The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-01-06
SUIT OF SURETY co.
 FOR TAX DEFICIT
 MAY BE ADJUSTED
Plan Submitted By Which
 Minor Creditors Will Be Protected.

| OA the Amer1can surety co. against J. H. Duncan, former tax collector, remains on the docket of the Superior court at Bridgeport, but there is some prospect of an outside settle ment of the case which will cause 1 its withdrawal. On behalf of the de- fendant a proposition has been made to the surety company that it accept in satisfaction of it's claim a convey ance. of the real estate now under attachment, the family homestead, and with such conveyance assume the defendants minor Outstanding obli- 1 gations which foot up between $500 l and $400. There is already a mort l that should the surety company ac- eept the offer it would acquire the homestead for approximately $3,500. This is regarded as a, fair figure, be- | ing in fact less than an offer made for it a few years ago. If the com pany declines the proposition the probable alternative is an assi ignpnent On the part of MT. Duncan with the result that all the creditors, the com pany included, would share on a equal l basis from whatever sum the assets yielded through a forced realization 1 Consequently it would appear as if the company might gain rather than lose by making the proposed compro- l mise.
 Since Mr. Duncan's return to his | home on Christmas eve he has talked with close friends on the subject of the tax shortage, something he could not previously be induced to do. He 1 declares with an apparent sincerity which gives a strong impression of i truthfulness that he can throw no l light on the matter, his memory be- 1 ing a complete blank both as to his deception of the missing money and the disposition made of it. It is the latter phase of the base which has all along been so mysterious. He was l not extravangant in his manner of Ifv- 1 ing, and had he squandered the l money some one would certainly know of it and disclose the knowI- 1 edge On the other hand he had 1 nothing to gain by secreting it from dishonest motive as he owned suf- l ficient property to cover Nthe defici- ency and therefore a motive to mis- appropriate was altogether lacking.
 The monthly meeting of the fire company was held on Monday even ing at the home of Judge Sanford in the Center. Action was. taken to | amend the bylaws so that active 2 | members should no longer be sub | to fire ealls4 Fines, however, will remain as a penalty for non attend ance at regular meetings.
 A further amendment of the by laws was the aboIiShment of district fire lines, this action being in accord 1 anee with the report of a committee =lappointed to consider the matter. At i a meeting of the company's directors I J.. B. Sanford was chosen chairman I of the board which subsequently in sturcted Secretary Muennich to or der Badger chemical engine of the same type as those already owned by the company. The new engine will be placed in the Center.
 As usual the sliding down hill sea- l son has been productive of accidents, four victims being so far reported. 1 Two of them are ex-Representative 1 Louis c. Rumsey and Charles, akson of H. c. Mcclellan. Their sleds had
 a. head on collision Monday evening
 upon the flat between two hills near l MT. Rumsey's home. The McCollam lad was pitched violently forward and received a blow on the head which I rendered him unconscious for fifteen
 minutes. Upon regaining his senses he soon 1apsed into stupor again. Con- cussion of the brain was feared, but fhe improved steadily the next day I and is thought to be out of danger.
 MT. Rumsey received a bad gash over one eye which was stitched up by Dr. Smith. The other accident occurred last Saturday evening when a large bob
 sled with which Milo L. Osborn and I John DiggsS> his hired \ man, were
 coasting in the fields broke through
 thee rust As a result Diggs suf-
 
 jo1ted from the sled shot quite a dis
 tance over the crust, face downward,
 losing a good part of his complexion
 in the process. These facial abrai-
 sions were painful, but not serious.
 Notice came to John Muennich on Tuesday that his little daughter, Mu- trte1, is one of three heirs who will
 share equally in an estate estimated at from $12,O0O to $15, ,0O0s left by her
 uncle, a Wall street man, who died l lch mt h o1<c
 children and left no will so that his
 property will be divided among his
 two surviving sisters and the success
 sor of a deceased sister, the latter being MT. Muennich's daughter.
 Although only a few cases of grip
 are reported in town the disease caus-
 ed the death on Saturday last of Fer
 Fis Morehouse, an architect, residing
 in Branchvil1e and having an office
 in South Norwalk. His illness was
 only of two or three days duration He was about 40 years old and is sur Vived by a, wife and two children
 The town school committee have
 acted favorab1y a petition asking that the children in the lower part
 of what was formerly the Dimond Hill district be provided with trans portation to the Center school. Bart
 lett Sanford is carrying them tenn porarily, but contract for the jol l has not yet been awarded
 ) Bills for shove1Iing work to clear
 the highways after the big storm are mostly in The total will be about
 $700. The snow fall of Jan. neces- sitated a second clearing of Meeker's l hill and the hills between the Ridge and Pleasant valley.
 Albert Hill, who has been employed
 for the past two years on Senator Peck's farm, died in a New York hos pitaI last Friday following an opera
 ton for ah abscess of the ear. He
 was 24 years of age and unmarried a The expectation that the new Georgetown school would be ready fol occupancy immediately after the holi-
 day vacation has met with disappoint
 ment, owing to the delay in building
 operations from bad weather. This not only interfered with construction ! 1 work h11f held hack much of the ma.