The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1904-12-15
BURNED TO DE4 TIL.

in mass of flames Miss Mary V.
Dodge, adopted daughter of the late
Joel Dodge, swoke on Monday from
her sick bed to face her doom. All
means of escape we're cut of, the stair I
way gone, everything ablaze and no
help at hand. What agony she suffered
and just how it all happened will
never be known.
Mrs. Joel Dodge, an old lady nearly
eighty years Of age, and her adopted
daughter, Mary. lived alone in the
story and a half house about half
mile this side of Wrights mills and
just above the Jewett's mills on the
left hand side of the road going
toward Worcester. The daughter,
who was forty-five years old, was
taken i'll about three weeks ago and
had been attended by physician who
had left her medicine to take during
the night She slept up stairs in the
house and had gone to sleep with the
lamp burning Between 2 and 30
O'Clock that morning the old lady who
slept down stairs was awakened by a
light in the room and thought it was
morning. She turned over in bed and
discovered fire above her burning
hole down through the floor. She
shouted Mary, Mary" but received
no response. Nearly crazy with fright
she wrapped something around herself
ard ran out of the house to arouse
the neighbors. She succeeded in
waking Mr.. Andrews who lives only
short distance from the Dodge place.
He rushed down to the blazing house
and around to the back door. 1t was
too late, for everything was ablaze
and there was no possible way of get
! ting up stairs to rescue the imprisoned
woman who had probably already met
her fate. Several other neighboIs
came to help and only few pieces of
! furniture in one room down stairs
were saved
In the morning all that remained
was pile of ashes where the house
orce stood. Mayor CORY was sum-
moned and went up. He found the
trunk of the body in the ashes in the
cellar directly under the bedroom
where it had fallen. 1t was only
piece, Near it was a burner of
the lamp. 1t is thought that the lamp
must have exploded and fallen to the
floor catching fire to the carpet. No
other theory can be advanced as there
were no fires in the stoves in the
house. Health Officer Lindsay went
to the scene of the fire later in the
morning.
The remains OF the burned body
" re buried in the Lewis cemetery
which is located about a half mile
this side of Putnamsville. Mrs Dodge
has a monument erected to her hus-
band in this cemetery who died about
ten years ago and on this monument
she already has the name of herself
and her daughter Mary inscribed, as
she intended that they should all be
buried in the same place.
Some time ago Mary Dodge, who
is not adopted so that she is legal
hair, asked Mrs. Dodge to deed over
the property to her so that she miRh
mortgage it for some money to use
during the winter. Mrs. Dodge re-
fused to do this and also refused to
make will SO that the daughter
might be provided for after her death.
Miss Dodge consulted a lawyer and
about a week ago had an attachment
served ON Mrs. Dodge They had
lived together on the place for over
eighteen years.
Mrs Dodge was a Lewis, a men,
Der of the family for whom the Lewis
cemetery was named Joel Dodge,
her husband, was brother of Richard,
Shack" Dodge. a Mexican war vet
eran and a we'll known character
around Montpelier. Joel Dodge was
the man who figured SO prominently
in law suit of great interest in
Montpelier over twenty years ago.
Mr.. and Mrs. Richard Dodge were
living on farm belonging to Joel on
the road to Worcester at the time. Joel
had come upon the hill to dig some
potatoes. A row occurred over his
digging the potatoes before they we're
ripe and Mrs. Richard Dodge shot
Joel with a horse pistol. The bullet
entered his jaw and it was thought
for a time that he would not recover.
A long law suit followed and Mrs.
Dodge was acquitted on the plea OF
self defense.