Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1913-01-03
ADDISON COUNTY COURT
Columbus Smith Will Case Again
Before Court

After a recess of IL days the Addi-
son County court got down to work
again at 2 o'clock on Monday afternoon.
1t had been understood that the first
case to come on upon the re- e-assembling
was that of the State VS. Louis Purn-
ton, charged on Indictment with murder
in the second degree. But by arrange
ments made during the recess this case
was sidetracked for the present and the
long and much talked of Columbus
Smith will case was given the right
of way, setting aside the criminal case
to date to be later agreed upon.
Prior to the starting of the will case
a small criminal case was brought on.
The case was State VS. John Santall,
who was charged on information with
having stolen a horse blanket from a
buggy in Waltham on the night of No
vember oath last, and to this charge,
which is under a special statute govern
ing the stealing of articles from
vehicles, Santall pleaded guilty. The
/
child were present with him in Court
and George w. Stone of Vergennes, in
behalf of Santall, pleaded for a light
sentence on the grounds that it was the
respondents first offence, that his wife
was an invalid and that to send him to
! Jail would necessitate the throwing of
/ the wife and child on the town of
Waltham for support. 1t was also
stated by Lawyer Stone that Santall
was keeping some dodgers at his home
in the absence of Mrs. Santall, the
dodgers being assistants to him on a
numbering job for which he had taken
contract and that as they were short
of beds Santall had only stolen the
blanket to make bed for himself on
the floor, giving up the other two beds
in the house to the dodgers, Mrs. San
tall being away at the time with her
parents. States Attorney F. w.
Tuttle countered pretty strongly upon
Mr.. Stone by stating that on the very
same night that Santall had stolen the
blank ct he also stole four skunk skins
and sold them for money, instead of
using them to make bed with. After
brief conference among the jurors,
sentence was suspended and Probation
+ Officer Olin A. Smith was directed to
/ investigate the circumstances of the
case.
This matter being thus temporarily
disposed of the will case was got
started.
This case has been on the docket by
appeal from the probate court of Judge
William H. Bliss of the Addison district
of Addison county for the past two
years, and in the last term of the Ad-
olson County court, after various
vexatious delays and attempts to get to
a trial, was by order of Judge F. L..
Fish, then presiding in our county
court, ordered certified back to the
Probate court, for the reason that
there were errors in Judge Bliss pro-
ceedings in allowing the will in dispute,
after having acted as an attorney IN
the matter and having himself signed
the will as a witness which he after
wards as judge allowed to go to pro-
bate.
There is hardly any one alive in this
county who has not heard of this case
or who did not know something of
Columbus Smith. The records will tell
you that Mr.. Smith was born in Sails
bury, this county, in January, 1919, was
graduated from Middlebury college in
the class of 1912, and was admitted to
the bar in 1913. His practice in the
courts was of little consequence and he
devoted most of his early endeavors tc
"a speciality of obtaining inheritances
in Great Britain and the colonies fol