time were you there?” asked the judge.
“Not really sure. I think around 3:00 p.m., maybe a bit later. There were several people there I knew, and I talked to many of them. I can give you some names to verify what I’m telling you,” said Will.
“At what time did you leave Masters?” questioned the judge.
“I left around four with Dan Smith. I gave him a ride home. In fact, Mr. Galgit’s horse was out in the pasture when we went by, and Dan remarked about how beautiful he was,” said Will.
“What did you do after dropping Mr. Smith at his house?”
“Why I went home,” Will answered.
“Did you go out again?”
“No, sir.”
“Mr. Galgit, it appears you have no case against Mr. Attle. I’m sure the people he saw at Masters will confirm his testimony,” observed the judge. “Case dismissed.”
Will got up to leave. As he passed Addie standing at the door, she said, “Don’t leave till we talk. I will have a break here shortly.”
All right, I’ll wait out in the hall,” Will said as he gathered his coat and hat.
Ten minutes Addie appeared. “Sorry it took so long. Judge Simpson wanted to do some quick checking concerning today’s docket. How are your parents doing?”
“Mother is doing just fine,” replied Will. She’s teaching school and giving music lessons in the evening” I guess you heard about my father.”
“I had forgotten. I heard he had passed away. What happened to him?” asked Addie.
“Well, around a year before his death, he was coming to town when his neighbor, David Roswell, came out to the mailbox. Dad stopped to talk to him. While sitting in his buggy talking to Roswell, out of nowhere comes this speeding buggy sideswiping Dad’s buggy. It pitched Dad out into the driveway. Even though he had his hands out to catch himself, most of his injuries were on his chest and face. He thought he was just bruised up, but when he tried to stand, he discovered he had broken his collarbone. The doctor patched him up and sent him home. As time went on, he began to have pain in his chest and shoulders. He just went downhill after the accident,” explained Will.3
“Didn’t the man stop to see if your father was all right?” questioned Addie.
“No, he just kept going. We have no idea who he was. Roswell gave the sheriff a description as best he could remember, but no one remembers seeing anyone fitting the description,” replied Will, “not even the horse has been identified.”
“Dear me sudz,” exclaimed Addie, “you do know that man can be charged with some degree of murder?”
“Yes, I know, but someone has to find him first. But that isn’t all. Before Dad died, he, my mother, Winifred, and myself were ordered into court over the land they had purchased in 1890 from Fred Hamblin. Apparently, Hamblin sold the same property to Gordon and Mary Waldruff. It was a mess. I guess the solution was to sell it at public auction. None of us had the money to bid on it and the property sold for $350. Dad had laid out $400 as a down payment, so it was a loss for all of us.4
“This is horrible. How come I haven’t heard about this?” she said her voice rising.
“It’s probably because the auction was held in the Supreme Court of St. Lawrence County, not in the town court here. As far as my dad’s death, it’s been nearly two years now. I’m sure most people have forgotten about it by now.”
“What are you doing now?” Addie asked.
“I’m the foreman for Bell Telephone, placing poles in the ground and installing lines throughout the county,” he replied, “and Frank Curtis and I just installed a telephone for Mrs. Julia Covey.”5
“Does this mean we will have telephone service at the house soon?” inquired Addie.
“Yes, but we do it in sections. We’ve finished doing the town since business needs this method of communication to prosper,” said Will continuing. “We’ll be installing service to the courthouse sometime next week. It’s slow going setting the poles and having to climb them to attach the lines.” Their conversation was interrupted as Mrs. Deacon approached the couple saying, “Addie, Judge Simpson is ready for the next case.”
“I’ll be right there,” Addie replied. “Goodbye, Will, hope to see you soon.”
“Goodbye, Addie. It’s been good talking to you.”
Chapter 7
Getting Reacquainted
Funny, Will mused following his nose toward his horse and cleaning up its droppings. He tried to remember how long it had been since either of their families had had any social contact. True, they were distant relatives living on opposite sides of town, yet there was something about Addie that stuck in his mind, and he determined to find an excuse to drop by and talk with her soon.
Soon it turned out to be nearly three years. Installing telephone wires was a job best suited to do in a warm weather. With electricity coming into the town of Bangor, Will found it profitable during the winter months to install electricity in individual homes. Most of the houses were small—four rooms at most, kitchen, two bedrooms, and a parlor. The bathroom was the little unpainted square building behind the house. It’s use was mostly daytime. At night, a “chamber pot” was beside most beds so one did not need to brave the elements or the wildlife taking care of necessities. Most houses had open walls, seldom was there insulation. If there was, it was old newspapers. Running wire along the ceiling and down on a stud was the usual practice, keeping the majority of the wire tucked away unnoticed. If the house had two rooms or was simply open, the line would be a straight wire from the outside connection to the center of the room. Having just one light dramatically improved the lifestyle of the family, especially during the winter when the sun went down so early enabling the family to read, play table games, put together puzzles, or occasionally homework.
The main drawback to his work, Will quickly discovered, quite often required him to harness up the horse, connect it to the wagon, then travel several miles in all kinds of weather for supplies. Being a man of good common sense, he decided to invest in a store. He found one in Potsdam, Fifty Market Street. It was not only a storefront but had an apartment above it. His supplies could be shipped in, thus saving him two days travel and the benefit of the two days’ labor required for each trip. It required foresight in making his orders to have ample stock available. One day while in the back room collecting supplies, Addie stepped through the door and inquired,” Is anyone here?”
“I’ll be right there,” Will answered not recognizing the voice. Presently, he came through the door carrying a large box filled with switches, outlets, black tape, and wire. Surprised at seeing Addie, he laid the box on the counter saying, “My goodness, you are the last person in the world I expected to see. How are you and your family?”
Addie smiling at his surprise, answered, “All of us are just fine. My work is done for the day, and I heard you had opened this place. I thought I would stop by and say hello.”
“I was just thinking about you,” said Will taking in her attire. It was simple, elegant, and appealing. “It’s
