The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-06-24

Attorney Tor the District OF Yer
mont:
"Sir: We are convinced that viii
liam Sulzer and Felix McCloskey
committed perjury on the trial of the
action of William Sulzer vs. Mary
Maud Watson, which began on May
20, 1890, at Windsor, in the United
States circuit court for the district OF
Vermont, before Judges Lacombe
and Wheeler and jury. We there.
fore respectfully request that you
will institute proceedings on behalf
of the United States to bring them to
| justice. Mr. Stickney will furnish
| you with a list of the witnesses and
full particulars of the crime. Re
spectfully.
&c. A. Prouty
"B. HartshorIr,
Foreman of the Jury,
/ "A. p. Hunton,
William B. c, Stickney,
"a true copy attest:
Frank Plumley."
BristIes with Assertions
Governor Suffers statement fairly
bristled with sensational assertions.
1t included, besides the assertion
that Judge NJ Curtis was former as
sociate, was liar. that the Cover
nor never was accused of perjury in
jury presentment, that the paper
made public by Judge Curtis was a
forgery; that it had been used by
Murphy weeks ago a club over the
Governor to compel him to enter in
to conspiracy, both as to patronage
and legislation, the further allega-
ton that the son of Judge Curtis, at
tached to the office of the corpora
ton counsel in New York city had
threatened him with exposure by
publishing the alleged jury present
ment If the Governor did not appoint
him to supreme court judgeship.
After his last conference with Muir
ply, in April, the Governor says he
was threatened with ruin and was
told that the alleged perjury charge
would be made public. He wrote to
Ex-Governor Pingree of Vermont,
who was the guardian of Mrs. Wat
son, the defendant in the Sulzer suit,
and Judge Lacombe, one of the Unit
ed Statess district judges who heard
the Sulzer case. Their answers are
part of the documentary proof the
Governor holds to show there was
no charge against him, the letter
from Ex-Governor Pingree follows:
Letter from MIR. Pingree.
my Dear Governor: Your very
courteous letter of the 25th inst. was
received, and | return my sincere
thanks for your kind invitation for
Mrs. Pingree and myself to visit you
at your home in Albany some time
during the Assembly sessions there.
I'm the matter OF Judge Curtlss
claim of letter from men that can
be used to your injury. / will say
that what the correspondence might
have been between US pending me
suit against Mrs Watson-it might
have contained the jealous efferves-
cence which generally inspires law
yers in their expression for the par
ty adverse to their contention, but
since the attempt on the part of the
John Charles Anderson crowd to use
the machinery of the federal courts
at Rutland to discredit McCloskey, a
possible witness in another case, I
AN'C hob bhb OhC III It6dlu III
that campaign against you, and
have always felt since that my con-
ference with Judge Wheeler was one
of the most dutiful acts of my life
as citizen deserving to see fair
play, and not to have the court i'm
posed upon to the detriment OF JUS
tice
Judge Curtis has no letter from
me since that Rutland conference
which will avail your senemies any
thing. If there is any pretense to
the contr2-y you promptly demand
that he produce IL.
I'VE delight to know that New
York has live Governor at the helm
and one who proposes to carry out
his platform pledges to the people
who placed him at the head of the
State.
That ynnr administration may
continue progressive and prosperous
is the wish of yours sincerely.
Samuel Pingree."
The exact language Of the perjury
charges against Governor Sulzer in
Vermont % years ago was yesterday
made public by ex-Judge George NJ.
Curtis OF IL Montague terrace, who
was the New York counsel for Mrs.
Mary Maud Watson OF White River
Junction, VT. and a witness in a suit
brought against her in 1890 BY VIII
liam Sulzer, who was then a young
William Sulzer. who was then a
young attorney of Manhattan. Mrs.
Watson had been successful in a
suit TO break the will of her grand
father, John Anderson a New York
tobacconist, and Mr.. Sulzer. who
claimed nc had assisted in the pre-
paration OF the case. brought an un-
successful suit to recover $4,000
as his fee.
After The trial was over and a YER
dict for Mrs. Watson had been
brought in by the jury before Jude-
es Lacombe and Wheeler in the Unit
ed States circuit court OF Vermont.
the foreman Of the jury, L. B. Hart
shorn. and three Of the lawyers who
had appeared for Mrs. Watson. sent
letter to Prank Plumley. now A
member Of Congress from Vermont
but who at that time was the United
States attorney for Vermont.
No action was ever taken toward
prosecuting the perjury charge. be-
cause Mrs. watson. according to de-
spatches from Vermont did not want
70 appear against the man Who had
sued her, and his PRINCIPAL witness