Vitals (September 21)

Capt. Stead is Buried with Military Honors:  Full military honors were accorded the memory of Captain George Stead, aviator, at his funeral rites conducted Wednesday morning.  Services were held in Emmanuel Episcopal church at 10o'clock with Rev. L.S. Charters, rector, officiating. There was no singing at the solemn service which was largely attended by throngs of friends, members of fraternal organizations with which the deceased was affiliated, and relatives.  Members of the American Legion and the Knights Templar acted as an escort for the remains to Mt. Hope cemetery, where ex-service men fired a volley of shots over the flower-decked grave, and taps were sounded.  The casket was born by Aviator Joseph Bennett of Hammondsport, Born Arnold of Cortland, S. Aubrey Crumb, Grant J. Balcom and Clifford L. Moulton of Norwich and Arden M. Jones, formerly of this city, but now of Oneonta.  A fine testimonial to the love and affection held for Mr. Stead by his friends was shown in the wealth of beautiful flowers, a fine tribute to his standing in the community.  The floral offering was most profuse, many of the designs being works of art.  Present at the services to pay their last respects were Mr. H.H. Linn of Morris, whose husband was a victim of the same airplane crash which cost the life of Captain Stead, and Mr. and Mrs. Charles Gage of Morris.  Mr. Gage for several years served as private secretary to the late Mr. Linn.  Delegations representing the Elks, Masons, and American legion were also present in a body.  Both the Elks and Masons conducted brief services at the Breese Funeral home Tuesday night in memory of their late member.

West Davenport Murder

Chenango Union, Norwich, NY, December 2, 1868

On Tuesday morning, November 24th, about 2 o'clock, the inhabitants of the quiet little village of West Davenport were startled from their repose by the discharge of a pistol, and upon proceeding to the spot where the firing took place, they were surprised to learn from E.B. Fero, Esq., (one of the leading citizens of the village) that his house had been entered by the burglars, who had inflicted upon him serious, if not dangerous injuries. The neighbors who had flocked to the house found Mr. Fero lying upon the floor of his kitchen, complaining of kicks ad bruises received about the back and stomach.  A light was procured and upon entering the bedroom usually occupied by Mr. Fero and his wife, the latter was found lying dead in her bed. Fero stated to the by standers that his house had been entered; that he was aroused from sleep by feeling a strange movement beneath his pillow, and throwing out his hand to ascertain the cause, it came in contact with a pistol held by the burglar, which he grasped, and in the struggle with the intruder the pistol was discharged, and from that it was supposed Mrs. Fero received her death wound. The husband stated that upon the flight of the burglar, he fired his revolver from the door for the purpose of sounding the alarm through the neighborhood.  As soon as possible Dr. Meigs Case, of Oneonta, was summoned to the scene of the tragedy that his well known surgical skill might be brought into requision.  Dr. Case describes the scene that met his eye upon entering the room as horrible to behold.

The victim of the murder, Mrs. Fero, was reclining upon her face, the bed clothes carefully drawn over the upper portion of her body, her hands resting upon her breast clutched together as sometimes seen in cases of painful cramps, and the pillows an other portions of the couch drenched in blood.  Upon examination, Dr. Case discovered that the bullet entered the cranium one inch above the left ear and passed transversely across the brain, lodging in the right half. The skull was twice broken. The principle fracture was on the right side of the head, extending forward and circularly eleven inches, the other was in the frontal region, beginning over the left eye and crossing the forehead, thence passing backward and terminating at a point opposite the right ear. Either of these fractures, which appear to have been made by some flat substance as a board, would have proved fatal.  After the discovery of the murder, it was reported that the supposed robbers had succeeded in making off with two or three hundred dollars, but the money was found in a memorandum book elsewhere and untouched.

Tuesday afternoon Coroner Maharg summoned a jury to investigate the circumstances attending the perpetration of this horrid crime. The community in whose midst this bloody affair has happened, regard the murder as one veiled in the deepest mystery. The ball extracted from the brain of Mrs. Fero fits the chambers of her husband's revolver; that robbers should have fractured the skull of the wife in such a manner while she was on the farther side of the bed, and that the husband should escape without showing upon his person only slight bruises, seems too strange for comprehension.

