The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-09-12
Affidavits by Brattleboro Men
About Registered Letter
Receipt
DID NOT REALIZE
IT'S IMPORTANCE

State Has Until Sept. % to File Coun-
ter Afidavits County Solicitor Cain
Not Ready To Talk as He Has Not
Read Documents.
The filing of motion in Keene yes
terday for q new trial for John H.
Wren, convicted of the murder Of James
II. Hamilton in Hinsdale Feb. ), which
was published exclusively in The Re
former yesterday together with men
tiou of affidavits by Brattlehoro men
in support of the motion, was read with
great interest, and it is believed that
unless the state can pretty conclusively
disprovc the affidayits Wren viii get i
new trial.
County Solicitor Q. f. Cain Of Keene,
/ who is in charge Of the case for the
state, stated to The Rcformer this
morning that he had not read the aft
| davits, but he had been informed that
/ some had been filed Until he has an
opportunity to read them. he said, he
/ viii not venture to suggest whether
! they are important, ia the opinion of
the prosecution. The state has until
Sept. p in which to file counter aft
dayits in opposition to a new trial.
As stated Yesterday the motion for
n new trial is based on new evidence,
to the effect that the registered letter
receipt which was found BY Ralph Kirk
wood in the chimney Of his father 5
house ON Birge street in this town,
where Wren lived, which was supposed
to be a determining piece of evidence
with the Jury, was found by the mem
bers of a train crew near the scene Of
the murder. after Wren had left Brat
tleboro for Canada If that IS true it
lproves that Wren could not have placed
it in the chimney. The defence claims
that il was placed in the chimney IN
order to manufacture evidence against
Wren. The Reformer has secured cop.
les of the at1davits filed with the mo
tion for a new trial
John d. Harder. who lives at 7C
Westford avenue Springfield Mass.
says he is . years cid and is employed
as locomotive fireman by the Boston
& Maine railroad with headquarters
ut Brattleboro. During the month ot
February he was employed by the rail
road company in the same capacity oil
the new construction work between
IlHSidle anu HGdIIleDOIO. / lie aINttd
Wit recites the following facts
That on the day after the finding
Of the body of j. s Hamilton / il
company with Thomas Q O'Conner, con
ductor for said railroad, and b. T
Riley of Brattleboro brakeman 70
said road, at between u and 12.3l
Q clock p. nj. went to the location
| where the body of said Hamilton wa
found on the morning of the 9th o
: February, 1913.
We went down mostly out Of curl
osity while gang of laborers whicl
we were CARRYING to and fro were eat
ing their dinner It Camp Tive, 81
called
''That in the ice about 20 feet sout1
Of where the impression of said Ham
ilton body was and close into til
f bank of rip rap ] found an envelope
: a torn handkerchief, a piece of che@
ing tobacco and piece Of yello,
chalk. | asked Mr.. O Conner for hi
/, knife and took the envelope from tn
: ice. 1T WAS addressed to Mr. Hamilton
! took out the contents which were til
: letter addressed to Mr.. Hamilton, frol
Mrs. Gillen, Long Island The lette
spoke Of the receipt by her Of II
i from said Hamilton and also said tina
: her father was well and asking him t
come and make them a visit Inside 9
Z the letter was 4 registered letter r,
: celpt from Hinsdale, n. H.. dated .IaI
: uary 9Th, 1913, made out to j. :. Han
. llton. There was also a figure one 0
:, the receipt. | read the letter and +,
/" the receipt. | read letter and receiI
! and then handed them to Mr.. O'Coi
!. ner and he also read them | took thel
down to the engine and read them I
o. Edward J. Madden, an engineer, an
/ he suggested that we take the
7 to Brattleboro and give them to NJ
: Russell, the superintendent of the ne
= construction work, and this we iutent
i ed to do. As they were somewhi
: : damp | put the envelope, letter an
- receipt on the back end of the boil,
i of the locomotive which was somewh;
hot, and about an hour afterwards v
= looked for them and they were gon
y The engine had been backed up and
= presume they were blown out by I'll
wind
''That I have this day seen the re
istered letter receipt now in the hanc
of L. w. Holmes, at the court hous
marked on the face as follows: \
651. state s ex. K, and on the bae
= 'ex r. K B.. and w. B. w. c., al
] am positively sure that it is the san
receipt that | found in the envelol
that | dug out of the ice as abo7
= stated.
oI 'EThat [ did not mention this befo
O. as I did not think it was of importan,
OF and did not think of it until duril
IN the trial of the case against j.
~ Wren | read of the finding of regi