Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1913-05-21
STATE NEWS.
Odd Fellows Week.

Odd Fellows week IN burlington
closed Friday. The 18th annual ses-
sion of the Rebekah assembly had an
unusually large attendance. The re-
port of the secretary showed 69 lodges,
with total membership of g. 1913. in
Guiding 2.447 brothers and 4.2o6 sisters.
The net gain during the year was IVA.
Deaths numbered 76. including AZ sis
tiers and 20 brothers. One new lodge
was formed during the year, Colfax of
Wardsboro, and two were consolidated.
It is likely that the Odd Fellows will
meet next year at Montrel The
grand officers elected were: Grand
master, E. L. Ingalls, of Hartford;
Deputy grand master, Perlie j. Put
nam of Windsor; grand warden. L. c.
Holcombe of Milton; grand secretary,
O. H. Henderson of st. Johnsbury !;
grand treasurer, L. C. Grant of Bur-
lington; grand chaplain, Rev. Frank
DeFrees Miller of Enosburg Falls
grand representative, F. G. Nichols Of
r chmond; grand marshall, J. G. Roy
of East Barnett grand conductor. E.
A. Spear of Woodstock; grand guard
ian, o. w. Edwards of Burlington !:
grand herald. Alexander Duncan of
Barre trustee of Gill home. DR.. w. N.
Bryant of Ludlow. Nearly 23O mem.
UCIS VI CIS 81 0I1u lOQSC 0OSAOC Wei
present. At the evening session the
Rebekah degree was exemplified by
Good Will lodge of Rutland.
Well. Acquitted and Wife Freed.
The jury in the case of State VS..
Julius Wells of Swanton, charged with
the murder of his six.year-old son last
December, brought in verdict in
Franklin county court Thursday morn
ing. States Attorney Gaylord F. Ladd
and Acknowledgement r. E. Brown
held a conference late this afternoon
and decided that the case against Mrs.
Wells. held on the charge of poisoning
her two children, would be mol pressed
and that the prisoner, who has been
confined in Franklin county Jail since
January should be discharged at
once. Soon after the report of the
jury this morning, Wells was released.
it being announced that the indictment
against him. alleging that he killed his
daughter Marie at the same time
that it was alleged that he killed
Louis. was mol pressed and Wells was
pronounced a free man. The two
children alleged to have been poisoned
by arsenic were Louis, aged six and
Marie. aged four. They died suddenly
ana the StOmacnS, after being eX-
amined at the state laboratory of
hygiene, Burlington, were found to
contain arsenic in considerable quaint
ties. Their deaths occurred on Decem
Der 2 and 3, 1912, respectively and
MRS. Wells was arrested January and
Mr.. Wells on March 10. On March Is
true bills were found against Mr.. and
Mrs. Wells, the charge being murder
in the first degree. The trial of Mr..
Wells opened May 6. The State al
legged that the parents, who are in
poor circumstances, poisoned the chill.
dren in order to obtain the small in
surance on their lives. 1t was claimed
/ by the defence that the children were
accidentally poisoned by eating con.
densed milk which had been kept neal
rat poison and so contaminated. Mrs.
Wells appeared as witness against hel
husband, testifying that he begged he,
to commit suicide and so divertsuspi
cion from him. The lawyers for Wells
maintained that the woman sought te
save herself by sacrificing her hus
band.