The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-04-11
WOULD DESTROY
ROCKS BY FIRE
Advanced Ideas i'm Farming
Resulted i'm Locating
Patient
MISSING FROM
RETREAT A WEEK
Carried Hay from Barn and Burned il
10 Destroy Logs i'm Edge of Green
River MOwing-Neighbor's Suspicious
Lead TO Identity.


Although failing in his attempt TO de-
1stroy logs by covering them with hay and
setting fire TO the hay, James Clifford who
took possession of the NJ. L. Smith farm
in Green River last week, had plenty of
reserve schemes in mind for improving
the place, one of which was to make the
farm perfectly level by filling up the val
leys with dirt from the hills and consum-
ing the rocks with fire.
When a person moves into a farming
community the neighbors like to size him
up and see what kind of neighbor he
is, and for this reason l.. f. Aldrich of
Green River went TO call on Clifford last
night, and while there Clifford disclosed
some of his advanced ideas ON farming.
The ideas were so very much in advance.
however. of current farming notions in
GuilfOrd that Mr.. Aldrich became sus-
lpicious and teleph0ned to Sheriff Frank
l.. Wellman that the new conner ought to
be investigated. The sheriff referred him
| TO Deputy Sheriff Bert Whittem0re of
Guilford and that official thought it was a
case for the states attorney.
While Mr.. Aldrich was attempting to
locate States Attorney Harold f Whit
ney he called up John Il. Gale of Guilf0rd
and told him of the circumstances. Mr..
| Gale had hunch that the man belonged
; at the Brattleboro Retreat and on making
| inquiry by telephone he learned that a
man answering Clifford's description. who
was a patient in the Retreat but who did
more or less farm work, walked away from
| the farm a week earlier and had not been
| located.
The strangers identity was soon estab-
| lIShed and attendants at the Retreat left
| by automobile for the Smith farm. where
/ haI Oh
| back to the institution
| The Smith farm, formerly known as the
| Wilcox place, Is about mile and half
south of Green River village on the river
road. about a quarter of a mile from Mr..
Aldrich, who is a storekeeper. Mr. Smith.
who owns the place, lives in Turner's
Falls but comes up to the farm occasion
/ ally TO stay few days. Consequently the
| house Is left furnished. Clifford showed
| up at the farm the middle of last week and
got into the house although the front door
was nailed up.
He told Mr.. Aldrich that he had bought
| the place, but inasmueh as Mr.. Aldrich
had charge during Mr.. Smiths absence
and had not been notified of any change
1 in ownership he hardly knew what to
on the Smith place and concluded that
1 Clifford was burning some brush Later.
however. he learned that Clifford had Gov
cred some logs in the edge of the moving
WIN ABOUT ION ana q haif OF nay. Wnlcn
he carried from the barn and had set fire
to the hay. The fire spread over about
"a quarter of an acre of the moving
Mr.. Aldrich telephoned yesterday To Mr.
Smith, who said he had neither sold nor
leased the place and would come up this
morning to make an investigation. Mean
while Mr.. Aldrich had the conversation
with Clifford about leyeiing off the hills
and burning the rocks so he decided not
to wait for Mr.. Smith. but TO take the
matter into his own hands
What CLIFFORD lived on aside from
tea. which was the only article of food
in the house, is not known. He kept s
good fire in the kitchen range He was
rarely seen about the place except in the
evening. apparently purposely keeping out
of sight in the dag time The Smith place