Life — March 10, 1927 — page 11: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ENG FOR LIFE BY JOHN HELD JR Fascinating Crimes ESIDENTS of Water Strect, R Bellows Falls (Vt.), are not naturally sound sleepers, ow- ing to the proximity of the Bellows Falls Light and Power Co. and its attendant thumpings, but fifteen years before the erection of the light- and-power plant there was nothing to disturb the slumbers of Water Streetites, with the possible excep- tion of the bestial activities of Ros- coe Erkle. For it was Mr. Erkle’s whim to creep up upon people as they slept and, leaping on their chests, to cram poisoned biscuits into their mouths until they died, either from the poison or from choking on the crumbs. A tolerant citizenry stood this as long as it could decently be expected to, and then had Roscoe Erkle ar- rested. It is not this phase of his career in which we are interested, however, so much as the remarkable series of events which followed. His trial began at St. Albans, Franklin County, on Wednesday morning, May 7, 1881. Defending Erkle was an attorney appointed by the Court, Enos J. Wheefer. Mr. Wheefer, being deaf, had not heard the name of his client or he would never have taken the case. He thought for several days that he was defending Roscoe Conkling and had drawn up his case with Conkling in mind, Atty. Herbert J. MecNell repre- sented the State and, as it later By Robert Benchley turned out, a tragic fate gave the case into the hands of Judge Alonso Presty for hearing. Judge Presty was one of the leaders of the Vermont bar at the time and a man of impeccable habits. It was recalled after his un- timely death that he had been some- thing of a rounder in his day ing been a leader in barn-dancing circles while in law school, but since donning the sock and buskin his con- duct had been propriety _ itself. Which makes the events that we are about to relate all the more puzzling. O* the opening day of the trial, Atty. MeNell was submitting as evidence passages from the pris- oner’s diary which indicated that the murders were not only premedi- tated but a source of considerable delight to Mr. Erkle. It might per- haps be interesting te give a sample page from the d “Oct. T—Cool tinge of Fall in the w ship- ment of arsenic arrived from W. Spent all day powdering biscuits and then toasting them. Look good enough to eat. “Oct. 8—Raw, with N. E. wind. Betsy came in for a minute and we did anagrams, (Epitor’s Note: Betsy was Erkle’s cow.) “Oct. 9—Still raw. Cleaned up Water Street on the left-hand side, with the exception of old Wassner who just wouldn’t open his mouth, Sharp Home and read till after midnight. That man Carlyle certainly had the dope on the French Revolution, all right, all right.” S Atty. MeNell read these ex- cerpts from the diary in a dron- ing voice, the breath of Vermont May-time wafted in at the open win- dows of the courtroom. Now and then a bee hummed in and out, as if to “Buz-z-2-2-2-2-z!" Judge Presty sat high above the throng, head rest- ing on his hand, to all intents and purposes asleep. Suddenly the attorney for the de- fendant arose and said: “I protest, Your Honor. I can not hear what my learned colleague is saying, but I don't like his express’ There was silence while all eyes turned on the Judge. But the Judge did not move. Thinking that he had fallen asl as was his cus- tom during the May term, the attor- neys went on. It was not until he had gradually slipped forward into the glass of water which stood before him on his desk that it was discov- ered that he was dead! The trial was immediately halted and an investigation begun. Noth- ing could be discovered about the Judge’s person which would give a clue to his rious lapse except a tiny red spot just behind his right ear. This, however, was laid to in- digestion and the Judge was buried. (Continued on page 32) comicbooks.com