The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-08-23
AUTO WRECK ON
GU|LFORD ROAD
Driver Given Five Days in
Jail, Also Fine of $50
and Costs
PASSENGER FINED
FOR INTOXICATION
Greenfield Car Smashes Down Fence
Below Watering Trough = Wheel
Broken OFF and Windshield Smashed
Overland Carried Five Men.

An automobile accident attended by
rather more spectacular circumstances
than usual and which carried five men
to the verge of death or serious injury
happened on the Guilford hill yester-
day just before noon, resulting in the
arrest by Sheriff Frank L. Wellman of
two of the five men, Joseph J. Barbi-
cite of 296 Deerfeld street. Greenfield,
Mass, owner and driver of the ma
chine, and a passenger who gave the
officer Polish name and appeared to
be of Polish descent but who told At
torney II. G. Barber that he was F. J.
Baker of Springfield, Mass.
In the municipal court this morning
Barbictte, who said he was an Italian
26 years old and locomotive fireman
employed by the Boston Maine rail
road, pleaded guilty to the charge of
driving recklessly and Judge A. Z.
Cudworth sentenced him to be confined
in the county Jail at Newfane for five
days and to pay a fine of $50 and costs.
of $3.50.
States Attorney f. w. Gibson had
suggested that the court impose the
maximum fine of $50. Attorney Bar
Der thought the circumstances did not
warrant the maximum fine The court
took into account the fact that the re-
spondent pleaded guilty and saved the
state the expense of trial, but he also
said it was a case where mere dollars
and cents would not suffice.
Several photographs taken by B. A.
Crown were exhibited to the court, and
counsel on both sides argued from
them, State 5 Attorney Gibson claim
ing that they showed eonclusively
tremendous speed and Attorney Bar
Der claiming that the fact that the
fence posts set in soft dirt, were not
broken off but merely tipped over
showed that the car could not have
been going as fast as claimed He also
said the steering apparatus developed
trouble and that the left front wheel
broke off about Is feet from where the
car stopped. This last mentioned fact
he said showed that the car couldn t
have been travelling as fast as claimed,
otherwise the machine would have gone
farther. No evidence was introduced
ON this point, in fact the pictures and
statements of counsel were all the court
had to go by.
The facts in the case, some of which
were not before the court, are these:
The men We're riding in a small Over
land machine bearing the Massachu-
setts number plate Isl 1-433 and were
coming down the so-called watering
trough hill. On the first curve below
h., .+,,,.s Sea-. l..
the gutter and ran parallel with the
fence for some distance and then
scraped the fence but did not damage
it. After a time the car swung back
toward the middle of the road but later
headed for the fence again, tipping over
eight posts and about 80 feet of fence
and finally landing on the brow of
l5-foot embankment 1SI feet from
where it first hit the fence and some
400 feet from where the car first took
the gutter. When the car stopped the
outside wheels were over the bank,
partly buried in the soft dirt with
which the road was widened two years
ago and the left front wheel was
broken off. The wind shield was
smashed. Several hundred persons
gathered in a short time and scores of
automobile parties stopped to view the
scene. Everybody agreed that the men
had close call from death or injury.
Sheriff Wellman arrested Barbiette
on the charge of reckless driving and
arrested Baker on the charge of fntoxi-
cation. Both were placed in the lock
mp, but later Baker was released, At
torney Barber becoming responsible for
his appearance this morning.
Baker was not in court this morning.
but Attorney Barber entered plea of
guilty for him and the court imposed