The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-07-18
WILLIAMS FACES JURY
Continued from first page.)

lHatloHs \ eHilu = straw nat, Mhich felcl
clapped on his head after the manner o
men who are far enough away from OBJ
seryation not to be too careful of theil
appearance, will be shown crimson
stain and clean.cut bullet hole in tn,
crown will be noticed in court. The
night lantern, through which the fata
ball passed, SCATTERING the globe anc
leaving the flame 10 light up the horrible
sight until morning, is TO be offered by
the state as an exhibit. Sugar making
utensils, some of them stained with
blood, will be shown and the jury will
have an opportunity to inspect carefully
taken photographs made from negatives
secured at the scene and in the vicinity
of the tragedy. The pictures will include
a close view of the freshly fashioned
crevice in the sugarhouse wall through
which the murderer of Felch is believed
to have protruded the rifle that dealt
death to the unsuspecting farmer. Feel
ing runs high over the alleged crime and
none OF these details will be overlooked
by spectators wrought up to high pitch
by the peculiarly revolving circumstances
surrounding the mysterious demise of
Felch.
Until the opening statements by the
prosecution and the defense this after
noon neither side in the case proposed TO
show its hand IL is declared, however,
that the state will attempt TO prove that
Williams, accompanied by person who
may figure in another trial went to the
sugarhouse, deserted Felch sitting by the
evaporator reading in the dim glow of
the lantern light, poked the rifle through
creyice made for that purpose, and
then fired or was instrumental in having
fired the shot that caused the farmers
death. A sordid tale of conjugal infelic-
ity is expected to figure in the states
allegation of what led up to the alleged
murder. A tale that involves alleged de.
ceptions practiced by the wife upon her
husband and of plotting for his undoing
in order that a readjustment of domestic
affairs, around two fresides might be
brought about.
Felch's obsequies were no sooner over
than the authorities caused the arrest of |
Williams, who was employed as farm
hand at the Felch homestead when the |
death OF Felch took place. At that time, |
Williams, his wife, and their child resid. |
ed in a cottage house some rods down |
the road from the homestead in a house |
owned by Felch. IL is claimed that state |
ments made by Williams Immediately |
after his arrest led to the detention OF
Mrs. Fetch. The authorities do not claim
that the statements We're made while
Williams was under oath or after he had |
obtnined counsel The man and the
woman were held without bail and on
T,,,,n -. |
Chelsea, the grand jury found true bills
against the pair and made returns indict
ing them for murder in the first degree
Each was held without bail pending the
of county court.
The Story of Felch's Death.
The story OF Felch's death, as current
around the latter days OF April, con
tanned the following elements. Toward
the wane of the maple sugar season Felch
finished support was on the night OF
April 22-and announced his {
of going to the sugarhouse for
the purpose of boiling the last run of
sap He remarked that he would be
nome around midnight. The sugarhouse |
IS located in a fringe of fir trees at the /,
edge of a maple orchard scarcely half =
nile away from the house. He had re- q
emily completed extensive repairs to the
arm buildings
In the early morn of Easter Sunday
'lr. Felch's non appearance caused alarm
md Mrs. Felch, her daughter Bernice,
md the hired girl, Miss Josephine Pero,
et out for the sugar woods Arriving '
It the sugarhouse they opened the door g
nd found the body of Felch lying in the \
velter of his own blood with rifle under P
lis torso. The women spread the alarm r
nd the town health officer was called. n
Ie secuted the theory of suicide because P
f the peculiar iuxtaposition of the body 0
nd the rifle. When States Attorney Q
Williams and other officials arrived sus- y
icion seemed to spread that something g
Their than suicide had been committed .
tate's Attorney Williams insisted on a Z
borough investigation with the result II
hat DR., B. H. Stone of Burlington, the
tate pathologist, and his assistant, Dr. u
I. F. Whitney, were summoned to Waits y
liver. The pathologist and his assistant u
anne to Barre Monday morning, April "a,
nd made the trip to Topsham by car II
age. Meanwhile a photographer from az
radford had been busy taking pictures W
rinute examination of the sugarhouse 81
remises was made by the pathoIogist n
nd then an autopsy was performed on I'll
lie remains in the schoohouse hall, OF
hither the body had been removed by oc
lie states attorneys consent. III
On the following Wednesday Williams re
as arrested and given a preliminary
caring before justice of the peace in al
radford. Williams statements on that an
'casion are said to have prompted the sp
rest of Mrs. Fetch a few days after. IN
ard. The rife found under Felch's tn
'dy, Felch's clothing, the lantern and IN
her articles were taken to Burlington an
: the state pathologist for further ex-
1t is expected that DR. Stone an
I'd DIR. Whitney will arrive in Chelsea tn
'ednesday to testify, although their an
stimony may not be used until later in nc
e week. Ia
Vi,