Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1904-01-29
BEAN TESTIFIES.
In the Ephraim Root Murder Case at
Woodstock.

Nnen w nuSOr county court re-assem-
bled Jan. 81 the state put in little tes-
timony in its case against Joseph Bean,
charged with the murder of Ephraim
Root, October 10, 1903. tending to show
that b. f. Hubbard, at whose house
Bean stopped the night Of the killing of
Root, had an old hay rack in which
there were stakes which the state
claimed were similar to the stake or
club in evidence, a silver from which was
found near the place where Roots body
was found.
The defence called two witnesses.
one to impeach "Boney" Martel, the
other to testify to Beans peacable char
acter. The respondent was then put on
the stand. The queer expression of his
eyes to which reference is so often made
is caused by the fact that one Of his eyes
is an artificial one. He is % years old.
The testimony brought out the follow
ing:
Last summer he perspired very freely.
particularly at night. He told of his
business relations with Green and said
that when they dissolved partnership
there was "A joint debt and he was afraid
II Green went into partnership with
koot the prospects for the payment of
the DEBT would be slight. He had heard
that Root was going into partnership
with Green and to that extent he had
1
way. He denied trying to hire the BOYS.
Carter and Simons. to go and watch
Mrs Green and Root. He admitted
being up to the camp as the bows testi
lled oot said he was there to see old
Louis Garter about the purchase of a
horse. He did procure Miss Hubbard TO
w1lte a letter to Mrs. Green about a de-
tective and caused it to be sent to Mrs
Green. lis reason for doing this was
tha' when he was up there he told Mr..
Green letter had been sent him and
he asked where it was and was told
he had it in his trunk He had not
received such letter and so he had one
written to send to her. He said he had
seen detective up there but not at
Green 5; 1t was at Mrs. Wiley's near
Green 5, and the detective was trying to
ma out If Mrs. Wiley and "Eph'' Root
were married as Mrs. Wiley was drawing
a widows pension. He denied hiring
Chatfleld to go up to Green's to tell
'Eph Root that he would be tarred and
teathered if he did not get out of there.
lie denied having dictated letter 70
Chatfield, as Chatfield had testified he
did. He admitted having talked with
'Boney' Martell but said that it was
about Martel coming to work for him
He never tried to hire Martell to kill
Root; never had any such intention him
sell; did not, in fact, kill Root. He did
not know how Root came to his death.
he admitted borrowing Frank Hub
bard rifle. but said it was for the pur.
pose OF shooting hedgehogs. on which
there Is bounty The revolver in the
case was his revolver and wa, procured
IRON ms brother in Springfield. He
sad he never showed the revolver TO
boney Martell and had never shown
'boney any money or said to him
"Here is your money when Won do the
JOB, meaning by that the killing of
Root.
The direct examination of Bean closed
at 3l1 o'clock and the cross examination
was taken up after 10 minute recess.
bean accounts for his whereabouts on
the night of the killing of Root bv saw
ing he went into the Hubbard barn after
supper and got his coat, after which he
lay down on the hay and fell asleep.
lie did not waken until after dark when
he went into the house and went TO
bed.
Dr. A. n. Logan was called by the