The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-12-21
CLARKE C. Fits DIED
AT WATERFOWL, MASS.
Brattleboro Man Had Been One Of the
Foremost Figures of Vermont
For Some Years.


town, Mass, aged 40 years. He was op,
Grated upon November s in the Corey
Hill hospital at Brookline, Mass, for an
intestinal trouble. Thanksgiving day he
was moved to Watertown. He showed
improvement for time, but complies
tions set in and for the past two days
there had been no hope.
The funeral will be held at the Center
Congregational church Saturday after
noon, Rev. Richard Clapp, the pastor, Of
iciating. The body will be brought here
tonight.
BY the death of Clarke Cushing Fits
| Brattleboro loses a man who had been
most prominent in the affairs of the
town and of the state in the last 10
years. During that period Mr.. Fits had
a prominent part in the bringing to a
successful head more large enterprises
than any one other resident of the town.
| This he did in addition to handling n
very large and lucrative law practice
which he had built up by leaps and
bounds almost from the time of his ad-
mission to the Vermont bar at the age
of 2l years. He was counsel for many
large interests.
| He was born in Wardsboro, October
| II, 1870, son OF 0smer and Abbie NJ.
tTwitchell) Fits. His father died when
he was IA years of age. After a few
| terms in the Leland and Gray seminary
and one year in the Brattleboro high
school. from which he graduated, he en-
! tered the law Office of Waterman, Mar
tin 4 Hill as law student and was adj
mitted to the bar October 2l, 1901, four
days after he became of age.
Meanwhile he had become interested
in a quarrying scheme which proved
failure. Not being legally of age at the
time he could not be held liable for his
share of the loss, but he assumed his OBJ
| legations and in eight years, although IN
straitened circumstances, he paid dollar
for dollar every cent of his Indebtedness.
Three years after being admitted to
| the bar he was elected states attorney
of Windham county and vigorously pros
ecuted such offenses as came under his
jurisdiction and was especially active IN
his work against those who sold liquor
| Illegally.
In 1901 he was offered the Office OF
federal Judge at Cape Nome, Alaska, at
salary of $4,000 a year, but declined the
lappointment. In 1902 he represented
citizens committee before the legislature
in the first active effort to obtain a
charter for the Connecticut River Power
company. Before that time he had been
interested in the conservation of the wat
er power resources of the state and ever
since then he had preached whenever
possible conservation, and had actively
worked for il. In 1908 he obtained
charter for the company in New Hamp-
shire. II was principally his work that
resulted in the building Of the big dam
and power house at Vernon, representing
Ieapital OF over million dollars, the first
/ of series Of such plants in this sec
tion.
Mr.. Fits had much to do with the set.
tlement of the Thomas Thompson VIII III
which the heirs were settled with for
about 100000 and two-thirds of the in
come of about one million dollars was
left for the relief of certain classes OF
poor in Brattleboro part OF which mon
ev built the Memorial hospital.
The new railroad station completed
this year and the changing of the grade
of Vernon street, involving the expendi-
ture of several scores of thousands, was
due to is persistence and ability AS
counsel for the local committee. IL IN
voved years of effort.
In 1904 he was elected town represen-
tative and after three months service
was elected the first attorney general OF
the state, an Office created by the legis'
lature of which he was member. lie
was re elected for second term OF two
wears. during his career in that office
occurred the trial of Mary Rogers OF
Bennington and her subsequent conve-
ton and hanging. In this case an array
of brilliant counsel opposed the young
attorney general. That was his last po-
litical appointment.
He was a staunch Republican in poll
tics and of late years had been much
sought as campaign speaker. 1t was
while engaged in the national campaign
of this year in New York state that he
was taken i'll and forced to abandon his
assignments.
He was member of the Center Con-
gregational church, vice-President OF
the Greater Vermont association, eN-
nresident of the Vermont Bar associa-
ton. trustee of the Brattleboro Saw
inps bank. director of the Peoples Ma
tional bank. a director of the $. A. Smith
Manufacturing company and OF the
Hooker. Corser & Mitchell company, a
member of the Masonic fraternity and
of the Red Men, of the Brattleboro Coun-
trv club and the Vermont Wheel club.
MIR. Fits first married in 1898 Miss
Harriet Lyon of Londonderry, who died
in 1897. He leaves two sons by that
marriage, Robert l., student in the
Harvard Law school, and Stanley G.,
student at Dartmouth college. In 1908
Mr.. Fits married for his second wife,
Miss Maud l.. Emerson of Brattleboro,
who survives with son, 0smer C., and
a daughter, Miriam. He leaves also his
mother and two sisters, Miss Mary and
Miss Florence, all of Brattleboro. Her
mon f. Eddy, just elected state senator,
and Harold f. Whitney were his as
sociates in his law practice.