The blankets covering the victim were arranged with the same scrupulous care around the person as would be manifested preparatory for a cold winter's night, which seems inconsistent with Fero's story that he was hauled from the bed by clinging to the pistol of the burglar.  How a pistol short fired in a downward direction by a person standing over the bed, after entering the cranium should take an upward course was unintelligible to the jury.

The evidence adduced was deemed sufficient to cause the jury to bring in a unanimous verdict to the effect that Mrs. E.B. Fero came to her death from the effect of wounds and a pistol shot fired by her husband, E.B. Fero.  Upon which the Coroner issued a warrant for his apprehension.

Fero has heretofore been regarded by the community far around as a trustworthy man, having held the office of Justice of the Peace in his own town for a long time, and for many years had been, together with his wife, a member of the Methodist Episcopal Chruch, in which society he was looked upon as a leading and influential member.  Mrs. Fero was a woman of estimable character, and universally respected as a pattern of modesty and of the Christian virtues.  Mr. Fero was immediately arrested and taken before the Coroner and jury, and hear their verdict with composure.  His examination is to take place on Friday.  Oneonta independent, Nov. 27th.

Chenango Telegraph, December 2, 1868

Married

BLOSSOM - MARTIN:  In Bergen, N.J., November 24th, by Rev. Mr. Arudt, Everett E. Blossom, of New Berlin [Chenango Co., NY], and Frank Martin of the former place, and daughter of the late Crowel Martin, Esq., of New York.

SMART - MARTIN:  At the same time and place by the same, Thomas L. Smart of Bergen, and Annie T. Martin daughter of the late Crowel Martin, Esq., of New York.

WILLCOX - CALDWELL:  In Pern, Iowa, Nov. 19th, by Rev. G.R. Davis, Mr. H. Willcox, of Brownwille, Nebraska, formerly of this village [Norwich, Chenango Co., NY], and Annie H. Caldwell, of Inland, Iowa.

ORMSBY - ANTHONY:  At the home of the bride's father, in Plymouth [Chenango Co., NY], November 24th, by S.S. Anthony, Esq., the bride's grandfather, Byron S. Ormsby, M.D. and Mary E. Anthony, only child of James B. Anthony. 

LAW - TINKER:  In Plymouth [Chenango Co., NY], November 22d, by Rev. A. Brown, Daniel P. Law, of Pharsalia [Chenango Co., NY], and Frank Tinker, of Plymouth.

WARNER - SABIN:  In Plymouth [Chenango Co., NY], November 18th, at the bride's residence, by Rev. D.D. Brown, William D. Warner and Rzilda M. Sabin, both of Plymouth.

KETCHUM - McLAIN:  In Coventry [Chenango Co., NY], November 4th, by Rev. Geo. P. Turnbul, John F. Ketchum of Colesville [Broome Co., NY] and M.A. McLain of Coventry.

SHAW - MINOR:  At the same time, by the same, Justus Shaw and Josephine E. Minor, both of Coventry [Chenango Co., NY].

BENNETT - ROUSE:  In Greene [Chenango Co., NY], November 23d, by Rev. Dr. Rogers, A.B. Bennett and Maggie B. Rouse, both of Oxford [Chenango Co., NY].

VAIL - TUTTLE:  In Sherburne [Chenango Co., NY], Nov. 25th, by Rev. A.M. Bennett, Lester W. Vail, of New Berlin [Chenango Co., NY], and Emma Tuttle, of Sherburne.

JORALEMON - PHINNEY:  in Bainbridge [Chenango Co., NY], Nov. 24th, Egbert Joralemon, of Coyemans, Albany Co., and Sarah E. Phinney, of Bainbridge.

Died

NELSON:  In This village [Norwich, Chenango Co., NY], November 21st, John Nelson, aged 24 years.

MARTIN:  In McDonough [Chenango Co., NY], November 17th, Luther Martin, aged 46 years.

RACE:  In Greene [Chenango Co., ,NY], November 19th, Mrs. Urania Race, aged 62 years and 8 months.