In the course of her work at HHS, Pip Parker came across this interesting (and amusing) newspaper article. The punctuation, italics and spellings are as the original.
Hartland, VT 1877
A little excitement happened in District No 6 in April. Mr. Sumner T. Lull who lives on the Cady farm, received from the hotel des tramps in Windsor, a lad named Charles Baker, about 15 years of age, to assist him on his farm. About two weeks ago they left him to go to church, when he went to Mr. Lull’s desk, and took about fifteen dollars in money, and what clothes Mr. Lull had furnished him, and left. When Mr. Lull came home he learned the boy had been missing about two hours, and immediately started in pursuit, toward Hartland, with Mr. Charles Wilder; at Hartland Four Corners, G.H. Thayer – who was not making soap – said he had seen the boy pass, as also did Mr. Albert B. Burk; Mr. Wilson Britton, Chairman of the Hartland Thief Detective Society, being busily engaged in his horse barn, did not see the boy pass. Mr. Lull then drove to the Pavilion Hotel, kept by Mr. R. L. Britton, who furnished him with a fresh horse, and also started with him in search of the boy, in company with Mr. Eli Shepherd, one of the Hartland detectives, they then proceeded up the track, on foot, eight or ten rods to Mr. Gilson’s cooper shop, when Mr. Britton becoming weary, returned, and as they came back to the depot they saw the boy who was immediately secured by Mr. Britton and Wilder. Upon searching him, the money was found secreted in a handkerchief around his body; after consultation, they delivered the boy to Mr. Lull, minus sixty-two cents, which “Roy” said was to go to the Detective Society. Now what does Mr. Lull do with the boy? Beat and pound him, as some wou’d suppose, from what they have heard on account of a little trouble he had with a contrary and ill-disposed prisoner? He took the boy home and kept him about a week, and gave him good Christian instruction, telling him the evil consequences of such things, which, from his former experience of rogues, he was capable of doing. The boy may find other homes, but none better than the one he had at Mr. Lull’s. We hope the boy may ever find as good friends as he found at Windsor.
Wilson Britton lived in the brick house across from the fire station. Pip’s father-in-law, Raymie Durphey, has lived there for many years.