Norwich bulletin., 1921-07-30
PUTNAM

ChargedN with horseWhtpping small
children, most of them scantily clad in
bathing suits until their bodies were
black and blue, and in one case until
blood flowed, George Perry, farmer en-
ployed by R. H. Bradley was before bhe
Putnam city court Friday morning The
principal evidence against Perry were
the marks on the bodies of the boys and
girls, the oldest of them 10 and the
youngest Z, which they allege were the
/ results of blows struck by him when they
went under an apple tree on the Bradley
/ farm near their swimming hole, to secure
some of the green fruit that was lying
on the ground. One by one the children
filed up to the judges bench and remov-
ed their clothfng sufficiently for the
| court to see the scars on their tiny
| bodies. One years old lad, Melrose
| Riendeau, exhibited traces of a black
| eye which he alleged came from a fist
blow by Perry.
| The technical charges on which Per-
ry was arrested Thursday night by Cap
tain John Bulger were assault and breach
of the peace. The assaults were said to
have been committed Monday and We'd
nesday of this week. Because of the ma
ture of the case it attracted considerable
discussion, and when court convened
shortly after o'clock Friday morning,
the chamber was packed to the door, and
many unable to get into the room, stood
/ in the hallway eager to hear the testi-
mony. In the absence of Judge Mahlon
H. Geissler, Deputy Judge Archibald Mac
donald was on the bench The states
case was handled by Prosecuting Attorney
Ernest c. Morse, and Attorney Arthur S.
S. Macdonald appeared for the defendant
Perry pleaded not guilty through his
oO1 sci hot
consumed more than an hour and half.
and which at times, as the children told.
their story, rose to dramatic heights
] reaching a climax when they uncovered
! their bodies to SLOW the marks which,
/ they declared, told the story of the whip
ping they had received at Perry's hands,
The children who testified that Perry
rad struck them were Harold Donovan,
II, Richmond Kershaw, 8, Beatrice Be
mott, g. Anna Benoit 8, Melrose Riendeau
9, Arthur Blanchette s, and Edward Be-
mott 7.
Harold Donovan, first called by ,Attor-
ney Morse, testified that he and some
companions were swimming at what is
known as Tourtellottes brook, and then,
clad in their swimming clothes went to
the field on the Bradley farm and picked
up from under an apple tree some of tie
green fruit. Perry without any warning,
came into the group and whipped all
of them. TIE punishment was inflicted,
he said, with a whip as big as his finger
! Pressed by counsel to describe it in de-
tail the witness answered: It is like the
busfes hazel nuts grow on Under
cross examination by Attorney Macdon-
aid, Donovan said that he did not climb
into the tree, but merely picked up the
wiRdshaken fruit on the ground Were
they good apples?" asked the attorney
Not very nice" was the reply.
Lillian BeaudreauIt was next called
She was not one of the group on who
assaults were alleged to have been com
mitted. She told of going to the Perry
home Sunday afternoon and asking t.
) pick up fruit on the ground. She said
: Mrs. Perry told her she might do SO il
SIZE wouldn't touch any on the trees Lii
Ian Riendeau substantiated this testi
! mony.
Richmond Kershaw testified to getting
green apples from under the tree He de-
} clared that Perry hit him on the hip and
that he saw Perry hit tie other childrer
: who were with him. The blow, he said
caused him to bleed. He was clad only
in his bathing suit.
Beatrice Benoit and Anna Benoit told
a similar story. They did not, they said
see any boys in the tree picking the
fruit, and they only took the green an
: pies from the ground. Both stated thai
Perry struck them, and chased them, and
that in running they fell and further
hurt themselves
Melrose Riendau admitted that Monday
he climbed into the tree and shook the
branches to make the fruit fall. He saif
that he did not see any other children
in the tree. When Perry came and hi
! scampered to the ground, Perry, he al
legged, kicked him in the stomach, and hi
him wiba his hand, causing his eye Il
swell up. How many times did the mar
kick you?" asked Attorney Macdonald
Many times" came the timid reply.
: Edward Benoit, !. said some MAJ