The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-02-27
CHELSEA.
Homer Spooner, Aged 9, Has a Mania
to See Flames.

At the June term of court, 1910,
Homer Spooner, lad of nine years,
whose parents are industrious and re-
spectacle people living in Brookfeld, was
convicted of the crime OF arson and SEN
fenced TO the state industrial school at
Vergennes during the remainder of his
minority. His sentence was suspended,
and he was placed in charge of the
county probation officer and allowed to
return to his home with his parents.
He had conducted himself in a highly
satisfactory manner until Friday, when
he went to the home OF a neighbor,
Clayton B. Fisk, and while playing hide
and seek with some playmates in the
house, he went into closet, where he
espied box which was filled with sheet
music. He was seized with his mania
to see fire and dropped lighted match
into the box and, as soon as he saw
that the paper had ignited, left the clos
ct and closed the door, going downstairs
and returning to his home without APP
praising anyone of what he had done.
Soon after he took his departure Mrs.
Fisk detected the smell OF smoke and
after some time succeeded in locating the
place from whence IL came and immedi
ately gave the alarm The fire had
burned enough to spoil the entire box of
music and had burned a hole through
! the bottom of the box, and the only
| thing which saved the house from being
destroyed was the fact that the closet
door was closed and there was not sufii-
cient air to support combustion to the
extent of allowing the blaze to get much
/ of start This boy was suspected at
once, and when the town grand Juror
| interviewed him he did not attempt TO
deny having set the fire and could give
no reason for his act, only that he want
ed to see a fire. Probation officer w. II,
Sprague was Immediately notified and,
in company with Deputy Sheriff George
1 A. Tracy, went TO Brookfeld Saturday
and took the lad into custody and
brought him to Chelsea where he will
remain at the Jail until the quarantine
at the industrial school is raised, when
he will be committed to that institu-
tion.
Stanley G. Wilson. states attorney
was in Thetford on official business Sat.
urday
Mr.. and Mrs. I. d. Tillotson Of Wash.
ington We're guests Sunday OF theil
daughter, Mrs. Fred f. Goodwin, and
family.
Mr.. and Mrs. Arthur Stearns and chill
dren Of Williamstown spent Sunday al
the home OF Mrs. Stearns' mother, Mad
anne Ellen Laird.
Charles II. Wishart and Mrs Barbara
Saturday and Sunday and were guests
OF Harry K. Wishart.
Miss Lora Hood went to Montpelier
last week Thursday to do stenographit
work for Hale r. Darling on the worl
OF indexing the session laws, preparing
the same for the printer.
A good many from this way were OF
Williamstown south hill Saturday, Il
attend the large auction sale OF tn,
real estate and personal property be
longing to the estate of the late w
Irving Covell. All property sold at higl
prices.
Miss Sadie Royce, whose home is witt
her aunt, Mrs. Ella Spaulding OF Iun
!, bridge. near the Chelsea line, and whit
has been working for the past few week
in Brookfield. was taken to the sanatori
um at Randolph Saturday and was sue
cessfully operated upon in the Afternoon
for mastoids.
The New Chelsea Dramatic compan,
played "Over the Hills to the Poorhouse
10 a full house at the opera hous
. Wednesday evening, the 22d inst. am
! fully sustained their past record of put
ting mp good article in iirst-class style
The dance. which followed. was largel.
attended and all had fine time an
got the value Of their money. Contrar.
I to expectations. the company has bee
. prevailed upon and engaged to 60 t
/ Williamstown with the play some tim
: early in March, but viii probably not 2
elsewhere out Of town to present th
play.