The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1904-03-23
IN BEHALF
OF NR. DUNN
His Friends Of the Bradford
Hooks Write a Letter.

Mr. Editor:-We think you are in err
ror in stating in your editorial on the
Russell Dunn controversy that he was
hired principally to work on the
streets.
Mr. Dunn was hired principally to
drive the Hook and Ladder truck, for
whichthe village team was bought and,
incidentally, TO work on the village
streets to give the village a return for
the money expended aside from the
value derived in protection.
AS tina Bradford Hook q Ladder
company understands the matter, and
quite good number of citizens as
we'll, Mr. Dunn has never refused to
obey any order ever issued by Mr.
Stewart, with one exception, and that
was that he hand in his resignation
Monday night. Dunn did not ask the
board of trustees to reinstate him.
The matter Of the harnesses being
out of order happened in the following
manner: Mr. Dunn as an ex otficio driv-
er was taking we'll earned half day
off and his successor, Mr. Camp, and
the tried and true first lieutenant of
Mr. Stewart, namely, Oscar Ketcham,
were having full dress rehearsal Of
what would happen in case Of fire.
They got one harness down and finally
got it hung up, in way.
Chief Buss happened to stroll into
the room and he was met with the in
quiry, "What is the matter with that
harness?" The chief, after an exam
ination, hung the harness in the COR
rect manner and replied "Some
blanked fool has been monkeying with
it And the incident was locally
closed
Perhaps some Of the Banner readers
would like to know the cause of Street
Commissioner Stewards Illness and
how long he had been confined to the
house when the trustees met Monday
evening last.
You state that "it is nonsense to as
sumo that there are not scores of men
in the village just as competent to
drive the team as he. "
We have had some experience in the
Hook 81 Ladder company with other
drivers. One drove the truck for near
ly year. During that time the vii
lage lost one horse and the Hook g.
Ladder company lost two large win
dows, which were broken by the driv-
er backing into them. Another driver
nearly killed eleven members of the
company on the corner of Gage and
North streets, and he had been driving
the team for two weeks and had ans
wered two alarms to the same box be
fore during that time. and it was the
fourth alarm during his time on the
team.
The Hook g. Ladder company stand
with Mr. Dunn, only too glad to have
the board of trustees investigate as to
who monkeyed with the harness and
will prove by citizens not connected
with the fire department, who did take
the harness down and could not get it
back rs they found it.
Practically, Mr. Dunn's work is to
drive the Hook & Ladder truck, and
as result of his efficiency, lie has
been saved and great many fires
have been put out with little or no
damage, that, had the truck been late,
would have resulted in loss of property
far greater.
We agree with you that our street
commissioner should have full charge
of the work on our streets and the
help employed thereon, but we do OBJ
ject to his running the Bennington
Fire Department or placing any man
on our truck who is not capable of
taking care of the lives entrusted to
his care when running to a Ere.
1t looks to the writer as though the
Banner was prejudiced when it stated
town alaction dav that the walks were