The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1911-03-10
SOCIOLOGIST WAS
LIKEWISE A FAKER
Simon H. deVries Taken to
North Adams Friday
AND SENTENCED TO ONE YEAR
Man Who Pretended TO Fall from Street
Car Wednesday Evening Of Last
Week Believed to Be Person Who
Has Been Buncoing Trolley Roads.

Oar WEDNESDAY evening VI h0os
Week Believed to Be Person Who
Has Been Buncoing Trolley Roads.
Simon Harry deVries, alias Jack
Left. who came to Brattloboro from
North Adams by way of Greenfield
Mass, last week and announced that
he intended to write several books on
sociological themes and who was placed
under arrest Friday at the Memorial
hospital on a warrant charging him
with the larceny of $l25 in North
Adams, as told in The Reformer last
week, is supposed 10 be a faker who
frames up schemes TO mulct street rail
way companies for alleged damages.
The man came to town last week
Monday and secured a room at Mrs.
Jason Bushnells on High street where
he brought trunk and suit case. lie
explained to the landlady that he had
no particular business. but intended to
devote himself TO literary work and
that evening while strolling around
the town he got into conversation with
Chief of Police George Wilson and in.
tleboro to write several historical
sketches. He didn't intimate lust
what he intended TO write up, but said
that he should be here about three
months. As Chief Wilson is always
more or less suspicious of voluble lndl-
viduals who have schemes TO exploit he
mentally labeled deVries rs suspic'
ious character.
Though Chief Wilson did not learn
of the incident Wednesday evening
deVries tried his game by falling, from
trolley ear. and landed in the hospi-
tai. While the attending physician
was trying to learn the identity of the
man the local street railway company
was making a bit of investigation on
its own account IL didn't require
much investigation to convince the
managers of the road that deVries. was
professional, who makes business
of falling from street cars, SETTING
hurriedly with the company, and leaV-
ing town. The company had a deserip-
ton of man who has been operating
in New England and IT fitted deNrles
like a glove. 1t was decided to place
him under arrest when he left the hos.
pital, and arrangements had been made
to take him into custody Thursday.
That afternoon word came from North
Adams, Mass, that deVries was want:
ed in that place for the larceny OF
| 1925 from his landlady. Mrs. Shepard,
at 1919 Main street. Chief of Police
w. L. Dinneen of North Adams tele,
phoned to Chief Wilson that he would
be in Brattleboro Friday and TO hold
deVries until Mrs. Shepard could lden.
| tify the man. 1t took only moment
| for Mrs. Shepard, who accompanied
| Chief Dinneen, to identify Jack Lei,
as he gave his name to her two weeks
| before. who lay on a cot in the men s
ward of the Memorial hospital.
Left or deVries was plainly fright.
ened and lost his nerve when Chief OF
Police Wilson told him to get up and
dress. The man said that some mistake
had been made. He said he was too
weak to stand and the attendants
helped him dress. He sank into 2
wheel chair and was brought out OF
| fine ward to waiting team which
brought him down town to his boarding
place. He waived extradition and with
| his baggage accompanied Chief DIM
neen to North Adams.
Before he was arrested Friday morn
| ing word came from Greenfield, Mass,
| that deVries had mulcted the trolley
| road in that place out of $50 by taking
injuries and simultaneously there came
| a report from Gardner. Mass. saving
| that the street railroad of that place
| had settled with deVries for $40 for
alleged injuries sustained on that rail
road. With all of this mass of evidence
| II seemed certain that deVries was the
man wanted and he was surrendered
to the Massachusetts, officer after he
had agreed to 90 to North Adams with
ont extradition papers. There is hardly
any doubt that he intended to film,
fam the Brattleboro street railroad
company. Wednesday night he started
to run after a car coming from west
| Brattleboro. The man was near the
foot of High street and either fell or
threw himself upon the ground appa-
rently as one would fall who had been
| thrown from q moving car. Doctors
W. III. Lane and G. r. Anderson were
passengers upon the car and ordered
the man taken to the hospital. When
he was examined de Vries attempted 70
sham Inconsistencies and then would
become conscious for few moments
and talk about his literary work. He
was placed in charge of a SPECIAL nurse
in quarters removed from. the men s
ward as it was thought his condition
might be such as to make nm nor NOISY y
during the night. However, ne WASH :
addicted to noise. He kept quiet and
PLAYED the mart of sick man to per
| lection until confronted Friday by the
woman whom he had robbed
The first known of deVries, in Brat
tleboro came last week Tuesday when
he was heard to INQUIRE if there were
any people from Holland in this place.
He was apparently an educated man
not over 80 years old, weighing about
1875 pounds. He had light hair, wore
glasses and carried a cane.
He was rraigned Monday at NORM
h5o~s ond sentenced to q wear in the
house of correction.