Norwich bulletin., 1910-04-26

contractors from Boston, after viewing the layout for the connection with the Groton and Stonington road, rode in carriage the entire length of the trolley road to Watch Hill to get a view of the physical condition of the road.
 Large quantities of tools have been brought here during the past week and are stored near the Sweeney Quarries, indicating that work is soon to be com menced
 With all preliminary work complet- ed. it is believed that the work can be carried to completion before the sum- mer season traffic is at its height. When the road is rebuilt the big cars of the Norwich line can run direct from the Rose Of New England to Watch Hill and also to Pleasant View.
 Michael Riley employed in the kIon- dike quarry, and who lived just over the Westerly line in the town of Charlestown, is dead from the effects of drinking w'hiskey Sunday afternoon, alleged to have been made largely of wood alcohol He died in agony at 10 o'clock Monday morning He vOmited greenish liquid and became blind. Dr. A. B. Briggs of Ashaway, who was called and who arrived fifteen minutes before the man died, believes it to be a sure case of wood alcohol poisoning. Dr. E. H. Rouse, medical examiner will hold a post-mortem examination, and have the liquor that remained in the bottle from which Riley drank analysed. Mrs. Riley positively as bought from John Di Fonti, who re sides in the town of Charlestown, just beyond the boundary line between Westerly and Chariestown.
 Riley was at work in his garden Sunday morning when a friend came along with a bottle of whiskey- Both men drank freely and Riley became in- toxicated and went to sleep under IT r,1~ in tor Mrs. Riley says, and sent his son, Timothy, age 13, and Edward Hoyt, age II, of Westerly, to John Di Fonti's place and purchased the fatal whiskey. It is not believed that that first bottle from which he dranks had wood all collol. as his companion felt no i'll eff fects and did not drink from the sec ond bottle
 evening and complained of nausea when accidentally knocked down the after he was taken violently i'll, and vomited green liquid. Towards morning he seemed to grow worse and told his wife he could hear but could not see. Soon after he became un- conscious and Dr. Briggs was sum- moned.
 pr. Briggs was given possession of the bottle that contained the alleged poisonous whiskey, but only small quantity of the liquor remained. He declined to sign the death certificate. being practically sure that It IS a case of wood alcohol poisoning.
 MT. Riley. although moderate thinker did not permit the habit to interfere with his work and was classed as a hard working industrious man. He leaves his wife and ten children in almost destitute condition. The chill dren are Joln age 19; Cornelius IT; Annie 16 Timothy IS; Michael 12; David g. Catherine &; Francis Joseph 5; William 4; Elizabeth Mary, 21-2. He also leaves two brothers, Cornelius Of Westerly and John of Gardner, Mass, also a sister, Mrs. Thomas How ard of Westerly.
 Mrs. Riley is positive that the whis- key was bought a Di Fontis,S and that the children brought it home in a beer bottle. As soon as her husband drank of it he said it was of very poor quail ty- The bottle was more than half full when Mrs. Riley placed it in the cupboard, but it was uncorked and when accidently knocked down the contents ran out. except the small quantity now in the possession of Dr. Rouse.
 The house where MT. Riley died is near the Klondike quarry, which is owned and operated by the James Gourlay estate, of Westerly and man aged by a son of the late James Gour- lay. The 5quarry is partially in Man tic, town of Westerly. Di Fonti's place, where Mrs. Riley says the whiskey drank by her husband was purchased is very near the town boundary line, within a few hundred feet of the town of Westerly. It was