Putnam patriot., 1914-11-27
SUPERIOR COURT
Case of Charles Barron for Injuries Re. ceiyed While a Prisoner in Jail Settled
Emma Whitaker Granted Divorce. Illus.
 band We'll Known Horseman

After practically an all-day trial, the 1 civil case of Charles Barron against l the Crystal Water Company of Daniel. son, in the superior court at Williman-
 tic was settled by the parties interest l ed Friday afternoon. The evidence i had all been introduced and the de- I fendant corporation, through its law i yers, had moved that the court instruct i the jury to bring in verdict for the ] defendant corporation. Just what the , terms of the settlement were was not l revealed. Barron was sentenced to 1 jail from Willimnntic and on Aug. 2, 1 1912, while working in a trench that i was being eXeavated flor the Crystal 1 Water Company there was cave in and he broke his leg. Barron was a l prisoner and the evidence showed that i he was sent to Danielson to work with some other prisoners. The defense raised the argument that the company had no control over the prisoners and consequently was not liable. They contended that the county in farming out the prisoners was an independent contractor and under the law of this state the defendant then would not be l liable. The plaintiff contended that the Crystal Water Company had not entered into any contract with the county for the services of these men i and while it was true that their sal aries were paid to the county rather than to them the defendant corpora tion used them like any laberers would be used and was liable for any injury 1 through the negligence of the corpora tion. The fact that there had been a cave.in short time before and one man had come near being injured, the plaintiff maintained showed that il was dangerous and that the water company should have made it safer. Jailer tields on the witness stand practically admitted that it was up to the water company to make the place safe. All that he furnished was the lneH, lnt piChS hiiu sloNSlo'
 The uncontested divorce case of Elm ma NJ. Whitaker against Dwight l.. Whitaker was tried. Mrs. Whitaker testified that she lived in Pomfret Landing now but formerly resided in Thompson, and was married in 1874 and four years ago her husband left her, going away with another woman who called herself Mary Parsons, but her real name was Mary Murry. He was a farmer and also had race horse. He told his wife he was going to race his horse in Canada but that he would come back but he did not and did not write. but came back in 1912 and want ed her to let him have some money and she let him have S200 and she had never seen him but once since. That was last fall. He purchased tobacco store in Worcester with the money she let him have. She said he was 62 years old and was born in Eastford. He never abused her and never drank. Josiah Dodge of Thompson said he lived near the Whittakers and corrobo- ing her husbands leaving her. Other witnesses corroborated her evidence. Mrs. Whitaker was recalled and said she let her husband have the s200 be- cause she felt sorry for him. The di- voree was granted.
 In the superior court in Putnam Tuesday morning three prisoners hound over from the Putnam city court were brought up from jail on bench warrants and put to plea.
 George Howarth charged with burg lary had Lawyer H. C. Bradford ap- | pointed as his counsel and guardian ad Item, he being only 20 years old.
 He plead guilty and was sentenced to The State Reformatory at Cheshire.
 Howarth is a brother of Frank How arth, the young Putnam lawyer, who was sentenced to states prison for ar son in November, 1915. Defendant
 broke into Joys garage and stole a I wrench and afterwards broke Into Maheu's restaurant and used the
 wrench to take down an automatic gas
 meter with money in it. He threw
 the meter in the river and il was later
 found floating near the Williamsville
 mill five miles away.
 Joseph Potvin, Jr., charged with
 statutory burglary, did not want coun-
 sel and plead guilty. He broke into
 barn in the north end of the city and stole several sweaters tn peddler' E
 wagon stored there. He was sentenced to one year in Jail.
 Louis Phipps, charged with theft
 from the person asked for counsel and Lawyer Perkins of Norwich WAS as
 signed to him. II was stated 10 ths
 court that the man claimed 10 be sui
 fenng from consumption and doctoi