Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-10-02
Jury Awarded Administrators
Damages of $4,000 and Costs.
Arguments of Counsel ana Judges
Charge Occupied Last Day of
Trial which WINS begun
September 10.

ment OF the muncipa. electric light plant, |
went to the jury in Chittenden county
court late yesterday afternoon and at
nine O'Clock this morning reported a YER
dict of $500 damages and costs for the
plaintiff.
| Shortly after the opening of court yes
terday morning, Attorney General r. f.
Brown completed his argument for the
city. Attorney Warren p Austin follow
ed Mr.. Brown in presenting the city's
case with an examination OF the whole
mass OF testimony and argument. Late
In the forenoon Attorney V. A. Buard
began to say the final word for the de-
Tense and late in the afternoon Judge
Stanton completed his charge to the jury
Tho charge Of tho court was long and
quite impartial.
MIR BROWNS ARGUMENT.
Mr. Brown said in part: "rhe evidence
that the plaintiffs lawyers havo relied
upon to prove the existence on tho wires
of deadly and dangerous current was in
every instance taken in the daytime
In the daytime the arc-crcuit was dead
On the evening Of February 90 Mr. Shcr-
win was in the cellar with his volt-mctcr.
What did he find at the very time when
they claim this condition was At its height?
He found there was no voltage. The evil
dence conclusively shows that on no cc-
casion was there a deadly nd dangerous
current of electricity"
The counsel then took up the testimony
of Mr.. Fleury. the Burlington Light and
Power companvs man who was sent ont
to clean up the wires of the power com
pany and started an Investigation of the
city'S system. There might have lurlted
III Mr ro"h words al TINS I'm" sug-
Ees'i"n mat the burlington Light ana
rover company vas not likely to provide
an impartial witness in case like this
re painted IN" witness as black ds coal
Tor not having notified tn" city Workmon
Of the trouble on their line instead OF
merely telling Frank II. Parker.
Next Mr.. Brown read a question put to
Mr.. Norce. the plaintiffs electrical expert
from st. Adams. as to the usual power
of incandescent circuits and his answer
: that the usual potential was from 1O4 to
80 volts He then argued that the high
est voltage found at any time on these
wires was 10 ,olts. found by the n,ain-
, tiff own exner.
III answer TO claims made that John
Brown argued as follows. "you have
. heard that y Mn A I.parv was oood
man, n stronp man , good roirbhor ord
a good citizen. You have heon told that
he never had a main. because no royor
, conplaincd or talked abort be,rt, Il, d,s
tress Those arc things that r,or M
John Ieary do nor WORRY thnir ui,,os ana
children about. They don't talk about
their aches and Mains They suffer IN
silence. when tho ,niseivinoe como rro,,
them But Won are told tbo+ b ,,or. :.
Dr.. McSwccnev ~ have his boor, ard
> lungs examined There was something on
- John Iearv's mind when he wont fo,
that examination of his lungs ana baart 4,
i | The question of clinical history was
II then taken up, and great stress laid rnor
+ IDr Clark's TESTIMONY 70 bo,,Ir,, b,ord
n clinical history Of tearv Tho o,.a,,
It ment then nroccadod 70 tbo no,n, .ba,
l. every b,t Of tasttr,o,,, t, a,,o,-iaa
"A Ievner.s which nod ,,,,b,no =. a. NTH
" clectrocutio, was civ.n as,or .ha l,,,,,,
Il had been asked to assume tho nraeapc,
on tho wires in tbo, bouso Of q dar,c,oro,,.
~ and deadly current. It was claimed tba.
ID this essentio, tn these oniniors bod va
II been proved
N"'' AiSIlNS ARGUMENT.
Il Attorney Warren r Austin pon h,
dwelling upon the importance Of puardin,
>, against the blasting effect of symnatbv
" He outlined tho owls ,i,ol,, ., or,.
from svmpathetic iuries and s,id. ..yo,
~ are to forget ahout tbo ,vidou. ava ohu
t. ,dren and consider II as a cae. hotwao,
If ANY plaintiff and any defendant
o. It was then pointed ont that these v,ra
n had been I'm two or three wears and n,
ly trouble had arisen From this II wo
argued that there could have been n,
r initial fault of construction Then counse
d. took up the question of the manner /,
ne which the city's lines had been main
ne tanned. showing the care which had bee,
as given them. The deadly and dangerou
rs current was then touched uron--meta
al phoTcally speaking-and it was argue
n mat the sparkling on the wires in Januar
* ala not nave any direct bearing upon tn
IL presence on the wires in February OF
AZ deadly AMI dangerous current. The tcsti
inony that the leakage OF current woul
III De progressive that it would probabl
80 gro" stronger ana certainly would no
gro" WEAKER was stressed, and attentio
50 was caHec 10 the fact tnat soma day
!" '""r Tue ue"th TINS current when
only 19o volts .rba Zoe, tol,o,, Tal'..,,,'
=. "'S '-' wins Inc test taken Fepruar
,. ~ Nv '"''' '"h eNpe'' showed l2o volts
'N" 10 N'iS SUI" eN''ehc' that ther
nj ~ '''''o vi 'i"' 'f'e ""a II
'0"' iv"''
M ''".,,..' ~ .o,eu ou' '"or''e'