Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1905-12-01

H. I. m.
although at first Mcclure and Cornelius
Donovan pleaded not guilty. but after
wards changed their pleas. Justice Bacon
sentenced them to three months in the
house of correction at Rutland also to
pay the costs of prosecution and to stand
committed until sentence was complied
with. The term Of Imprisonment. unless
the costs are paid, will amount to about
four months. The respondents were
taken to Rutland on the $50 train Tues
day night by Sheriff Mcclure and Deputy
Sheriff Knapp.
The inquest as to the cause and manner
of death was held before Justice Robert
c. Bacon in the office of Haskins &
Schwenk, beginning Monday afternoon. by
request OF the selectmen. Fletcher X.
Barrows was the first witness. Replying
to questions asked by A. F. Schwenk, at
torney for the town, Mr. Barrows said
that he and d. F. Tasker visited Mr. Bar
rows's cottage on the New Hampshire
side of the river about 2Is miles from the
village Sunday and on their return they
walked down the track from the suspen-
sion bridge. When nearing the cut they
heard voices reasonably loud and when
they reached the cut the men talked I'm
subdued tone. There were five or six OF
them, three on the west side OF the track
and at least two on the east side. One
of those on the east side was PROSTATE on
the ground and one may have been resting
on one elbow.
Neither Mr.. Barrows nor Mr. Tasker
said a word to the men. but the men
talked continuously among themselves
The only word Mr. Barrows heard plainly
was Quebec" Mr.. Barrows said II was
dark so that he could not distinguish the
mems features and he could not tell
from their conversation whether they were
toto
clothes The one who was lying down did
not move His head was toward the
river and his feet two or three feet from
the track. Mr. Barrows lit a match and
looked at his watch soon after passing
the men. II was then 5.25. Just as they
approached the West river bridge five or
eight minutes later. they saw n heavy
freight train coming north and they left
the track and crossed West river on the
highway bridge.
Mr.. Tasker described the location where
he and Mr.. Barrows passed the men as
being lust south Of the narrow cut where
the Goodall people go to their pasture. 4"
He thought there were six men. three on
each side. but said there might not have
been but two on the east side
| The three on the west side were
| reclining against the rocks or bank
Mr.. Tasker asked Mr.. Barrows what he
| thought the men were doing there and
/
should be lying on the damp ground at
that time OF night. The thought came to
him that they might be intending to wreck
q train.
Henry G. Ryan, who works in II. B.
| Haus's grocery store was called He had
| seen the body at the undertaking rooms
| and Identified II as that OF a man who
! once told him his name was Jack Rear
| don" Ryan saw him Sunday between
| l1.30 and - o'clock near Halls restaurant
bowed to him and the man waved his
hand to Ryan. Reardon did not appear
| to be intoxicated.
| DR.. Henry Tucker, health officer, was
sworn. When he drove to his office Sun
| day morning. between 9 and 10 o'clock, a
| man giving his name as John Reagan
| stepped up and said he was I'll. He had
a bad cold was hoarse and was lame with
| rheumatism. He looked clean and talked
| In straightforward way and DR.. Tucker
gave him bottle OF discs and a pre-
| scription for a pint OF whiskey. He
said the discs were found in the mans
| clothes at the undertaking rooms. DR.
| Tucker said that when he first saw the
| dead man the body was on the west side
| OF the track, where 1t was put by the
crew Of train No. II. The top OF the skull
was fractured In several directions and a
| large part OF 1t was missing. The cavity
| was empty OF brain tissue. The right
| shoulder was torn out OF the socket, the
! right elbow joint was torn open and the
| lower arm separated. the left thigh was
| fractured, the lower Jaw was fractured on
the left side the left collar bone was
fractured, the pelvic bones were crushed
| and broken and there were several bruises
| and abrasions on the hands and other
| parts of the body
The ground was examined by DR..
Tucker. who found fragments OF skull.
| brain tissue, buttons, etc, all along the
| go feet from where the body was struck
and where II was found, but there was no
| evidence OF blood except in one spot,
where the body had lain between the rails
before the train crew moved It, He pick
ed up jacknife, brass key. two five
| cent pieces and piece of clayplpe. Near
| where the body was found was a black
| soft hat. which has been identified as
| belonging to Reagan. Three or four rods
north OF where the body was struck was
heavy black cap, on the top OF which
was some thin ice, showing that rain had
| fallen on II and frozen. On the track was
a celluloid collar which looked as though
| 1t had been torn from some ones neck
| On the east side OF the track near the
| point where the body was struck were
numerous footprints in the sand, and the
| ground also looked as though some heavy
| body had been dragged up to the track
When asked by Mr.. Schwenk why he
thought the man was dead before the
| train struck him DIR. Tucker replied Be
cause Of the almost total lack OF hemor-
rhage. dead body does not bleed much
| on cutting" He said he thought the man
had been dead eight 10 10 hours when he
and Mr. Moran reached the spot between
| and 10 o'clock. He could not say
| whether the man had been intoxicated
and he asserted that II any violence had
been done TO the head previous to its
| being struck by the train evidence of IT
had been destroyed by the mutilation.
| round whiskey bottle, quart size, was
| found on the east side OF the track, and
on the west side were prints in the sand
made by bottles of that kind Before
leaving the stand DIR. Tucker said that
Reagan told him on his visit Sunday that
he had n wife and child living
The next witness was Station Agent
James II. Burke. He saw the body at
Moran's and recognized it as that of a
former Central Vermont employee In
| November, 1904, Reagan worked on the
| transfer platform. His name on the paw
roll then was John Reddy. Afterwards
he was employed as section man, giving
the name of John Reagan. He worked
a part Of last week under Section Fore
man %. j. Fitzgerald on the section be-
tween Vernon and Brattleboro, together
| with James Shea and John Donovan Mr.
Burke saw Shea at the passenger station
| after noon Sunday. Witness said trains
passing the spot, southbound, were due
10 arrive In Brattleboro at 10 D. M, and
4.45 and BIS a. m, but that none OF the
| crews ranOrfad A..