Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-03-21

Yes"
7iow often did he try 70 get out
Of bed
Every ten or fifteen minutes"
BRAY testified that at these times
Ploof would think he was working
on a job of electrical wiring and
would climb about on the bed and
chairs.
Bray said ploof kept this up for
several days and would try to twist
imaginary wires etc. until he became
exhausted and Bray would suggest
/ that he quit the job. The witness tcsti-
fed that ploof would talk of seeing
/ snakes and devils around him and That
/ they were after him. Bray said Ploof
refused to eat for two days The wit
ness said ploof complained of seeing
dcN lis coming out of the Ncranda posts
~ the hospital and would not he salts
fled until Bray ordered the devils to
go back into the posts.
HAD REVOLVER LONG TIME.
ON redirect examination, states
Attorney Shaw asked Bray to state
all that rloof said TO him about the
shooting Bray testified that Ploof told
and that he had had the revolver a
long time. rlurf also said the gun was
not loaded when no threatened TO
shoot his wife and that lac was only
fooling.
Ploof told Bray he was getting some
clothes ready to skip out when Miles
came after him. Ploof said the rca-
son he shot himself was because he
Thought hc would rather die here than
in Windsor. Bray said he asked Plnor
If u" intended to- shoot Miles If the
officer came after him and that rloor
said he was going to Grand Isle and
would have to sleep ont and might
need TIA" revolver. Ploof said the re-
VolVor was lying on the dresser load.
cd, when Miles came in and he nick
ed up the gun and fired ut the off
cor Bray said Ploofs mind seemed
normal while he was telling him these
things. In reply to question as to
whether h" thought Ploof was normal
when he saw devils coming out Of the
posts BRAY said he thought rloof was
shammne
Bart o 3ren. who stayed nights
with ploof at the hospital testified
That Pl"0f asked how long a sentence
he was likely to get for shooting
Niles. He said rloof thought he should
get OFF easy because the negro" got
only IS Neals for killing his man
Ploof intended to jump from the win
dow ana ESCAPE If the officers came
for him with IN" warrant but Miles
appeared before ploof had time to get
ont of the window and tho responder,
toll II
he lost his nerve after shooting the
! officer. o'Bricn said Ploof pretended
he was fishing on one occasion ana
talked @ great deal on other occa-
sions O'Brion testified that plonc
would stand up in bed and carry ON
an argument with an imaginary bar
tender about a glass of beer.
! Frank Brown of South burlington. a
! carpenter. who was wording at Mallet,'s
! BAY the day of the shooting. testified
that Peter cole had told him that Ploof
had said If tho officers in Burlington
| came to arrest him, they thc Officers,
would he sorry Judge Miles ruled that
| this evidence might be Put in only for
the purpose Of impcachnc the witness
| Peter cote who testified on Wednesday
| that he had not made such statement
| Ernest Brown also testified that Cole had
! told him the same thing
Ploofs wife, Mary Ploof testified tina.
| ON the night # June g. she was sitting
on the steps Of her home on Champlain
street when PiOof came along The wit
ness snid Ploof had not lived with her for
three years
The witness said SPloof came to the
house and took Il revolver ont of hts