The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-04-14
OUR BEDDING LETTER SOE
Latest News Happenings From
 the Ridge.

Bedding, April 14.-Ben Godfrey, who
 was shot last fall by James Smith
 and thereby crippled for life, has
 brought a civil suit against Smith asking award of damages in the sum
 of $10.000. The defendant is under
 with intent to kill, but his trial went
 over from the last criminal term of
 the Superior Court and will probably
 not be reached until fall. c. w. Mur-
 phy of Danbury is Godfrey's attorney
 in the civil action. Smith claims that
 he had no intention of shooting God
 dentally- The men were friends and
 on his way home from Danbury late one night Godfrey went into Smiths yard near the Bethel line. Smith heard him scrambling up the bank and getting out of bed took up his gun and stepped outside. In the darkness tor was and without any exchange of
 words the gun was fired, depositing a full charge of shot at close range in poisoning resulted from the wound and when Godfrey came out of the hospital after a stay of two or three
 months one hand was useless. Smith has some property, but not nearly enough to satisfy a judgment to the amount sued for.
 The situation in regard to the a1- legged eleven hundred dollar shortage of former Tax Collector E. T. Gorham remains unchanged, the selectmen haV1ng been too busy W1Cn road re- pair work during the past week to de- vote any time to the matter and MT. Gorham pursuing his former course of inaction. Before he and the select men meet for a settling up conference the latter have decided to make comparison between the town treasur- CTS credit entries in the rate books and the comparison entries in the treasurer's own books. These furnish the record of the collections turned over by the collector and therefore not the circumstance will tend to sup
 port MT. Gorham's claim that the shortage is due in part at least to errors for which he is not responsi- however, for the large discrepancy be- tween the totals representing the sums collected by MT Gorham and surer When the final round up of accounts is had the selectmen will probably call a special town meeting to ask instructions as to what further action shall be taken.
 Two strangers, tall men whose fden- tity remains unknown, are believed to be responsible for the fire which last Sunday afternoon burned over two or three acres in the field adjoining A. L. Liverrnore's residence and destroy sheltered during the winter. The men referred to had been seen fishing in the vicinity but disa ppeared before the blaze attracted attention MT. Liver
 
 very Wroth over the trespassfng and the ensuing damage. Deputy Sheriff Banks was summoned. but his efforts to learn who the offenders were prov ed unsuccessful. MT. Livermore would very much like to bring them to pros ecution for an example.
 A citizen suggests that If the Of1c1aI powers are at a loss to determine where the waiting $1o,00o of State highway money shall be laid out they might take into consideration the needs of the Putnam Park road for improvement, especially in the mat ter of widening. There is some ques- ton. however, as to Y whether com. merely widening project, necessita t. ing as it would in this case the exca- vation of an ernbankment on one side the two combined. The road way in question is quite narrow in places and abounds in bends. It is route much frequented by autos and practically all the teaming between the Ridge section and Bethel is done over it. There have been several minor accidents with each other on this thoroughfare and it is a marvel that more serious casualties have not occurred.
 Ben Hampton. proprietor of Hamp- toms Magazine, was in town on Mon- day and spent several hours in ex- ploration with a view to noting what I for a summer residence. Several 1o- calities and the town in general im- pressed him very favorably. He did | no actual business in the way of buy 1 ing or negotiating. but gave those who l piloted him around to understand that 1 he was likely to come again and ac- quire a building suite.
 D. R. Warner, the local fire warden, 1 has issued between 50 and 50 per- n1its for outdoor fires and says that 1 there seem to be a general disposition 1 to comply with the new law in this l respect. So far there have been no l looking to prosecutions for | violations.
 The Rowland brothers have shifted | their saw mill to tract of woodland 1 owned by Charles Sanford which they 1
 D. V. B. Hegenan of Brooklyn. is 1 at his summer place in Pleasant Val ley for a few days.
 Dayton the Bethel baker. will re- 1 surne his trips through the Ridge and l Center next Monday, making three 1 weekly.
 Dr. Ryder and family of Danbury 1 are boarding with E. M Sanford.
 Robert W-a1bridge of New York spent 1 at his summer place in Plea | sant Valley. He will sail for Europe l about June !.
 J. w Teets and wife of New York l will resume the occupancy of their | house at the Ridge next week. A load l of their household effects is to be | brought up by an auto van. s2. 900 IMMIGRANTS
 AT ELLIS ISLAND ARE