The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-08-05
TOWN WILL MANAGE
 BEDDING SCHOOLS
Interesting is Final Accounting of fAttor.
 ney Burgess of Ancient Fame.
OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Bedding, Aug. 5.-Thanks to an act recently passed by the legislature this town. like all the rural towns of the State having the district system, is about to pass under the consolidation CTS have already been hired for most if not all our districts and these en- agreements will of course hold good so that town management in its com pleteneSs will not become operative until next year. A special town meet ing must be held previous to the October election to decide whether the new board of education, which will have the entire mana cement of school affairs, shall consist of three, six. nine or twelve members. Until the new board comes in with its enlarged pow CTS the existing district committees are to act as members of the present board. The act places upon the as sessors the duty of making, during September. an appraisal of all the school property. The change of sys- tenn is welcomed by those who have the educational interests of the town most at heart, although the change would probably have been 2 long time in coming had 1t been dependent on securing a majority vote of the town. ed to support the legislative measure just enacted replied that if he did so he would be acting counter to the sentiment of his constituents.
 Rather an interesting case will come or for a hearing tomorrow before Probate Judge Nickerson. Its subject is the final accounting of Attorney c. A. Burgess. of New York and Bedding Center, as the guardian of his daugh- ter, Edith, who has reached the age Of 21. In his original petition MT
 Burgess put in a claim for an allow ance of S1,250 for the maintenance and education of his daughter. Since the death of her mother when the child was two years old Edith has lived with her aunt. Mary Burgess of Or arge. N. J., who also puts in a claim for services and expenditures of S.5G0 The only property owned by the Bur gess girl is house at Bedding Center which is on the tax list for SG00. This property was bought by her parents while she was an infant and the title placed in her name, the father re- serving life use for himself. This life use he recently conveyed to h's present wife who is his seventh matri- monial partner. Burgess is the man who gained notoriety few years ago by being made the subject of a White Cap or hazing performance here. He brought from New York to the house at the Center handsome young Cuban woman on representations as she claimed. that he had a Iordly estate here and would marry her up- on their arrival. When she found she had been tricled she made her plight known and the chivalry and moral sentiment were aroused. There was hastily organized a party of "Regu- lators' which descended upon Burgess at night and dragging him out to the until he was a sorry looking object
 He threatened to proceed legally against his assailants but never did.
 The house and barn on the. Wilcox son place near the line between Red ding and the Hattertown district of Newtown were burned last Sunday
 being undoubtedly set on fire as the house was not occupied. The property was of small value. but the place has tragic associations on account of being the scene of Andrew J. Peck's murder
 something over twenty years ago.
 The victim had quarrelled with
 Rudolph Stoeffel, a neighbor. At dawn
 one summer morning Stoeffel stole across lots to Peclz's premises and
 when Peck appeared at his door fired
 into him, from behind a stone wall, a
 charge of buckshot combined with a
 varied assortment of slugs. The vic-
 tim cavorted for moment. like a grasshopper as Stoeffel afterwards
 described it, and quickly expired On
 StoefePs first trial the jury disagreed Before the time set for the next trial Sheriff Clarkson caused the prisoners
 garden to be dug over and thereby AOuilu Ll1S WcdpOl. WllH WHICH the
 killing had been done. The second
 trial resulted in conviction and life sentence. Stoeffel several times vain
 ly petitioned for pardon.
 Isaac w. Josephi of New York, is
 the purchasing party in the real es-
 tate transaction in the northwestern part of the town to which reference
 was recently made. The tract he has acquired lies mostly in Bedding but
 partly in Ridgefeld and comprises 7s
 
 Braunnis. Ann E. Stiles and Frank Taylor. MT. Josephi will build a cost
 ly residence on the tract.
 Work on the Ridge State road was for the reason, partly, that the con- tract, which must be signed by the selectmen, had not arrived from Hart ford. The contractors expect to get the job under way next week. First Selectman Banks, at the request of supervise the work Italian laborers are to be mostly employed.
 Supt Cooke, of the Storrs College
 farm at Georgetown. has invited
 Pomona Grange of Fairfield county to
 meet there for a field day on wednes-
 day of next week. Bedding Grange
 will attend, making of the occasion a
 basket picnic. There will be talks on
 farm topics by a number of speakers. There was slight verbal passage at-arms at the selectmen's meeting last Saturday between First Select
 man Banks and Town Clerk Kicker
 son. The former had written the town clerk asking him to appear before the board with the stubs of all the dog licenses issued in order that the dis crepancy between his showing and that of the dog agent might be re- viewed MT. Nickerson appeared, but hatly refused to produce the stubs
 with the assertion that the seiectmer | had no compelling power in the mat ter. He said he had turned over all the money due the State from the licenses and this was the end of it MT Banks has written the attorney general to ascertain what powers the selectmen have in the matter.
 | Funeral services for John McDonal6 | were held at Bethel on Monday with a | high -equiam mass by Rev. Father kiernan. There was a large attend | ance and the floral tributes were many
 and beautiful. The pail bearers were