The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-02-18

on the ground that he was insane when he failed to turn over the miss ing tax moneys to the town. If this plea is sustained it will give him i'm nunitY from restitution. He was not adjudged insane until last May, but in his pleadings it is set forth that his mental disability began in the previous August and thus covers sub stantialIy the entire period during which the diversion of funds occur red. This claim the Surety Co. dis putes. It says it is not a reasonable supposition that the town would elect a crazy man as tax collector and that the mental incapacity alleged to exist previous to his commitment by the probate court must be fully prov en. Had the Surety Go. instead of bringing the suit directly, brought it as assignee of the towns claims for the shortage, the defendants claim of exemption for responsibility py reason of insanity would have had no legal standing. This happens to be one of the interesting kinks and ap- parent contradictions of the law.
 Last evening Redding grange in stalled it's newely elected officers as follows: Master, Herman Smith; overseer, Benj. Parker; lecturer, Mrs. George O. Sanford; secretary, Mrs. B. F. Sanford; treasurer, Milo L. Os- born; steward, William A. Grouse; assistant steward, Gus Berquist; gate
 
 A. A. Gorham; ceres, Miss Ella Os- born; Pomona, Mrs. Alex. Schal1; Flora, Mrs. Milo Osborn; assistant lady steward, Miss Myrtle Beck.
 A party of officials representing the State Agricultural College visited the Gilbert State farm in Georgetown last Saturday in reference to the formu- lation of plans by which the farm is to become a teaching branch of the college.
 The town school committee will probably not make an offer of prizes this year as it has. done for the past two years to encourage a competition among the public school children in the collecting of the nests of the tent caterpillars, the members being of the opinion that the energies of the chill dren can he more profitably employed in other educational activities. The two previous competitions were high ly successful in the gathering and destruction of a great number of the embrayo pests, the nests harvested of a million This represented many millions of the worms, but did not appreciably lessen the number that survived and came to maturity.
 Mrs. E. M. Sanford gave on Mon day evening a bridge party which was attended by upwards of thirty guests. The occasion was a very en- joyab1e one.
 At Bedding station on Tuesday morning the 4hermome registered 20 below zero. It was 12 below at the Ridge on Monday morning.
 The chemical engine for Bedding Center was delivered at West Red ding on Tuesday.
 The West Bedding fire department will give dance at the Mark Twain Library on the evening of Feb. 22.
 Neil, son of D. s. Sanford returned on Monday from a New York hospi- tai where he had undergone an oper- ation on his throat glands.
 Three new pupils, two of them from California, arrived at the San ford school this week.
 An incubator of large capacity has been added by Herman Smith to his chicken raising equipment.
 Mrs. Fred Mabrey and son, now cf Bennington, Vt, are guests of Miss Belle Sanford.
 Herr schoch of the Sanford school is one of the late grip patients.
 The ice house of the Misses Water man and Fox was filled on Monday by Ralph Rockwell.