The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-06-09
ANNA FELCH NOW
FREE WOMAN
Plea Of Former Acquittal
Was Upheld in Orange
County Court
TWO CIVIL ACTIONS
TRIED LAST WEEK
Abbie Bliss of Bradford
Won in Suit Brought
by Albion Hood


Orange county court convened on Tues
day morning, June 3, with the following
officers present: Sherman r. Mouton of
Burlington, presiding Judge; B. H. Adams
and r. Nelson Darling of Bradford as
sistant judges; Hale X. Darling, clerk;
William H. Sprague, deputy clerk;
George A. Tracy, sheriff; John G. Sher-
burne of Randolph, states attorney;
Miss Mabel Spencer of st. Johnsbury,
reporter. Prayer was offered by Rev,
John A. Lawrence, after which Sheriff
Tracy made the opening proclamation.
On call Of the trial calendar of the II
cases set for trial by jury, some were en-.
tered, settled and discontinued others
were transferred to the court calendar;
eight were marked for trial and after
the petit jurors had been sworn in and
charged by the court, a jury was EN-
panelled i'll the first case, which was a
tort brought by Albion Hood of Brad
ford against Abbie Bliss also of Brad
ford, and the action was based on an in
jury received by the plaintiff when in
the employ of the defendant in the sum
mer of 1917. The plaintiff while oper-
ating moving machine on piece of
very stout grass, which was badly lodged,
was walking behind the cutter-bar, and
to prevent the machine from clogging,
was removing clogs of grass from the
cutter-bar with his hands, when he sud.
denly fell forward, striking upon the
ground so that one hand was in front of
the cutter bar and as a result his right
hand was cut off just above the wrist
Joint. He was Immediately taken to the
hospital at Woodsville, n H., where his
injury was dressed and cared for two
weeks before he was discharged, after
which he returned to the home Of the
defendant where he remained for time
and was finally discharged by her. The
suit was brought to recover the sum of
$4,000 to compensate him for the loss of
his hand, he claiming that she was liable
for his injury on the ground that he was
carrying out TO the letter instructions
given him for keeping the machine from
clogging by the defendants foreman.
This allegation was stoutly denied by
the defendant and her foreman and the
jury found that the defendant was not
liable for his injury, Frank S. Williams
of Bradford and John w. Gordon of
Barre represented the plaintiff and David
S. Conant of St. Johnsbury and II. W.
Hastings Of Bradford represented the de.
PENDANT.
The scond case for trial was an action
of contract, in which the plaintiffs Frank
+. and Anna NJ Kidder of Brookield
sought to recover the sum of nearly $500
from Roy Perry Of Randolph, alleging
that they sold their potatoes last fall
to the defendant for Sl700 after the de-
PENDANT had seen them and bought them
knowing the exact number of bushels he
was buying. The defendant claimed on
the other hand that in the negotiations
for the potatoes, the plaintiffs guaran-
teed there was 1900 bushels OF potatoes,
for which he was to pay them the sum of
Sl700, and that upon delivery there was
but a few bushels over 1900, and that he
had already paid plaintiffs for all the
potatoes he received, 1900 bushels for
Sl700. The jury found that there was
no warranty on the part of the plain
tiffs as to the number of bushels and
rendered a verdict for the plaintiffs to
recover the sum of 1894 damages. John c.
Sherburne appeared for the plaintiffs and
March NJ. Wilson for the defendant
Unless otherwise disposed of, jury
trials viii occupy the attention of the
court during the second week Deputy
Sheriffs AFRO A. Reed of Williamstown
and Thomas G, Dearborn of STAFFORD
are assisting Sheriff Tracy during the
term Among the attorneys present on
the opening day not already mentioned
were R. NJ Harvey and +. NJ. Harvey Of
Montpelier, A. A. Sargent, r. A. Hoar
and A. g. Fay of Barre City, George L.
Stow, NJ. G. Taft and L. r. Beckwith
of Chelsea. On the opening day of
court, the celebrated case Of State VS..
Anna Felch was called up and Judge
Fay of her counsel moved for Judgment
on her plea of former acquittal, which
was made and filed following the pas
sage of the act in the recent legislature,
making the filing Of such plea possible,
and the motion was granted without OBJ
lection on behalf Of the state; thereupon
it was ordered that the respondent be
discharged and let go without delay. This
closed the incident relative to the pros
ecution, which charged her with murder
ing her husband, Joseph Felch, in April,
1916.