The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1910-06-17
silas N. Phelps Captured After
-Four Days Man Hunt
MILITARY CALLED OUT TUESDAY
Monroe Bridge. Mass, Desperate
stabbed william Penman. supenn'
,sudsu, Of Ramags Paper Co. and
Killed Deputy sheriff y. !. Haskins'

mountain near his home. alter kiiiihl
nrpu,y sheriff Emme,, D Haskins Q
| lhsrlcmont, Mass. early sunday mo',,
,.y While the officer Was attempting v
80 h,m ior stabbing William fenman
s,,,s,,ntsnden, oi the Ramagc fapei
s,,,,,,.snv "a Monroe Bridge satufda,
nigh, Deputy Game Warden ID. D. SHEA
al Mare. Mas, captured the d.spcfad,
hi a hand.toh hand encounter about
mile from PhelTs's home. Assistance
was soon al hand in the shape Of a pe.,,'
eomio.al ii a detail Of NJ Co, NJ, v; ~.
al Adams, Mas, which, had oeei
ordered out 20 hunt for the muIusi''
The man was taken 20 cte.hhcid jan.
The hunt for PHELPS had been gelhs =,
FINN the time be left his home sunday
until The capture was made In the forest
sbou, q mile from his home. The man
"a. starving and had been without
water for 30 long a time that he was
nearly erazed. When taken 10 his wiie
ana ,ix small children the scene. was eA
ty,mely pathetic. The muniercrs family
are Ioyerty stricken. Deputy Game war,
den shea touched with the distrcss OF
M. family gave them all the money nc
bad with him. 81. The scene OF the Kill
Ing al DEPUTY Sheriff Haskins was about
five miles from Readsboro, VI. Word
was received in Brattleboro early sun
day morning OF the shooting.
Driven 90 bay by an officer OF the law
accompanied by posse, silas n fheIpS
OF Monroe, Mass. shot and almost instant
liz killed Deputy Sheriff Emmett =. has,
kins OF Charlemont, Mass, about ~
o'clock Sunday morning in the Phelps
home ON kingsbury hill on the cross f9ad
to Florida mountain, about mile ana
half from Monroe Bridge. -,
The officer was called 10 arrest Phelps
for an attack made Saturday night on
William Penman, superintendent OF the
Ramage PAPER company's mill at Monroe
Bridge, where Phelps was employed. HAY
ing been discharged by the. superintend-
emf for drunkenness, Phelps drew pocket
knife and stabbed Penman in the right
side. The wound was not serious. The
assault was made just at the close OF
work in the mill at O'Clock. IL was re
ported TO NJ. o. Hicks, constable in Reads
boro. who notified Deputy Sheriff Has.
kins by telephone. Mr.. Haskins went 10
a hotel in Charlemont and asked the
proprietor. J.. w. Sears, to go with him
10 arrest Phelps. They drove the II
miles 10 Monroe over the bad mountain
roads, arriving there about midnight.
Here they spent some time IN assem-
bling a posse of six men, and when the
party reached the Phelps house II was
about 40 o'clock. Knowing the desper-
ate character of the man they sought,
and having in mind written threats
against the life of Officer Haskins made
previously BY Phelps, they approached the
house with caution Finding the doors
locked. they knocked for admittanee and
Mrs. Phelps came TO the door. She ad.
mitted that her husband was inside and
warned the officer that Phelps would not
be taken alive and that he was prepared
to shoot to kill in resisting arrest.
Mr.. Haskins forced an entrance and the
party entered the kitchen Just in time
to see Phelps run to door opening to
fight of stairs to the attic. As Phelps
dashed up the stairs Mr.. Haskins started
TO follow. when Phelps turned and fired
the shotgun which he carried, the charge
entering the officers left breast and
piercing his heart Mr.. Haskins fell, and
saving to the posse surrounding him,
Hes got me-" died almost instantly
Mr.. Sears asked permission to remove
the body OF his friend the dead officer
and Phelps told him that he might have
three minutes in which to take the body
from the house Sears is small of stat
ure and found the removal difficult. As
"a, having reached this point only after
struggle on account of the weight of the
victim, Phelps pointed the gun at him
from a window and declared that the time
was up and he was about to shoot. Sears
was unarmed and having seen the deadly
skill of the murderer he did not wait for
a second order to go. Phelps then point.
ed the gun at the rest of the posse and
shouted from the stairs: '1'll give the
rest of you three minutes to leave this
house. If you are not gone then I'll
shoot, / will never be taken alive" AT
this threat the posse withdrew from the
house. Mr.. Sears, leaving guard about
the house, went to Monroe Bridge and
securing about 40 men, returned to the
Phelps house to capture the slayer of Mr..
Haslins and take possession of the of
ficer's body, which had been left at the
house.
While the watchers were debating on
plan to force Phelps to break cover at
lois o'clock he was seen at a distance
from the house, running through the
woods. He had apparently escaped
through rear door and found a spot in
sufficiently guarded through which to
make his dash for freedom. The chase
was Immediately taken up and continued
through the day, but the manhunters
were not rewarded with another glimpse
of their quarry. Although experienced
woodsmen who know the painless forest
toward which Phelps was seen to flee,
beat the woods through the hours of day
light, his skill in hiding was greater than
theirs in tracking.
Soon after the hunt through the woods
commenced it was learned that the fugi-
tive had cut the telegraph and telephone
wires to the eastward from Monroe, APP
parently hoping thereby to prevent the
news of his flight from being sent out
to the police of other towns In his
hurried flight from the house he took
his double barrelled shot gun.
Soon after Phelps entered the woods
Vermont officers were notified of the kill
ing and the Vermont line was watched
for the mans appearance. Tuesday morn
ing it was. reported that he had spent
the night in schoolhouse in the west
part of Readsboro The posse was in
creased Tuesday by the arrival of NJ
Co., M. V. NJ, and many state and coun-
ty officers and the home Of Phelps and
his brothers were guarded to prevent the
man from securing food or clothing.
Working on the theory that Phelps
must be in the immediate vicinity be-
cause of the peculiar actions of his rela-
tives and the signs the soldiers had
found in the forest, the big force of arm
ed men on Phelps's trail separated We'd
nesday morning at the Ballou place. One
squad. under command of State Detect
ives james Mckay and Thomas E. Bligh,
went to Howes pond to search buildings
there. and the other squad, under COM
mand of Capt Harold H. Flower of L
Co., and State Officer George F. Critten-
den, went down the easterly slope of
Monroe hill. The latter squad had not
gotten fairly started before Archie Ross.
l2-year-old nephew of Nathan Tower.
came running to them and said that