The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-12-08

NVu6u1Ob uO VVU READERS Bedding, Dec. S-As compensation foI
 being shot by James Smith. 10000
 damages were sought by Ben Godfrey
 a carpenter of hometown. in a suit
 which was concluded in the Superio,
 court at Danbury on Wednesday o1
 this week. The shooting occurred
 nearly two years ago. and the conse-
 quent criminal action against Smith
 for assault with intent to kill was
 from Danbury one night about + o'clock Godfrey clambered up the bank
 in front of Smiths house with the in-
 tention of making a call. the men be-
 ing friends. Smith. who was in bed
 at the time. heard the noise and came
 dark. and without the exchange ot any words between the couple the gun
 was discharged. shooting to pieces the bag of provisions Godfrey was carry ing on his shoulder. and peppering the upper part of his arm and shoulder and when Godfrey came out of the hos pital after stay of several months he was permanently disabled. In the defense put forward by Smith during the trial just closed he maintained that the discharge of the gun was acci- dental. He claimed that just prev ious to this affair he had been annoyed by chicken thieves and suspecting that another raid was being made by them he took up the gun so as to give them a proper reception. As he stepped around the corner of the house God 0wv L. ran against him and the jar caused the, discharge of the weapon. the fir ing mechanism of which was out of order. Another strong point relied upon by the defense was the doubt raised as to whether Godfrey's blood wound. It started in his little finger. but no doctor called as a witness would say that any of the shot lodged in that fioger. The abrasion might have come from his fall down the stone embankment after the shooting. or been received while he was working at his trade. A number of Smith s neighbors testified during the trial to his good reputation as a peaceable citizen.
 Judge Gager finished his charge to the jury at noon yesterday. At 3:3o the jury reported a disagreement with no likelihood of reaching an agree
 
 court house that 10 were favorable to awarding Godfrey damages. and two infexibly opposed. Judge Gager dis charged the jury. It is not expected that another trial will be held.
 Judge Gager rendered a decision on the petition for a recoupnt of the Se- lectmen vote of the October election. yesterday afternoon. The petition was brought by E. A. Pinkney. who. ac- cording to the town count. received the least number of votes. The re- vised count of the court showed the Walter B. Rowland. 92; Ebert M. San ford. S1 E. A. P;nkney. 79. The re- suit of the election therefore remains the same as before. with Pickney the low man. In the proceedings it de- yeloped that there were ~s sl ballots LII @ of marked with the name of only one candidate for Selectman. The court ruled that where there was but one mark on the Australian ballot. for the four Selectmen. only the candidate whose name was marked could be been claimed that this was not the in- tent of the voter. but the judge plainly held that there waS but one course for him to pursue, and he declared the ballots null and void as to the other candidates where there was but one of them marked.
 Samuel Bennett. who for several years ran the grist mill on the Sauga- tuck river near Library Corner. died on Monday in the State Hospital for the Insane at Middletown. aged about 75. He was almost a giant in size and of a strength to correspond. He was a Civil War veteran and about four years since became an inmate of the Soldiers Home at Noroton. being at that time a sufferer from facial can- cer and having also developed indica tions of insanity. His mental condi- tion becoming worse he was subse- quently transferred to the insane hos pital A wife and several children survive him.
 As regards the personal inspection of property the assessors have nearly finished their work, the Georgetown section being the only remaining one to receive their attention. So far they have done nothing in the way of fix ing valuations. this being left until the matter can be considered by a full board. Until the present week Chair man Connery was too much occupied with other affairs to join in their ac- tivities. The board say they can as yet give no idea of the degree of in craase which the new appraisals will effect.
 The condition of Thomas Delaney re- mains practically unchanged. making the case one of the most remarkable known to the experience of the doc- tors brought into connection with it. Nearly three weeks have elapsed since he was prostrated from some unknown cause, and beyond infreouent and short intervals of partial conscious ness he has all this time been in a profound stupor. About a week ago a consultation of doctors decided that cerebro- meningitis had set in. That for so long a period he should neither rally nor grow perceptibly worse Is