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

The first witness Tuesday was James
Shea. He said he had been in Brattleboro
since Oct. 1 and boarded at Mrs. Bush
nells. At LIS Sunday he and John Dom
ovan met Reagan at the corner Of Flat
and Main streets and started up the track.
He said they had no liquor. short dis
lance north of West river bridge they
met two men whom they knew only by
sight Shea testified that Donovan and
Reagan had a dispute lasting five TO ten
minutes about some woman, Donovan re-
marking that Reagan could not board
with her because her husband. would not
let him. After meeting the two men, who,
as was shown afterwards were Cornelius
Donovan and Patrick Mcclure Of Brat
tleboro, the two latter turned around and
walked back with them to a point near
the suspension bridge. Shea said that he
and John Donovan went across the river
to John Connelrs. that he bought and
paid for quart of whiskey and he
thought Donovan bought and paid for an
other quart. Going back to the railroad
they treated the three other men and
walked down to the rocky cut and sat
down on the ground. Shea said he knew
what he was doing all the time. but
couldn't remember much about the trains
He said he started home about O'clock
when II began to rain, and asked Reagan
to go with him, but that Reagan remained
and was singing when he left. He
under the influence Of liquor
When shown the cap Shea said II was
his and that he wore Donovan's home.
thinking 1t belonged to him. When he
heard Monday morning at the railroad
station that a mans body was found he
said he asked John Donovan II Reagan
returned with him the night before. He
said that Donovan and Reagan drank
out OF his bottle and he drank out OF
theirs.
Cornelius Donovan then was sworn.
| He said he was n telephone man and
| boarded at the Brattleboro House. He
and Mcclure started up the track just
| after dinner Sunday, but had no liquor
| with them. When near the suspension
| bridge, he said. MCGUIRE went away and
| got quart OF rum and n quart Of port
| wine. and that he paid for part OF It,
Then they started down the track. met
John Donovan. shea and Reagan. and
walked back to the bridge. and that John
| Donovan and Shea then left the party and
| returned In about an hour with two quarts
| OF liquor. Then they went down to the
| rocky cut and sat down. Witness and
Mcguire started home first He said he
| saw no indications OF trouble OF any kind.
| Patrick Mcclure testified that he left
| Cornelius Donovan near the track and
| went to John Connells. where he bought
| a quart of rum and quart OF port wine.
| Whom did you pay for the liauor?"
|
John Connell himself" Mcclure said he
and Cornelius Donovan drank a lot OF
| the liquor before they met the three
| others. His testimony about John Don
| ovan and Shea getting liquor at Connells
| corroborated that OF Cornelius Donovan.
| He remembered seeing two men pass
| through the rocky cut about $50. These
were Barrows and Tasker He said all
| five of the gang drank freely. but he saw
| no indica lions Of trouble.
John Donovan was questioned sharply by
| Mr.. Schwenk. He said he boarded at
Mrs. Bushnell's and had known Reagan
| three years, but had not seen him for two
| years until six or seven weeks ago. He
and Shea walked to the depot with Rea-
| gan Saturday night TO find out how
| football game came out Then they came
| up street and Shea bought a hat. coat
and vest AT Fenton's store. On Sunday
| forenoon, Donovan said he took a drink
OF whiskey in HIS room and about 2
| o'clock he, Shea and Reagan went up the
| track His testimony was the same as
the others about buying liquor at Con-
| nelfs. He said he was drunk before
| reaching the rocky cut and couldn't re-
| member what happened after that, but
| little later he remembered going to a
| spring after water without finding any
| He did not remember about his trip home
| except that when near the Boston &
| Maine engine house he bumped against
| car, winch brought him to his senses
| and that he then realized that he was
bareheaded and asked Martin Burke, at
| the engine house. for a cap, which was
loaned him. He did not remember leav-
| Ing Reagan. In regard to the dispute
| with Reagan he admitted that he dis
puted with him about boarding with a
woman, but said he was just jollying him
| He identified the cap exhibited as be-
| longing to Shea.
The last witness before the four were
arrested for furnishing liquor was Martin
Burke. Mr.. Burke said that John Dom
oVan and two other men went up the
track about $50 Sunday afternoon and
| that Donovan returned bareheaded about
$50 at night He gave Donovan a cap
and followed him to the Depot street
| crossing to see that he did not get struck
by train. as he saw that Donovan was
drunk. He said Donovan asked him II
he was going straight home"