Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1913-12-19
ADDISON COUNTY COURT.
Adjourned After One of Shortest
Sessions on Record.

OJdVe VS. NIXON thompson Oh OCdrkS-
boro in which the respondent was
charged on the states attorneys in
formation with having committed an
assault upon Lewis Purinton at Starks-
boro some time in September or Octo-
Der last, the .xact date being uncer
tain. On the day of the occurrance
Purinton was drawing pototoes from
the field to a neighbor and as the most
convenient way of getting to the
neighbor's place drove part of the way
over a road which ran through Thomp-
sons land When going back for the
second load the complaining witness
saw the respondent mailing up the bars
of the passage way through which he
had to drive to get to the potato lot
and when he had approached nearer
Thompson threatened him, ordered him
off his land and struck at him with a
crowbar. Purinton's brother, Lindley,
was along with him and was walking
beside the wagon. Thompson struck at
Lindley also but did not hit either of
the brothers, but in attempting to ward
off blow from his brother Lindley hit
the crowbar with his hand. That, in
brief, is the story told by the half
dozen witnesses for the prosecution and
it was claimed that the road through
the Thompson lot had been used as a
public highway for many years. States
Attorney Tuttle conducted the prosecu-
ton and Ira H. LaFleur of Middlebury
appeared for the defense.
The testimony for the prosecution
was completed at 2 80 o'clock the same
afternoon and the defense was got
started at once. In his own behalf
Thompson testified that he had not
made any attempt to strike either of
the Purintons and denied the crowbar
incident entirely. He claimed that the
only implement he had in his hand was
hammer with which he had been at
work repairing a wire fence and that
all he had done to the brothers was to
order them off his land. 1t was further
contended that the lot on which the
alteration took place between the
parties is situated, not in Starksborc,
but in Buel's Gore, in Chittenden
county, which would remove the case
from the jurisdiction of the Addison
County court.
The evidence was all got in on Thurs
day and Mr.. Tuttle made the opening
argument for the State before the
close of the afternoon session and the
jurors not engaged on the case were
excused until two o'clock p. m. on
Monday. Friday morning Lawyer La
Fleur used up an hour in an argument
for his client and after brief reply by
the states attorney Judge Waterman
gave the case to the jury in half
hours charge at II o'clock. Alonzo j.
Wright of Waltham was appointed
foreman and just at noon the jury came
in with verdict of guilty of assault, as
charged.
In the afternoon the court pronounced
sentence. Thompson is a man of 35
years of age, owns farm of 200 acres
and has wife and five children, the
eldest of whom is only ten years of age;
and in consideration of all the circum-
inflict fine. A fine of 5000 without
costs was then imposed upon the re-
spondent and Mr.. Thompson paid the
amount assessed.
While the jury We're out in the above
case several other criminal cases We're
taken up and temporarily disposed of.
They were as follows:
State VS. Arthur Burroughs of Yer
gennes who was charged with having
stolen about half a dozen bushels of
grain from warehouse in Panton in
November last. The respondent is 25
years old and has wife to whom he
has been married only about a year.
The States attorney prosecuted and
Allen r. Sturtevant of Middebury rep
resented the respondent. The young
man pleaded guilty to the charge and
later in the day was fined 500 and
costs which he paid.
State VS. Lucy Newell of Shoreham,
charged adultery. She has been in the
county Jail for several months, child
having been born to her on or about
Thanksgiving day. She pleaded guilty
to the charge and asked for a chance to
do better so that she could bring up the
children in the way they should go.
James B. Donoway, under the assign
ment of the court, did all he could for
Mrs. Newell but the court gave her
sentence of not less than three years
and not more than four years at hard
labor in the State prison at Windsor.
The next case up was State VS. Roscoe
Anderson. This respondent was charged
with having thrown stone at brake
man on a train of the Rutland railroad.
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