Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1905-06-23
County Court,
CONTINUED from Page ~

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locked in their cells, but were per-
mitted to sleep in them on their cots
or on mattresses in the big room, as
they chose, with the idea of making
them as comfortable as possible. And
it was further shown by Mr.. Cobb's
testimony that he had been given a
piece of wire, found in the jail. fashioned
to unlock one of the iron doors, and |
a piece of wood fashioned to resemble
key and made from part of a broom
handle, and with these instruments as
was testified to by fellow prisoners,
Mccormick got out Of limbo for the |
time being. At the exact time of his |
departure the young fellow notified all
of his room-mates, according to some |
of them, that he was going, shook hands |
with them and bid them all goodbye
The other prisoners could as well have
gone out at the same time, if they
had seen fit and were all awake and
given the departing hand-shake, as
stated by some of them.
The suppositious defense was on the
ground that Tailor Cobb had himself
liberated Mccormick from confinement
on the payment or promise of payment
to him of 5000 by E. w. Train of Ludlow
and until couple of months ago the
landlord for several years of tho Pierce
House in Middlebury, the child-bride
of Mccormick being now as for some
weeks past dining room girl for Mr..
Train in his hotel at Ludlow, as she
had previously been in Middlebury; but
the assigned counsel for the defense
made no effort further than cross
questioning of witnesses in that line,
and when it was proven by various wit.
nesses, notably Delbert d. Burns of
Ripton fellow-prisoner with the respond
ent on the charge of cruelty to child
and of Fred A. Bailey of Ferrisburgh,
| fellow-prisoner on an assault charge,
that Mccormick had himself fashioned
the wire hook key and the broomstick
wood key that he had previously tried
them and found them working and
that he used them to let himself out
and did by their use escape from the
| Jail, there did not seem to be much
| further doubt as to how he got out.
Both of these prisoners testified that
since Deputy Cobb brought him back
to the Jail from Franklin Falls, \. H.,
last Monday, he had told them he want
ed them to help him in court and asked
them to testify that they had seen the
letters from E. w. Train in regard to
the 5000 bride When they separately
refused to testify to seeing documents
which they never had seen Mccormick,
they testified threatened to kill them,
in case they didn't help him in court
The case was on all day Friday and
at the opening Saturday morning the
State rested. The defense also at once
rested without having put any witnesses
on, although it was expected by some
that Mccormick would take the stand
for himself The counsel for each side
4 1AI hnt In
make any arguments to the Jury, and
it was submitted to them by Judge
Watson in a charge of less than five
minutes duration.
The Jury in six minutes thereafter
signified their readiness to come in with
a verdict but as the respondent had
during their absence been arraigned
on the forgery case and Clerk Vain.
wright was still reading the information
; to him, they were not allowed to come
in The information was in twelve
> counts charging Mccormick with hav.
ing in December last forged document:
aggregating S2l9.56, and to the first two
: counts charging the forgery of the
, name of Nelson Murray of Lincoln t.
: two checks for SILL and $22.33 on the
18th day of last December Mccormick
; pleaded guilty, it having taken Clerl
; Wainwright half an hour to read the
information.
The jury in the other case were ther
brought in and the foreman said they
had found Mccormick guilty. Sentence
was not passed in either case and thu
> respondent was remanded to Jail, ant
. at 1915 o'clock a recess was taken unit
! o'clock on Monday afternoon, the
! Jurors all having previously been ex
cused until that time.
I Work was resumed promptly at tw'
= o'clock Monday afternoon. The case o
3 State VS.. John Thompson was then takel
: up. The respondent was arrested II
company with his brother, Ernest Thomp
: son, at Weybridge, on the 18th day 0
last July, which was on Sunday. Ernes
. pleaded guilty in the justice court pre-
- ceedings and settled up. The two wer
: brought to Middlebury together by Con
. stable H. B. Hagar and lodged in Jail a
= somewhere about seven o'clock that even
= ing. John has all the time insisted tina
;, he was not drunk on that occasion, bu
:. the evidence seemed to convince the jur
! that he was. States Attorney Russo
;, was necessarily obliged to retire fror
II the case as he was the respondents orig
i inal counsel counsel, and Charles l. But
q ton of Middlebury was substituted a
prosecutor. D. l.. NuSnilldn Ol Durllne
ton represented the respondent. The de
= Tense brought out good fight, but tn
case went against the respondent, whe
after trial of one day the jury brougt
the respondent in guilty. The lawyer
were limited to half an hour on a sid
after the evidence had been finishe
Tuesday forenoon. They finished up i
time for the court to give the case to tn
jury in two-minute charge, and no r.
cess for dinner was taken.
Immediately after the verdict of guilt
was reported in the afternoon Actin
!. States Attorney Button moved for tt
sentence in the case. and the court a
r lowed proof of a prior conviction on tt
u 7th day of the same month, just ten da!
before, to be put in. Finding the recoI
Of the prior conviction to be all rigl
Judge Watson sentenced Thompson
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