The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-10-20
WOODS ESCAPADE
BROUGHT TO COURT
Arraigned on Charge of Raising Money
0rder-His Bride Loyal Despite
His Deceptions.

Concord, n. H., Oct. 20--Richard Carle
ton Wood of Falmouth, Mass, was ar
raigned before United States Commits
sioner Burns p. Hodgman, late yester
day afternoon on warrant charging hin
with altering a postofiice money order
He was held in 81 900 bail for furthc
hearing next Monday morning befor'
the commissioner.
Wood was accompanied to Concord by
his bride of two days, their honeymoon
having been exclusively in the company
of two deputy sherifls, at the Walpol'
hotel, since shortly after the now IA
nous wedding supper, at which practi
cally all of the storekeepers of Bellows
Falls and the commercial travellers who
happened to be stopping in the hotel
were specially invited guests.
United States Marshal Charles j
O'Neil brought Wood to Concord from
Walpole, arriving here at 3:20 o'clock
Mrs. Wood insisted on staying with her
husband until the arrival here both OF
them apparently looking upon the rails
ing a dollar money order to 81 900 as a
rather trivial, though foolish proceeding,
until Commissioner Hodgman had i'm
pressed upon them that even if it was
conceived foolishly, it had developed into
a very serious matter.
The full force of this did not come
home to them until the commissioner
mentioned 81 600 bail or stay in Jail.
Then Wood became very nervous and
had to be comforted by his wife. He
said he had 50, 400 in checking account
at the Shawmut National bank in Bos-
ton and after considerable talk, Mrs.
Wood suggcsttG; that she go to Fal.
mouth to get the bank book and take a
check to the bank for the money. Wood
wrote check for the full amount, using
one of Commissioner Hodgman's checks
on a local bank, by crossing out the name
OF the bank here and substituting the
Shawmut bank.
Wood went about this hestatingly and
declined to write it until his wife put her
foot down and insisted, telling him that
he had been telephoning friends for two
days without results, when he wished to
try the telephone again. However, after
the check had been written and Mrs.
Wood was about to start for the
O'Clock train, Wood broke down and con
fessed he had no funds at the Shawmut
bank, and that he was sending his wife
on a FOOLS errand. Apparently she had
believed that he had money as he has
claimed all along.
Wood ,z xn,,po
woman and the sympathy of the Off
cials went out to her She left on the 5
o'clock train for Boston where she has
friends and said she hoped to return
with bail for her husband. Wood went
TO pieces during the proceedings and his
wife went to him TO comfort him, telling
him to brace UP and be a man" She
1ent over and kissed him affectionately
rs she was leaving.
Wood said he got the money order at
making it payable to Jack
his foreman in the electr7'l J
shop at Falmouth, to pay for d 5
had advanced. He had no no !
ion of raising it when he got the mon |
" order, he declared and raised it to |
tall off the storekeepers he had made |
arge purchases from in Bellows Falls !
md the proprietor of the Wentworth |
,ouse in Walpole for the spread he gave
lis wedding guests.
He said he had lost his check book
t Walpole and Mrs. Wood declared he
Iad one when they went there. Incl
entaliv it came out that Mrs. Wood
aid the clergyman who married them.
a small check that had been
iven her by her employer before she
ct off for Bellows Falls to be married.
he did this, she said, because Wood had
uddenly lost his check book, which was
nislaid in the office of the hotel at
Valpole.
Wood had only SO when he reached
ere and two of that went to his wife
Or her fare to Boston He said he would
Ike to be placed in custody of keeper
nd stay at a hotel pending the arrival
his friends with money, but it was
ecided TO take him to Jail until the bail
Forthcoming.
All of the goods purchased have been s
sturned except a suit of clothes Wood {
as wearing and the wedding ring, which I
le ieweer did not have the heart to T
Ire away from the bride. I
While at Walpole, after his arrest, t
7ood gave the sheriffs a check on the '
hawmut bank for S95S,4S, with which
settle up the bills he had contracted Q
Bellows Falls and Walpole He told f
.arshal O'Neil coming on the train yes t
rday that he told the sheriff not to j
resent the check for payment but when Y
lestioned by Commissioner Hodgman d
id he did not know why it had not been b
shed. I
Wood and his bride, then Miss Lii o
an Knowles of Fall River, went to Bel a
ws Falls in ain automobile from the f. $
Hamblen garage and driven by Irmi t
ice. Luce said that Wood borrowed Il
from him in course of the trip and n
e chauffeur was left stranded i'm Wal y
lie until his employer wired him mon Il
to pay his way back home. e.