Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1876-02-04
Terrible Tragedy in Lyndon.
DOUBLE MURDER AND SUICIDE

A horrible tragedy occurred on Tuesday
at East Lyndon in this State. Silas Wilder,
a well-to-do farmer, about 80 years of age,
| living in that town with his father and
mother, killed both his parents, wounded
his vile, perhaps fatally, and then commit
ted suicide. IIo had been married only
about five months. His parents both siren
uously objected TO his marriage, but he
persisted aud brought his wife home to live
with them. AS near as can be learned, the
terrible events of Tuesday began in a war
of words at tho breakfast table. Wilder
then started to get new pair Of overalls,
the straps TO which his wife had cut too
short. He was very angry, aud began
abusing her, when his mother, aged 70,
spoke TO him saying, II am glad it was
not me. If 1 had done this there would
have been greater row than there is now"
or something to that effect, whereupon
| Wilder, being further exasperated, said,
Damn you, I'll dry you upW lie imme-
diately started for the woodshed threaten
ing to kill them all. His wife followed
him, and, as if seized by a sudden frenzy,
he picked up an axe which lay close at
hand. His wife grasped the axe, and chung
TO him so that he could not use it, at the
same time screaming for help. Wider's
father, hearing the cries, came out, when
Wilder shouted, "If | can't put a stop to
this with an axe, / can with my knifew
| lie thereupon drew large clasp knife and
| stabbed his wife in two places, innicting
shocking wounds in her Lead and breast.
She fell to the ground, and Wilder, turning
from her picked up the axe and dealt his
father heavy blow on the head, tho bit
penetrating tho skull, and he fell bleeding
and insensible. Wilder's mother, attracted
by the noise of the struggle, came out to
the shed, and seeing what was going on
hurried back into the house, took down Il
large tin horn used TO call the men in from
the field to their meals, ran into the front
yard and blew it, hoping to attract the at
tentiOn Of the neighburs. Wilder heard
her, and following her into the yard split
her head open with the same murderous
weapon which had felled her husband.
She was instantly killed; but the old gem
tleman, though terribly wounded, had
somehow managed to crawl into the house,
Il distance Of about seven feet from where
he fell. Wilder returned To tho shed, and
finding his father still alive lying on the
kitchen floor, he again struck him with the
axe, nearly severing the head from the
body. The murderer's wife had in the
meantime regained her senses, and SAM
moning all her courage and strength she
started for the nearest neighbors, half a
mile away. Wilder saw her as she went
out of the door and started for her, saying,
"For Gods sake, haven't | killed you
YETI" She eiuded him, however, and the
desperate man cut his throat with the same
knife lie stabbed her with. He, however,
missed the larger veins and arteries, and,
though he bed profusely, was not satisfied
that it would kill him, and throwing the
knife away, went out TO the barn, took
rope from the stall back Of his horse,
climbed up to and upon the high beams
under TIE roof. Here, making one end of
the rope fast, he tied Il moose in the other,
placed ii about his neck and jumped off,
His neck was broken by the fall, and
when the neighbors summoned by his wife
arrived, they found his bleeding, CHASTITY
corpse swinging from tho beams. The
murderer's father was 73 years old, his
mother 20, and his wife %. The terrible
affair has created intense excitement in the
neighborhood.