The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-02-03
THE LYNDON TRAGEDY.


mits Suicide, ETC., Etc.
From special dispatch TO the Boston
Journal we gather the following particu-
lars of the terrible tragedy which was en-
acted at Lyndon, Tuesday, in which a
young man killed his father, aged 80, his
mother, aged 70, and then killed himself.
The scene of the murder was near Red
village, about two miles east of Lyndon vii
lage.
Levi Ii. Wilder and his wife, the aged
couple, who were murdered, have long re-
sided in Lyndon, and have borne good
reputation. AT the time of the murder the
family consisted of these old people, their
son Slas, aged 33, and his wife, aged about
%.
Tuesday morning when the family arose,
the young man made some remark to his
wife about the straps on his overalls, which
she had shortened few days before. She
replied that it could be easily remedied,
whereupon the mother, overhearing the re-
mark, said she was glad that abe did not fix
the straps. If she had, there would have
been a fuss. He replied that she need not
trouble herself, as she did not do it. lie
then went to the barn to do his chores, and
his wife prepared their breakfast. On his
return he sat down to breakfast alone, the
old people and his wife not being in readi-
ness. He ate very little, and his wife, as
she was pouring his tea, noticed that his
hand trembled and that his eyes had
strange, wild appearance.
After drinking his tea he remarked that
"This thing has got to be settled" and
went out into the shed. His wife, think
ing his actions peculiar, followed him and
met him returning with an ak. She caught
hold of the ak and asked him what he was
intending to- do. He replied, "You get
out of the way or | will fix you J" The
father then appeared and said "What are
you about ?" and took hold of the ak also.
The young man then took q knife from
his pocket and opened the small blade,
saying eff you will not let me use the ak
I'll use my knife and struck his wife
in the right breast, causing slight wound,
and then struck her again over the right
eye. inflicting wound which, though not
serious, partially stunned her, 50 that she
did not realize what was gong on for
little time The mother becoming alarmed
seized the dinner horn. rushed out OF doors
and sounded it to alarm the neighbors.
1t is supposed that the young man after
stabbing his wife attacked his father and
cut his throat with the knife, then hearing
the horn, picked up the ak, rushed out to
the corner of the house where his mother
was and killed her with the ak that he
then came back, found his father in the
kitchen and killed him with the AK. Mr.
Henry Perry, the nearest neighbor, upon
hearing the horn looked out from his barn
toward the Wlders, saw the young man
strike his mother with the ak and heard
him exclaim, "There, lie there, -" AT
ter killing his father young Wilder went
up to the shed, where his wife was just re-
covering consciousness, and exclaimed,
'for Gods sake, Fan; | havnt hilled you;
have ?" He then ran from her toward
Mr.. Perry's, and he heard him say, SITS
all settled now"
Several neighbors soon arrived and found
the mother dead by the corner of the house.
Surprising that the murderer was in the
house, and knowing that he had weapons
to defend himself with, they were afraid to
enter. About 10 a. IN. DR.. Cahoon arrived,
who with Mr.. VIM. Houghton went boldly
into the house and found the old father
upon the floor, dead, with the ak imbed-
ded SO firmly into his head that it required
vigorous effort by MIR. Houghton to re-
move it.
Search was then made tor the young
man. At length he was found in the barn,
dead, hanging from the beams. He had
evidently gone upon the high scaffold, tied
the rope to beam and around his neck,
and then jumped off.
The flend accomplished his work most
effectually. He struck his mother three
times, settling the whole bit of the AK into
her head on either side Just above the ears,
and inilicting blow upon her neck which
severed her head from her body, two small
pieces of skin only holding it. The father
had, besides the cut on his neck, which
laid bare the windpipe, two deep cuts in
head with the ak, reaching from the crown
| of the head down below the eye, into each
Il
| The young man had severe knife cut in
his throat, which shows that he first at
tempted suicide by cutting his throat, but
failing in this, sought more certain
method
1t is difficult to account for this triple
tragedy. There seems to be evidence of
his having a passionate nature, and thai
there has been an increasing ill-will on his
part toward his mother since his marriage,
which occurred little more than a veal
ago, and that the mother has been dis
pleased with his wife and found fault with
her somewhat, as is quite commonly the
case under such circumstances He ha.
been subject to epileptc fits for somt
years past, and has recently been taking
medicine which has stopped them. 1t is
hard to believe that the man could resolve
upon such fiendish and unnatural scheme
of murder in a mere fit of anger, yet some
of his neighbors state that he has made
threats in times past that ''if it were moi
for the law there would be less Wilders il
the world"
There has been some difficulty in tn,
property. The father had decided his farm
to this son with the condition that HI
should support his parents while they lived
1t is thought by some that he had beer
brooding over some annoyances which hav
come upon him, and chershing malice il
his heart toward his parents, until it ha
eliminated in this appalling tragedy, whicl
might have been excited this morning b,
his mothers cutting remark with regard tC
his overalls 1t may be that the medicine
which he had taken for his fits had pro
duced such an effect upon his mental con
dition that the arousing of his anger pro
duced kind of temporary insanity. Thi
is the most charitable view of the case, ant
/ perhaps the best, as no positive cause ca
ever be asccrtained.
| A UarYnonfar d nhhad ut &ho 81 q