Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1907-06-28
ADDISON COUNTY COURT,

had just got under way in the County
court when we closed our report last
week. This case was begun Thursday
forenoon and took up the whole time
until Saturday afternoon. Respondent
Peck, who is as years old, was charged
with stealing about 500 from Thomas
and Henry Calvin in Whiting in March
last. The Galvins live by themselves
and in one direction Peck was their near
est neighbor, living about 200 rods away
and all of them living near the Cornwall
line. In tin can kept on the floor of
their bedroom and covered with old
clothes the brothers were in the habit of
keeping various sums of money; and in
the fore part of March they had in this
burglar-proof safe something like 5000.
One day, when they were away from
home about half of this amount disap-
peared. The thief considerably dividing
even and leaving the Galvins the other
half for rainy day Peck had had
various occupations, ard among them
was selling wallpaper by sample.
Shortly before the money was missed he
had measured the bedroom where the
bank was kept for papering and it was
rumored that he had been having I'M
wonted sums of money soon after, so the
Galvins made complaint and had him
arrested on suspicion, although they con-
fessed to also suspecting another person,
a wandering painter. The arrest was on
April l6, more than month after the
larceny, and Peck was finally bailed out
in the sum of 5000. There was no direct
evidence that the respondent or any one
else in particular had stolen the money,
and the only circumstantial evidence was
the possession of more money than Peck
was supposed to have. But it was shown
for the defense that from August to
March Peck had received S216 from va
rious sources and it was shown where
he had legitimately obtained three 500
bills, which the Galvins believed to be
part of the Identical money stolen from
them. The respondent made GOO wit
ness in his own behalf, being on the
stand most of Friday afternoon and part
of Saturday forenoon. The remainder
of the forenoon session was used up with
the arguments to the jury by States At
torney Russell for the prosecution and
James B. Donoway for the defense, and
the judges charge. Judge TAYLOR gave
the case to the jury in a 50-minutes
charge at u 80 o'clock At 2:3O D. m.
the jury came into court with their YER
dict, which was that Peck was not
guilty. He was thereupon at once dis
charged from custody and received MANY
congratulations.
The court then took a recess until 2
o'clock Monday afternoon.
When court re.assembled at that time
a number of the old criminal cases were
continued. Two Middlebury men were
granted naturalization papers, and later
on resident of Shoreham was also nat
uralized.
Another criminal trial was begun at
o'clock. This was State VS.. Frank
Jerome of Ferrisburgh. who early in the
term pleaded not guilty to an informa-
ton charging him with illegal fishing by
spearing horned-pouts at Panton on the
7th OF the present month. William II.
Taft of Waltham, the county fish and
game warden, testified that his attention
had been called to the Jerome family
and on the day in question he had been
on the watch. He saw the prisoner and
his brother Walter go out in a boat in
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until they returned in the afternoon.
When they got out of the boat Walter
had bag of fish and Frank had spear
which he hid in the bushes. Taft hailed
them and informed them they were
under arrest, whereupon Walter dropped
his load and took leg bail, and he is now
invisible to Vermonters. The other one
started on the leg-bail route also, but
Taft threatened to shoot if he didn't
stop, and he stopped. The bag was
found to contain 90 bull,pouts that had
evidently been captured with a spear,
which is contrary to law. Jerome was
taken TO Vergennes, brought thence TO
Middlebury and has since been here in
Jail, no bail being forthcoming.
The respondent took the stand in his
own behalf Monday afternoon and de-
MED absolutely mat he had anything
whatever TO do with the catching Of the