Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1919-06-03

of the affair at once. but that he said
he expected to get well and was snx-
ious to keep the details of the assault
from his family. "Thers were others
who heard his story at that time, and
he asked us to make no mention of
it," Mr.. Congdon said. 1T is no time
for secrecy now, however. and | be-
'lieve something should be done at
once"
George Browning, night policeman,
who was at the Elm cottage during
the row, refused to confirm or deny
the current rumor that he was locked
in room when he attempted TO stop
the disturbance He also declined to
make any statement whe1 asked # he
left the building later, aftsr being toll
that he would be throwl through a
window if he did not SO GU: volun-
tariIy.
Il have nothing to say" Policeman
Browning declared. Anything that
| is to be given out regarding the ,ffair
on Easter Sunday night will have TO
come from Mr.. Ryder. and not from
me-" The Mr.. Ryder referred to was
| manager at the Elns. Again he was
asked if he left the place hurriedly,
| rather than take a chance of being
thrown through a window, and he re-
piled: Something to that effect
John Ryder, manager of the Glad
stone Hotel, and at the time of the
alleged assault on Mr.. Bentley. man
| ager of the Elm cottage, made the
following statement:
There was trouble at the Fins
Easter Sunday night and it lasted for
| nearly three hours. L tried in every
| peaceful and judicious way that ]
/ of TO ctr Il iCf1 1rIa
| AS soon as the row began to take on a
| serious nature. as l saw that it had
when certain men in the party threat
ened otpunch my face. | tried to get
| the chief of police, but owing to the
telephone strike ! was not able to
| reach him. Constable George
| Browning was there some of the time
| but just what became of him when the
| fighting inside began I cannot say. He
| got lost in the shuttle.
Zone of the men from Westerly hit
| Joseph Girard several times and
knocked him to the floor. AS soon as
| he was able to sit up we put him in a
| chair With him at the time were
| George Reynolds, Thomas Barber and
two of his Woodchoppers.
| When Girard got up from the chair
| 1 put them all out in the restaura nj
side and turned out the lights
know nothing about what happened tc
| Mr. Bentley on the sidewalk, and in
| fact didn't know that he had been hi
until my bartender, Robert Cox, asked
| for a towel to wipe the blood from his
| face.
| las far as I was able to learn. the
| trouble inside WAS started by Andrew
J. Martin of Westerly. Mr.. bentley
was abusive in his ia1.gr agc, although
he took no part il the affair between
Girard and Martin
| Undertaken Charles H. Gavitt o.
| Westerly stated he had heard rumors
regarding Mr.. Bentleys being assault
ed, but that he did not know thu bur
ial permission was to be withheld IN
| til Thursday night. DIR. Payne in
formed me Thursday night taat Med
ical Examiner Sranlon would not al
low burial 10 take place until he az
made tho -ough invest: gati ton in re
gard to Mr. Bentley's death. I under.
i stood. however, that permission would
| probably be granted within "a hours
Friday noon DR.. Payne told me tina
the funeral could be held Saturday
| Coroner Everett A. Kingsley of Yves.
terly said that no report of the af-
| fair had been made to him and tina
! he could not act until authorized by
| the medical examiner or the attorney
general.
Mr.. Flynn stated that while he re.
! GREETED the notoriety his conscience
! was perfectly clear in regard to tbs
/ matter. He abused no one and hi
! was not abused. He said that I'M
/ doubtedly an assault was made upor
I Mr.. E1Htley but he was not wit
ne5s to it. He had no objection to at
official investigation and it could be
carried to the extreme limit, so fan
as he was concerned. After leaving
the Elm Tree Inn. there was an au-
| tomobile accident. Another machine
| struck the one in which Mr. Bentley
was riding, breaking the 'wishbone'
and the two forward wheels collapsed
The same automobile that caused this
accident was also in collision with
| DR.. Payne's automobile. No one was
| injured by the collision.
| A few months ago Mr.. Bentley was
| in another automobile accident and hi
was SO severely injured in the hea6
| that several stitches We're required tc
| close the wound. Mr.. Flynn denies tho
| published statement that he was al
the Inn three hours. and states he
was there less than an hour.
| 1t is understood that if there is al
| investigation it will be at the instance
| of an accident insurance company, il
| which Mr.. Bentley held a $4,000 pol
| icy.
Afte MIR. Bentley's death, Medica
| Examiner Scanlon made investiga
| ton, interviewed Mr. Bentleys fam
lily and those who had information
| concerning the case. and he says the
| stateemnts made to him were abso-
| lutely opposite the writing of a pail