Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-09-29

Immediately turned out and went to tho
Dodge place, and none of them saw any
! one but Mrs. Dodge come out of the
house.
| The Rev. II. C. Howard and his wife,
who live next door to the Dodge place on
the west. heard tho shooting and start
ed across the short lawn to the Dodge
place. They met Mrs. Dodge coming out
Of her house and she said, Something
| terrible has happened Certainly no
one but Mrs. Dodge left her house or,
| the west side.
81 DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS LOADED"
Or. Palmer Of Brooklyn, who occupies
a summer house across the street from
the Dodge house, but a little to the east
OF IT, and giving him an unrestricted view
Of the Dodge house from that side, heard
the shots while seated on his piazza, and
, started over to see what the trouble was.
| side.
Then there was Guy Garvin. clerk in
| Il store. who was washing up prepare
| tory to dinner In a house almost across
| the road from Mrs. Dodgc's place lie
ran over and entered the DODGE house,
| and he picked up Mrs. Dodge's revolver
the weapon In his pocket. He says
| Mrs. Dodge said: 81 didn't know It was
| loaded" or II didn't know it would go
on one expression or the other and
he says he will so testify when tho case
comes up In court.
J. y. Dodge. a deputy sheriff who was
related to the late ex-sheriff. but Is no.
Il blood relative of Mrs. Dodge. made
| 4, l,,
her own house. under arrest, of course
but not under any great amount OF re-
| straint. until she had given bail on
Thursday afternoon or evening
states Attorney Hunt came To town and
said he was going to arralgn the woman
before a committing magistrate In a day
! or so on the charge Of murder preferred
and was only waiting the arrival of At
torney-General Sargent to go ahead with
the caso. Sargent got along on Wednes-
day afternoon, hut Mr.. Howe was on the
ground by that time and Mr.. Blodgct,
came the next day
HELD MANY CONFERENCES.
! Wednesday night there were many lit
tie conferences and confahs between the
attorneys representing the State and
| those looking after the interests OF Mrs
| Dodge. Thursday the ponderous Mr.
Sargent vas in and out of the hotel
looking mysterious and refusing to talk
| about the case with the reporters. Toward
noon he entered his automobile, in com
| pany with the States attorney and the
attorneygeneral's stenosrapher. and went
| away. Sargent said he was coming back
but didn't Hunt returned to town late
| NJ
| place, and while he was there civil en-
gneers made many measurements in and
about the house.
| cMantime Messrs. Howe and Rlodget.
alternated between conferences with their
client and talks with Sargent and Nj
Hunt. They contented themselves, as
counsel for the woman, by saying they
would offer no evidence at the pre-
| lminary examination. If one We're held
hut would wait for the prosecution to
reveal its hand MS far 1t would, and
with saying the government had no direct
evidence against their client.
MRS. DODGE ADMITTED TO BAIL
Thursday evening States Attorney
Hunt told the reporters in the hotel din
Ing room at supper time that after he
had eaten he would have a statement
| to make. When he came out from the
supper table the reporters gathered
around Mr.. Hunt in the parlor and he
| announced then, for the first time, that
Justice Brown had been at Mr.. Dodge .
house late In the afternoon or early in
the evening and had admitted Mrs.
Dodge to ball In tho sum of $500 to in
sure her appearance at tho preliminary
! examination which had been fixed for
October IL. He added that the bondsmen
were J. n. Dodge, the deputy sheriff
who had made the arrest, and Julian
Bell, husband Of tho woman, who. as
an infant. had been adopted by j. Mar
shall Dodge and his second wife.
In explaining how 1t was possible for
a person accused of murder IN the first
degree to be admitted to bail, Mr. Hunt
said the laws of Vermont provide that
bail may he accepted in capital case
| where the proof is not clear and the
presumption Of guilt great" That stua-
| ton. Mr.. Hunt said exists in this case.
| Mr.. Hunt also said that while the
charge Of murder in the first degree had
not been modified, investigation had con-
WINGED the prosecuting officers they
| would be unable to secure a conviction
OF murder in that degree because they
had been unable to show reconciliation
| on the part OF the accused woman.
After she had been beled Mrs. Dodge
left her home Thursday evening and
went to the house of Julian Bell. Mrs
| l)odGe's maiden name was Florence
| Flood and she came Of n poor family
| living near here. She was servant in
the Dodge household during the lifetime
Of the second Mrs Dodge. and about six
months after tho second Mrs. Dodge died
che married Dodge. Because OF her
wealth Mrs Dodge has been much de-
ferred to by the other women of the town
| ana she has been what Is described as
| the biggest toad In tho puddle"
| PREDICTION OF NO TRIAL.
There Is so much dissatisfaction over
the action of the attorney general in per-
uniting Mrs. Dodge's release on so small
bail as 5000 that the prediction the case
VIII never be called to trial is being made
| IN some quarters, although there is every
probability that Mrs Dodge will be
| EiVen II preliminary hearing before Jus,
ice Brown next month. Whether she will
he held to the grand jury or not will rest
with him after hearing tho testimony Of
| the government
AS tho case now stands, Mrs. Dodge Is
accused or murder. although she is n,
| liberty ON $1,000 bail. Heath was sho,
| dead IN her house, and she admits that
the bullet which killed him came from
her revolver, and that she was alone ir
the house with Heath. She says he must