea and pleaded guilty.
Sentence was not passed, Ira Ii. La
Fleur of Middlebury, represented the
respondent by assignment of the court.
Julius Jennings of Bristol, a married
man, was arraigned on an indictment
charging him with adultery with one,
Nellie F. Downey, an unmarried woman,
at various times at Bristol and Lincoln.
He pleaded not guilty,
Nellie F. Downey, the correspondent,
was next arraigned and pleaded not
guilty to a similar indictment. Each
indictment contained four counts.
In the Pond will case the clerk was
directed to make the following entry on
the docket: verdict for the proponents;
ind nrt ba tn ha fnA
back to the probate court, exceptions by
the contestants.
The case Of the State VS.. Eli Odell was
then called for trial and it took up the
rest of the day. States Attorney
Russell prosecuted and w. H. Davis was
assigned by the court for the defense.
The respondent, who says he is II years
old and his elder brother, ,Wyman, who is
90, lived with their mother in that part
of Middlebury known as the Seeley
district, the father having abandoned
the family, several years ago. They
had a little place of about three acres
and Wyman carried it on, besides doing
other work. Eli appears to have been
a rowing lad and from the time he was
~ years of age was away from home a
good deal of the time. He would go when
the notion took him and return when
it suited his fancy. According to the
evidence for the prosecution, Eli turned
up at the home of his cousin Henry in
Orwell in August last and remained
about three weeks. He re-appeared
there in November and stad five days
leaving on the morning of November
10. Living within short distance from,
Henry Odell was one Solomon Wood
ward, who has made hunting and trap
ping his principal business for forty
years. He lived alone in small place,
November a large and miscellaneous
quantity of furs, consisting of 10 skunk
skins, 40 muskrat skins, 10 fox skins,
four mink skins, five raccoon skins, and
six cat skins, all of the value of about
$3.50. On the night following the last
departure of Eli from his cousin Henry's
all these furs disappeared, as did also
two rifles which had been in the main
part of the house and the lock on the
door of which had been broken. The
rifles were valued at $50.
Wyman Odell had recently charged
his brother with stealing $40 from him
and on Saturday evening, Nov. 10,
Sheriff w. Fl. Cobb and Officer Edward
Higgins drove down to the Odell place
with warrant for Ellis arrest. Neither
of the boys were at home and the officers
waited until between one and two o'clock
Sunday morning, when they drove into
the yard in a covered wagon. In the
wagon were several sacks of fur which
Wyman said he had bought. Eli was
arrested and brought to Middlebury and
jailed. Subsequently, on Ellis informa-
ton, Wyman was arrested on the fur
matter and party of officers went to
the house and found most of the furs in
an excavation in the ground under the
floor of small room in the house, but
did not find the rifles. Thereupon
| w llldil lOll lilc OlllCtlS WHtlc lut RIlIls
were and volunteered to 60 with them
and point out their hiding place, which
was done. The binding up of both
respondents was the natural result.
This case was given to the jury after
brief arguments by Mr.. Russell for the
State and Mr.. Davis for the defense al
8 o'clock Tuesday afternoon. The jury
were out until 8:15 o'clock when the
court was summoned in and a verdict
was rendered. 1t was guilty, with q
recommendation to mercy.
Wednesday morning the Odel brothers
were sentenced. Wyman Odell, tn,
elder, to serve not less than three MOI
more than three and one-half years il
States prison. Eli, the younger, wa,
was gwen like sentence in the Hous,
of Correction. Most of the crlmina
cases on the old docket and some of tn,
new ones in which the parties are ou