Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1919-01-10
FOSTER. Is FREED
AFTER FIVE YEARS
Sentenced TO Is to Is Years in
State Prison
Was Exemplary, Declares Warden
Convicted of Manslaughter in Shoot
ing Ossie Ptouty of West Halifax.

lUB OOolC ItOuJy VI WVob ildiiA dAs.
After serving five years of u sentence
of IL years for manslaughter, Lou A.
Foster of West Halifax has been released
from the state prison in Windsor having
been pardoned by Gov Horace f. Ora
ham, aud is now IN Iowa Foster was
pardoned Nov. q, but no publicity was
made Of the fact and the news did not
reach here until Monday, when inquiry
at the state prison was made by The
Phoenix on receipt of a "tip' that
Foster might have been released.
1t viii be remembered that on the
evening Of Oct. Ii, 1913, Foster and Ossie
Prouty West Halifax farmer got into
"a suuabble near Fosters home, as a result
Of which Foster shot Prouty, infictng
fatal injuries.
The case was tried in Windham county
court Mt Newfane before Judge Willard
w. Miles and a jury, Attorney General
r. A. Brown of Burlington and States
Attorney A. " ID. Piper of Brattleboro
representing the state, while Foster was
represented by Attorneys f. w. Gibson
and W r. Daley of Brattleboro and j. C.
tones of Rutland.
On Monday, NOV. 10. 1913. the jury
found Foster guilty of manslaughter and
on Nov. II Judge Miles sentenced Foster
TO serve not less than, l3 years nor more
than IL years at hard labor in the state
prison.
After about the first year Foster be-
came bookkeeper for the Reliance Shirt
Co, concern employing prison labor at
the prison According to Warden James
McDermott, Foster was an exemplary
prisoner throughout his period of con
tnement.
Sentiment was divided during the trial
Of the case and after time letters and
petitions recommending II pardon began
TO pour in upon the governor. The gov.
ernor's secretary, Harvey w. Goodell,
states that there have been more CORE
spondence and petitions in this case than
in all the rest of the cases of this kind
combined in the past two years.
Judge Frank Worden of West Halifax,
who knew both Foster and Prouty and
who was for many years one of the as.
sistant Judges of the county court,
strongly recommended Fosters pardon.
and eX.Liout Gov Frank f. Howe of
Bennington, who also knew the parties,
did likewise Senator G. II. Dunton of
Poultney also was active in securing a
pardon for Foster.
The circumstances leading up to the
shooting, as nearly as they could be de-
termined from those connected with the
tragedy and as they appeared at the
trial, we're as follows: Foster and
Prouty, who lived about 90 rods from
each ,1tirer on Thomas hill in Halifax,
about three mikes, Beyond West Guilford
village, had been at loggerheads several
years and had frequently quarreled YER
bally and threatened each other. On the
morning of Oct. l6 as Prouty drove By
the Foster farm on his way to w. B.
Warren's mill with load of apples the
two men had some sort of an alteration
over Prouty's dog, which Foster claimed
was vicious and ought to be killed. On
Prouty's return the argument was con
tinued, and again in the afternoon,
when Prouty was on his way to Warren's
mill, there was more trouble, it being
claimed that the dog at that time bit
one Of the children of Fosters housekeep-
er, Mrs. Mabel Cumming.
When Prouty appeared on his wagon
in front of the Foster house a short time
after 6 o'clock the quarrel had its fatal
elimination. On that night Mrs. Cum
ming, who was the only eyewitness of
the shooting, said the trouble began when
roster began 10 can Irouty names ana
the iatter replleu tmat IL roster uidh
stepped out of the wagon and struck Fos-
Yer twice IN lile lace win ms hSa. me
men c,lhchea ana Ill 'ne Driel sculiie that
ensueo roster llreu ms revolver 'hiee
Times, at ieast one OF the bullets entering
eye. Prouty fell to the ground without
al Io rhA l. lad Ia i'm
sound ana tne man VINO kilied MN,
after rushing INTO ms mousse jumped
upon ms morse ana rode hVe miles 10 tne
nome OF Constable Green Worden IN
Marlboro, TO Whom ne gave himself up
ana by Whom ne was taken 10 brattle-
boro ana later to Newlahe lail
IN statement prepared by roster
AFTER ms CONVICTION ana before ms sen
Lence lie said; ...,
! was porn oil good pareh'age ana be
IN NE, woIking my way through me
schools ana acauehy ana traVeihg quite