Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-01-09
MOTHER AND DAUGHTER
GUILTY OF PERJURY
Effort of Latter to Secure Di.
vOrce From Her Husband Re-
suits in States Prison Sem
fences for Both--InvestigatiOn
Reveals Sordid Depravity

Mrs. Nettie H. Hall, aged 81 years, wal
sentenced to serve not less than thre,
years nor more than five years at hare
! labor and ordered to pay fine Of $40
and costs Of court, and her daughter
Mrs. Charles Miller, aged %, was sen
| fenced to not less than one and a hall
years nor more than three years at hare
labor and order to pay a fine Of s1.0t
and costs of court. when they pleaded
guilty to informations charging their
with perjury filed in Chittenden county
court Thursday afternoon by States At.
torney Allen Martin. Both will serve
| their sentences at the States prison al
Windsor. at their own request. instead
or at the House of Correction in Rutland
The case grew out Of a divorce petit
| tion brought by Mrs. Miller against her
| husband, Charles M. Miller of Rutland
and heard on December 10 in county
court. In her petition, Mrs. Miller alleged
that she was drugged from a bottle OF
liquor that Miller gave to her and her
mother Mrs. Hall, was partially intox-
icated from the effects Of another bottle
of liquor that Miller gave to them on
November 30, 1911 and that during the
night she and Miller were married by
the Rev. f. o. Winans. a Methodist
clergyman, then located in Winooski and
| now deceased.
Mrs: Miller further alleged that she
had known Miller only two weeks before
the ceremony was performed and that
ne was the milkman who delivered on
her street She had seen him only twice
! in her house and he was after milk money
at those times On November 30, 1911,
he came and stayed to supper at the
Hall home on East Allen street, WI
nooski. Following supper, he took two
bottles from his pocket and gave Mrs.
Hall, her mother, something to drink
from one of them. Out of the other he
gave the daughter some After supper
she (Mrs. Miller) felt sleepy and queer
while she was washing the dishes and
remembered nothing until the next morn
ing when she awoke and found herself
in bed with her mother.
While on the witness stand and under
oath she testified that she never lived
with Mr.. Miller as his wife and that
she had never recognized him as her
husband. She did not know that she
had been married until the next morning,
when Miller tossed a piece of paper in
her lap and told her that it was her
marriage certificate. She could not read
or write and did not believe 1t. She
the pieces In her bureau drawer. Four
years later in 1915, Mrs. Hall and her
daughter removed to Burlington and
not until several months ago did Mrs.
Miller piece together the torn certificate
and get one of her friends to read IL
for her. Then she brought the suit for
divorce.
States Attorney Martin stated that he
could bring in a score of witnesses show
Ing that the couple had been legally
married and had lived together for a
year and possibly two years at Winooski
He stated that Mrs. Hall, the mother.
conducted house of ill-fame at WI
nooski and he secured information from
Chief of Police Charles A. Barber of
Winooski to the effect that the Winooski
police had raided the Hall home several
times and found dozen or more soldiers
IN the house at one time, this being
while Miller was living with them. Chief
Barber further told Attorney Martin. that
the police knew of many other times
when soldiers and male civilians were
in the house. Chief Barber also stated
that Miller and Miss Hall kept company
Tor at least six months before they were
married, going to dances. shows, etc.
When Clerk of Court Charles j. Rus
sell read the informations. both women
pleaded guilty They were represented
by f. u. Webster. who urged that the
court take into consideration that fact
that the two women had mended their
ways since coming to Burlington and
have gone straight" since that time
working every day. He also urged that
the court be easier on Mrs. Miller be-
cause of her lack of education and proper
environment ha 70
had real chance to go right.
Judge leighton p. Slack in imposing
the sentence on Mrs. Hall took her
severely to task for her actions I'm
making her daughter criminal and a
prostitute. and because she was not the
right KIND OF mother stated that he
would give her a longer sentence.
REAUsILLIER DENIED LIBERTY
The liberty which Napoleon Beausil-
Her aged 2s, of this city, sought to
obtain from being detained at the Yer
mont State Hospital for the Insane at
waterbury, through writ of habeas
corpus, brought Wednesday by Attor-
ney f. A. Ashland as his solicitor, was
denied by Judge Leighton p. Slack, fol.
lowing a hearing.
Beausllier, about eight years ago.
was arrested for breaking the seals of
loaded freight cars In the local freight
yards. In court he stated on the wit
ness stand that he did so because he
wanted to have n long ride, and the
jury acquitted him on the ground that
he was not mentally responsible. He
was then committed to the hospital at
Waterbury, where he has been ever
since.
DIR. Eugene A. Stanley, superinten-
dent of the hospital. was put on the
stand by States Attorney Allen Martin,
who was representing the State in OPP
posing the granting of the writ DR..
Stanley testified that Beausillier was
an imbecile and had shown no improve
ment in all the years he had been at
the hospital. While he thought that
II Beausillier was granted his liberty
he would not be dangerous to the pub
lie, DIR. Stanley was of the confirmed
opinion that he would revert to the
same career established before his COM
mittment
Taking all into consideration, Judge
Slack declined to grant the petitioner
his liberty and as result he was taken
to waterbury Thursday and will be
kept there for An indefinite period.
COURT NOTES
The afternoon session of court Thurs
day was taken up with the case of
Provost VS.. Haussman, which had been
heard at various times during the week.
The plaintiff rested shortly after the
opening and the defendant put in his
testimony. The suit was one in chancery
before Judge leighton p, Slack as mas
ter or chancery. to prevent the fore
closure of chattel mortgage on a