The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-06-16
EXPECT SHARP FIGHT
IN THE FELCH CASE
Orange County Court to Be Setting for
Important Murder Trial Beginning
Monday-Woman Charged
with Murder of Her Hus-
band.

When Orange county court reconvene
at Chelsea Monday afternoon interes
will center around the case of State VS.
Mrs. Anna Felch, who is charged witt
murder in the first degree for ALLEGED
completely in causing the death of he
husband Joseph Felch, at Topsham on
the eve of Easter Sunday in April, 1915
Not until Wednesday at the earliest viii
a battery of legal talent representing
the prosecution and the defense begiI
to try the issue, as the painstaking tasl
of drawing a jury must be accomplished
| first To facilitate the work of select
| ing IL men who have the necessary
qualifications for jury duty in the pres
ent case an extra panel OF 40 men from
the west side of the county has beer
called to the county seat.
The trial Of Mrs. Felch is sequel te
the case of Otis Williams, a young
| farmland who was tried at the June
term of Orange county court in 1916
convicted of murder in the first degree
and sentenced to life sentence in the
state prison at Windsor. Attorney Gen
eral H. G. Barber of Brattleboro, who
assisted in the prosecution of Williams
and States Attorney John G. Sherburne
of Randolph will appear for the state
and Mrs. Felch is to be defended by At
torneys r. NJ. Harvey of Montpelier and
r. A. Hoar of Barre.
Since her arrest at Waits River in the
town of Topsham late in April of last
year Mrs. Felch has been a prisoner in
ha tniI at a+
Der she gave birth to a girl baby, who
has been her constant companion in the
long months leading up to the trial. Just
now she is the central figure in the most
absorbing murder case in the annals of
Orange county. but she maintains re-
markable composure in the face of the
ordeal confronting her and those who
know the woman saw that she will not
break down however trying the cireum-
stances Of the states case may be.
Joseph Fetch, the man whom murder
marked for a victim met death in a
sugar house on the Felch farm in Waits
River on the night of Saturday, April %,
1916. Sometime early in the evening he
had left the house, ostensibly bound for
the sugar house to spend a part of the
noon his body was discovered in the sug-
ar house. a bullet from rifle had
caused his death and for the reason that
the rifle was found alongside his body it
was given out that it was case of sui
eide. States Attorney f, @. Williams
of Bradford, however, did not agree with
the suicide theory and a determined in
vestigation, in which the findings, of the
state pathologist figured prominently,
strengthened the belief of the authorities
that Felch had been murdered.
The death of Joseph Felch, a man who
was held in high esteem by his townsmen
and other acquaintance, was followed
by wave of reyulsion which swept over
the entire east side of the county. Pub
lie sentiment demanded the most eau
tious inquiry into the circumstances
leading up to the farmers death. and
the state authorities were not found
wanting in the sincerity of their purpose
to get at the bottom of the case. Soon
after Felch's funeral Otis Williams was
arrested and not long afterward war
rant was served on Mrs. Felch.
Early in June the grand jury indicted
both Williams and the Feleh woman on
charges of murder in the first degree, but
before their report development had
taken place which was to have power
ful effect on the manner in which the
state proposed to conduct its case. 1t is
said that detectives were used advan- |
tageously by the state and when Will !
iams came to trial in the first days of |
July the state sprung" confession |
to have been signed by him |
After a legal battle in which the state |
-onant of Bradford and S. C. Wilson of |
Chelsea, the alleged confession was ad.
nitted as evidence. In the statement |
was alleged to have sworn to
improper relations with Mrs. Felch. He /
further deposed, it was alleged, that the
1air had tried to poison the farmer by
putting morphine in his tea. Going fur
her, Williams, according to the confes-
zion introduced by the state. declared
hat he accompanied Mrs. Felch to the
sugar house on the fateful night in April
ind that the woman, after poking the
nuzzle of his (Williams1 rife through
/ crack in the building, fired the shot
hat killed her husband.
The admission of the alleged statement
" Williams seemed to have a paralyzing
fleet on the defense and after the state
ested counsel for the respondent occu-
lied but little time in putting in its
violence. After comparatively brief
'eriod of deliberation the jury returned
verdict of guilty, as charged. but did
iot specify capital punishment. Judge
stanton. in imposing a penalty on the
Dung man, sentenced him to serve the
emainder Of his natural life in the state
rison. Exceptions had been taken by
he defense from time 10 time, but they
tere never carried to the supreme court.
At present Williams Is doing time at
Windsor He is described as a model
risoner and appears to be reconciled to
Is lot Mrs. Williams the girl-wife
{ the prisoner has visited him occa-
ionally since last July She and her
lfant child are living with relatives in
rotor.