The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-04-03
EUGENE SARGOOD
GIVEN 50 DAYS IN
JAIL;FINED $500
Arrested in Raid on Chickencoop
Inn Last October
HAS LONG COURT RECORD
Career Includes Official Ac-
quaintance with Six States
Attorneys


Eugene Sargood If the sentence
pronounced upon him last Friday eve
ming by Federal Judge Frank Cooper
of Albany has gone into effect, is in
the Rensselaer, county Jail in Troy,
there to remain for period OF 60
days. Sargood was charged with be-
ing the proprietor Of Chickencoop Inn
in the town OF Hoosick and therefore
held to be responsible for sales Of
wine, beer and whiskey made to dis.
guised prohibition agents on October
"a, 1921. Sargood was also sentenced
to pay fine Of $500
Sargood, who is a native OF Sunder-
land, but who has lived the greater
port on OF his life in Arlington, with
the exception OF about seven years In
the state prison at Windsor, has
record that will be hard to beat in
the state OF Vermont. He has made
the acquaintance of five Bennington
county states attorneys in their Of.
fetal capacities as prosecuting Off
GERS, The list includes Orion NJ. Bar
ber, now judge Of the United States
court OF customs appeals, Frank c.
Archibald, now attorney general for
the state of Vermont ]. j. Shaksho.
ber, now clerk OF Bennington county
court, William r. Daley, now county
c ERIK in Windham county William ].
Meagher, now municipal Judge In
Bennington. and Collins NJ Graves.
prohibition director for the state OF
Vermont. There is at present a sus.
pended sentence Of two and one-haif
years hanging over Sargood and
should he venture to cross the state
line upon the completion o. his 60
days Of seclusion and encounter a
Vermont officer, the name OF the pres.
ent states attorney, George A. Math-
ers, may be added TO the distinguish.
ed list.
When Judge Barber was states at
torney be prosecuted Sargood for
daubing tar upon the barber shop
conducted by a rival tonsorial artist
at East Arlington Sargood was ac-
quilted. During Attorney General
Arc1ibald's first term as states at.
/ torney he brought Sargood into court
for Illegally selling liquor but just
what happened in that case is not
known
Sargood's career as a headliner in
Bennington county court. the su.
preme court and the United States
district court began In 1903 with the
trial Of three cases in which he was
cony eted aud sentenced to prison for
terms aggregating fifteen and one half
years Sargood was charged with
poisoning stock attempting to poison
two of his neighbors, Mr.. and Mrs.
Sanford Hicks and with perjury. All
three OF the convictions secured dur.
ing the terms in office OF States At.
torneys Stakeholder and Daley were
appealed to the supreme court which
sustained the two poisoning conyic-
tions and remanded the perjury case
to county court for a second trial.
! The second trial never took place
and when Sargood had completed the
first sentence OF seven years. less
time off for good behavior attorneys
started proceedings to effect his re-
lease on the ground that TIE perjury
convection, the second Of the three
had not been susta nd by the higher
| tribunal.
These efforts continued over a per.
iod OF two years, included two hear
ings before the supreme court. one
hearing in the federal court and ap.
/ peals TO two governors Tor a pardon
Two chief executives now dead.
George H. Prouty and John A. Mead.
turned a deaf ear. States Attorney
Meagher represented the state in the
hearings before the supreme court
Sargood was discharged from Wind.
sor upon the completion of his two
sentences, less time off for good be.
| hayio..
Sargood's latest appearance in Ben
nington county court was in January
! 1919 when he was arraigned for an
assault upon Samuel Moves at Sar.
goods home at East Arlington. Evi.
dence introduced showed vicious
pounding with a bottle nnicting ser
4 ious injuries. Sargood was convict.
ed and sentenced to not more than
two and one.half years in Windsor
and to pay a iine OF $500. The PRISON
sentence was suspended and the fine
was paid The conviction in Albany
constitutes breaE lof parole and
makes Sargood eligible for second
term at Windsor
Sargood's arrest at Chickencoop
Inn last October was accomp ished
by "lzzy' Einstein and Moe Smith.
two famous sleuths of the flying
squadron of enforcement agents In
New York, While Sargood was be.
ing taken to Troy lor arraignment he
attempted to destroy the bottles of
liquor seized at the Inn" as evidence
and Smith struck him over the head
with the butt OF a revolver. The blow
Quieted Sargood but it broke the
knuckles on Smiths right hand.
At the hearing Friday Sargood tes.
tilted that he was not the owner of
the Inn" but that Mrs. Sargood was
the proprietor His counsel also
produced witnesses who swore that
Sargood was not the owner of the
INN and that he was not present in
the barroom when the sa e OF LIQUOR
was made. Thomas Harlan, who was