The Vermont Phoenix, Brattleboro,Friday, January 16, 1891 Bellows Falls News L. S. HAYES and wife are enjoying a trip to Washington, starting Wednesday and expecting to be absent about ten days. Mr. & Mrs. C. W. OSGOOD went to St. Johnsbury Tuesday to hear Stanley's lecture. Seldom has it been the case that the streets and roads of our vicinity were as nearly impassable by man or beast as was the case Monday of this week after the 24 hours of steady rain. The streets were slippery and horses went into the soft snow and slush almost out of sight. During the night the weather turned somewhat colder and left all in better shape Tuesday. Arrangements are being made by Prof. SIMPSON for an evening of prize speaking late in the present term among the High school scholars, and the contestants are busy at their work of preparation. The proceeds are to be applied toward a fund for the purchase of a new piano for the room. Quite an amount of damage was done to the frescoing of the opera house Sunday and Monday by the ice accumulating on the roof and causing it to leak badly. A portion of the week the library room had to be closed because of the water making its way in there. Our village was stirred again last Saturday by the appearance of a whole court hailing from Brattleborok consisting of Justice S. H. SHERMAN, State's Attorney HITT and Officers GORDON and McCLURE, who at once went at the business which they had on hand, looking after the proprietors of certain places where it was shown by evidence that the prohibitor law was being cracked. Twoplaces only were visited this time. The Commecial House, which was proceeded against Dec. 24 and then fined $400 and costs, plead guilty this time to 30 offences at $15 each, making $450 besides costs. The drug store of Timothy SULLIVAN, who was fined $100 in December and was generally understood to have agreed to stop selling, was this time fined $150 and costs. It would seem as if in case the state's attorney means what he says as to following guilty parties up every time they are shown to be violators, they could hardly stand as heavy drafts, and it would result in stopping the sales. At both these places the officers found quite a large amount of the contraband article which, no one claiming it, was promptly adjudged for, foreited and turned over to the town agency, increasing its stock to the amount of about $175. Dr. KNIGHT, the new dentist, is well settled in his new office rooms in the Brown block Those who have patronized him at Alstead speak of him as a first class workman. Rev. Father FEENEY has been confined to his bed the most of the past two weeks, and no services have been held at his church across the river. Mrs. L. S. HAYES and Mrs. N. G. WILLIAMS were the delegates from here to the annual meeting of the Woman's board of missions at Hartford, Conn., Tuesday and both went there on the afternoon train of Monday. Last week Thursday Robert KEEFE reported to the police that he had been knocked down and robbed of his watch by Mike McAULIFFE, a well-known tough of our village. McAULIFFE returned the watch the next day of his own accord, claiming taht he took it from Rob because he owed him, which Rob denies. Papers were issued for the arrest of McAULIFFE Saturday. E. H. WILLSON of Lamour, Dak., is in town, and will spend the larger part of the winter here with his family. The recent death of Judge DEVENS of Massachusetts bring to mind with some of our older inhabitants a time when it ws generally reported that he proposed marriage to a lady well known as a reident of Bellows Falls and a member of one of our first families. He was refused by her to accept the hand of a well-known business man her many years after. (Why don't we have news like this in our local papers anymore. RHB) James B. ALBEE is filling a number of private ice houses in the village with ice of good quality cut from the Connecticut river, the same as for a number of years past. Mr. ALBEE has had quite an experience in the wholesale ice business here, and secures the ice for those having homes in which to store it at a very cheap figure. Many people were pained to hear of the sudden death on Wednesday of Charlie, younger son of Mr. and Mrs. E. P. KIDDER of this place. Though in somewhat delicate health for the last year, he had been able to continue his studies and was in school until a few days before his death. Monday and Tuesday of this week he was confined to the house with a cold, but nothing serious was apprehended until Tuesday night, when he was taken alaarmingly ill and failed rapidly through the night, and about 6:40 A. M. breathed his last. The cause of his death was enlargement of the heart. He was 16 years of age. Charlie was a quiet, studious boy, a promising scholar, beloved among all his mates and by all who knew him. The boy choir at the Episcopal church, consisting of 22 boys and men, under the efficient leadership of Mr. F. CARRUTHERS, is proving a pleasant innovation. As a matter of course much time is necessary for the perfection of such a choir, many of the boys being quite young and unaccustimed to the service of the church, but since their first appearance on Christmas Eve, marked improvement has been made as the result of careful and pains-taking training and diligent practice. Mr. CARRUTHERS is to be congratulated on his success thus far. The officers elected at the annual meeting of the Universalist society were--Moderator, F. G. PIERCE; secretary, E. A. EATON; treasurer, C. K. LABAREE; standing committee, J. A. EATON, M. B. KELLEY, John ROBERTSON; trustee for legacy fund, John T. MOORE. Transcribed by Ruth Barton -- Ruth Barton mrgjb@sover.net Dummerston, VT