The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-08-23
NO RULING MADE ON
TRUSTEES PETITION
Brattleboro Attorneys Are
Pleased with Result of
Hearing in the Supreme
Court in Boston = Bene-
hts OF Agitation Already
Apparent in Increased Al
lOwances to Beneficiaries

Readers of The Reformer Yesterday
round two accounts of the hearing be-
fore Judge Pierce OF the supreme Judi
elal court of Massachusetts, in Boston
yesterday morning on the petition of
the trustees of the Thomas Thompson
estate for instructions as TO the expen-
dlture of the income of the trust fund
created by the win of Thomas Thomn-
son. One of these was special des-
patch to The Reformer and the other
was an Associated Press despatch. and
they apparently were contradictory.
Because of this doubt as to the out
come of the hearing The Reformer snb-
m1fted the two accounts to Attorneys
Arthur P Carpenter and Orrin p
hughes on their return from Boston last
night and is able today to give a re-
port of the hearing that removes that
doubt And in the first place it should
be stated that the attorneys above men
toned are entirely satisfied with the
result of the hearing.
The Associated Press despatch said
that The trustees under the will of
THOMAS Thompson. who left an estate
OF Sl,O00,0OO the income of which was
to be used for the benefit of seam
stresses, needlewomen and shopgirls of
Brattleboro, Vt, and Rhinebeck. \. Y
may use their discretion in disposing
OF surplus income accumulations. the
supreme court decided today
The erroneous part of the Associated
Press despatch was the last clause.
the supreme court decided today
The court did not make any decision
as to the discretion of the trustees.
merely continuing the petition. which
OF course leaves the matter of the
trustees discretion exactly as it was
before and as it will remain until
changed by some order of court as the
result of further legal proceedings.
Further proceedings will be had in
few days, and one of these will be
the bringing of bill asking among
other things the removal of Richards NJ.
Bradley as one of the trustees of the
estate. The bill also will contain def
mite requests for meeting Brattleboro 5
needs under the Thompson will. The
hearing in Boston cleared the decks
for just this proceeding, which was what
the Brattleboro attorneys desired, as
did the Rhinebeck attorneys. These
requests could not well be included in
the answers which were fled several
weeks ago to the trustees request for
instructions.
One of the anticipated results of the
new bill Is the appointment of a mas
ter to take testimony of witnesses in
Brattieboro and Rhinebeck and to re-
port the facts to the supreme court.
Already the effects of the proceed
ings has been felt in Brattleboro in
more liberal allowances to benefeiaries
and in other ways
As has been. stated, this hearing was
on the trustees petition for instruc-
tions as to thee expenditure of the in
come of the Thompson fund. because of
the criticism of the trustees admins
tration of the estate. The trustees
were represented by Attorney Slough
ton Bel of the firm of Putnam. Put
nam & Bell. The town of Rhinebeck
and organizations in that town were
| represented by Attorney Benson r.
Frost of Rhinebeck and Attorney Gar
enee A. Bunker of Boston Counsel
present for the Society of Seamstresses.
| lNeedlewomen and Shop Girls of Brat
tleboro were Attorneys Frank E. Bar
ber and Orrin B. Hughes and for the
! town of Brattleboro Attorney Arthur
/ p. Carpenter, the society of seamstresses
and the town of Brattleboro also being
represented by Attorney Frank n Nay
of Boston. of the firm of Bates, Nav.
Abbott & Dane.
| Judge Pierce asked various questions
of counsel on each side, and to counsel
for the trustees he said in substance
that it seemed premature (using that
word) for the trustees to ask for in
structions until they had shown that
there was surplus from the income
| of the estate that was not needed in
Brattleboro or Rhinebeek under the