The Portland daily press., 1876-02-02
A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY.
A Man Kills His Father. and Mother,
and then Himself.
A DISPUTE OVER OVERALLs,

Boston, Feb. IA special to the Herald
from East Lyndon, VT, states that Sias Wild
er, a resident of that town, killed his father
and mother this morning with an axe, and cut
his wlfe's throat He then hung himself in the
barn. The wife is still alive.
ST. JoHNsBURY, Vt, Feb. 1.-The quiet little
village of East Lyndon was thrown into the
greatest excitement about 8 o'clock this morn
ing by the knowledge of most horrible and
dastardly double murder committed in their
very midst The facts as far as can be ascer-
tained are as follows:
Sllas Wilder was farmer residing in East
Lyndon, together with his father and mother.
1t seems he had bought new pair of overalls,
and and the IS shoulder straps being rather long, had
asked his wife to shorten them. She did SO,
but cut them too short, which maddened him,
and he began abusing her, when his mother,
aged 20, interfered, whereupol Mr.. Wilder, be-
ing further eXasperated, Immediately started
for the woodshed. His wife, fearing he was
intending injury to them, started after him and
overlook him in the woodshed. He turned up
on her and picked up an axe lying near. She
caught at the axe to interfere with his going
into the house with it. His father, hearing the
noise, went to see what it was, when the son
said, ''If cannot put stop to this with an
axe I can with my knife" He then drew a
large dirk from his pocket and struck her
tremendous blow, cutting terrible cash across
the breast afterwards striking another blow
across the left eye, knocking her senseless to
euo sAouuu. LIZ tucu Ills ldtuer d DlOW on
the head which felled him. The mother seeing
the affray, thought she would call help from
the neighbors if she could. She procured
large dinner horn, went to the front yard and
blew it. The son heard her and went for her,
and struck her with the axe three or four times
in the neck, nearly severing her head from her
body, and left her lying in her own blood, and
returned to finish the father and wife. When
he got to the shed he found his father had gone
into the back kitchen from the shed and was
lying on the floor. He started for him and the
poor old man, unable to defend himself, was at
the mercy of his own son.
He raised the axe and sunk it through the
top of his fathers head into the floor with
such force he was unable to remove the axe
and left it as it was. He then returned to the
shed and found his wife had recovered some
what and was starting for the nearest house TO
procure help. He started for her. She escap-
ed and succeeded in reaching the neighbors
Finding himself defeated in this plan he
went to the barn and cut his own throat. Fear
ing ne had not cut enough to kill himself be
went and took the rope from behind the horse
and started for the high beams. He fixed the
rope aron?d the beam and threw himself there
from and broke his neck.
The murderer was SO, the wife about %, while
the father and m )ther were aged 70 and 70, re-
spectlvely. The widest excitement prevails.
1t is thought by some he wanted to rid himself
OF the old people to save supporting them and
to secur9 their property. Others think he was
IN a mt, as he was subject to such, and in the
frenzy OF wrath had no knowledge of the ex-
tent of the crime.