Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1918-03-01
CHILDREN BEFORE
JUDGE CUDWORTH
Three Groups Brought Before
Him by State
School Accident is Investigated-Tw
Untractable Boys Sent to Industrial
School

UntractaDle Boys Sent to Industrial
School.
Judge A. L. Cudworth s municipal
room Tuesday forenoon when the school
room this forenoon when the school
superintendent, teacher and some Is
boys, besides ono or two girls, arranged
themselves around the room. The chill
drcn were not all from one school, how
ever, and were not all concerned in the
same affair.
The first business was an inquiry into
the accident in the sixth grade in the
academy building at West Brattleboro
on Thursday of last week, when Donald
LeRay, son of Mr.. and Mrs. Frank c.
LeRay, sustained injuries by the ex-
plosion of cap to dynamite cartridge
which nccessitated the amputation of
several fingers and part of his thumbs.
States Attorney w. r. Daley and
Judge Cudworth conducted the examina-
ton, which revealed the fact that the
accident was due to lack of knowledge
as to the dangerous character of the
caps. 1t also brought to light the fact
that after the accident some of the
school children threw away cartridge
caps lest further injury should result,
and they were instructed forthwith to
make a diligent search for them and to
return them to the teacher, Miss Emme-
line Webster, if found.
Fears on the part of those present
that further injury might result were
allayed somewhat when David 7. Per
ry stated that the caps were of type
which gathered moisture and that after
lying in the snow it was doubtful if
they could be made to explode.
Ralph Perry, 7, was the first young
ster examined. He said that on the day
before the accident Paul Wilder came
to his home and was given four of the
caps in Ralph s playroom. He said they
were some that his father, Harold Perry,
left in box in the shed and were given
to him by his mother. He said he and
his sister used them for whistles and
that his mother had put several of them
in the stove.
Paul Wilder said that he took the
four caps to school and gave them all
away to other boys whose ages ranged
from IL to ID years. He did not know
that they were dangerous.
Wesley Doyle said he had two of the
caps and that after the accident he
threw them away near the school and
had since been unable to find them.
Arthur Doyle told of having one of
the caps in school on his desk and said
that after the accident j. l.. Stockwell
came there and took possession of it.
Leslie Ames said the Wilder boy gave
him two, but that he gave one back and
gave the other to Arthur Doyle.
Ansel Streeter said that Paul Wilder
gave him one of the caps and that he
threw it away between the school and |
Miss Webster sbsss Tie teacher, said that
all the boys who had been examined
kept Ralph were in her grade and were
good boys. After the accident she asked
them for any information they might
have and they did not try to conceal
anything from her.
Miss Lottie LaPlant told of the Perry
boy giving cap to her brother, Perley
LaPlant, now employed on the street
railroad, a year ago and of his being
injured by an explosion of the cap. AT
that time the Perry boys father came
to the house and talked with Mr.. La
Plant.
The Perry boys mother, Mrs. Harold
Perry, told the court that the caps were
some that her husband, who is away,
used i'll blasting, but that she did not
know that until after the accident. She
thought they must be parts of an auto
mobile and after looking them over and
becoming convinced that no harm could
come from them she gave them to the
children, who used them as whistles.
Several of them had since been
placed in the fire with no result except
a small puff. She said she had gathered
up all she could find and placed them
out of reach of the children and would
like to get rid of them. She said she
never heard of the LaPlant affair un.
til Tuesday.
ID. IT. Perry explained that the caps
were not of the kind used in the past
few years and said they gathered mois-
ture, which accounted for the fact that
no damage was done when they were
put in the stove.
DR.. George B. Hunter showed that the
cap which exploded at LaPlant S was
of the type that exploded by electricity
and had small wires attached.
Mr.. Daley said he had heard some
talk about plan to put some of the
caps on the car track, and the boys
agreed that if they knew of any such
attempt they would report it.
This case being out of the way four
other boys who have been mixed up in
various kinds of deviltry about the
village-at Marchs bakery, the Re
former office, the railroad station, the