Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-08-03
The Savoy Tragedy.
BIGAMIsT SHOOTS TWO MEN WHO OBJECT TO
HIS CoURTISG LITTLE GIRL--ARREST OF
THE MURDERER

Vermont line:
Blanchard is about p years old, and was
a farm laborer. lie is known as most I'M
savory character, has served several SEN
fences in Jail for larceny, and Is said to have
also lived in Texas and Mexico, once run
ming a faro bank. lie has always gone
around with pistol and knife. but despite
all this is noted for his success with " the
girls" Albert and Francis Starks were about
so and 40 years old respectively, and Clara
Starks, to whom Blanchard was attentive,
is the daughter Of the younger brother, her
sell too Young to keep company with any
man, so that 1t was natural on this ground
alone that her father should refuse to let
| Blanchard come to the house to see her.
| Blanchard had boosted of having two wives,
| but told the neighbors he would soon have
| Clara under his control. and evidently
meant no good to her. The silly girl was
persuaded to meet him outside of her home
without the knowledge OF her parents; and
one evening, about u fortnight ago, while
thew were walking together. halt mile
from home, shot was suddenly heard not
far away, and bullet flew past their heads.
Blanchard picked up stone and started IN
the direction Of the shot, when man jump
| ed from a thicket of bushes. fired again with
| ont effect, and then fled. Blanchard has so
MANY enemies in town that there IL no tell
| ing who his assailant was, but he thought
| if they were to proceed TO such extremes to
break up his intercourse with the girl, the
risk would be too great for the iun, so he
made no more attempts to see her alter that.
| Sundays affray happened at an Adventist
| chanel at what is known as Spruce corners,
| in the northern part Of the town, the COM
munity being largely composed OF Advent
| lists and Spiritulsts. The parties all attend
ed service at this place Sunday morning,
and some one showed Clara the South
Adams newspaper of the day before con-
tanning an account of the shooting when
she and Blanchard were walking. She was
crying over this when coming out OF church,
and, by one account. her father, hearing
about it from her lips after he had asked
| her what the trouble was, became greatly
enraged and when right up to blanchard.
who was not far off, and began denounclng
him. Blanchard told him to be careful or
| he would get hurt, but Starks insisted on
having it out then and there, and in the
! fight that followed it is claimed for both
parties that the other struck the first blow.
| As both had friends among the people
standing about the chapel, in full sight
and hearing, it seemed at first as If
| the quarrel would become general.
| Albert Starks rushed in to rescue his broth
er, the father of Clara, and others tried to
| help Blanchard. When the latter was
| overpowered the Others were finally pulled
| off from him, and then as soon as his arms
were freed, stung with rage at his oefeat,
| he drew his revolver and shot Albert Starks
who was being held by two men, and imme-
| diately turned and discharged another bar
| rel at Francis, with whom the fight had be-
gun. He then fred several shots into the
| crowd but without effect. u. A. Kemp and
Mrs. Joseph Hawkins being among those
| aimed at. Both men were hit in the body.
| Albert was reported dead last evening.
| the ball entering back of the shoulder blade
and passing down toward the heart. Fran
Gig is thought to be MORALLY wounded, the
| ball entering his body above the hip and
| passing upward.
his revolver with one full chamber was tax
from him. The only excuse offered by the
| people for not taking him into custody is
that it would have occasioned free fight,
| for his friends even after the shooting, it is
said, would have fought for him. Banch-
ard does not seem to have been satisfied with
wounding two men and imperilling others,
| but, as soon as he was at liberty, he start
ed for a neighboring house. and soon ap-
peared coming toward the crowd with
double-barreled shotgun. His father, how
ever, who had been an unfortunate witness
OF his sons crimes, met him and persuaded
him to give him up the gun.
By this time son of one of the wounded
men had got bis horse unhitched and was
starting for the doctor, when Blanchard
Jumped into the wagon with him, and
forced the boy to drive him away from the
scene Of his murders with the very horse OF
one of his victims. lie went first to the
house of Philo Tower, for whom he had
beer working few weeks, and got his
clothing, and then stopped to see N. b.
Baker, a prominent citizen. Here he told
the story of the shooting, and. although Mr..
Baker did not believe word OF it, he ad-
vsed him to be man and 60 and give him
self up. lie promised to do so, but alter
hunting up Mr.. Tower, to whom he told the
same story, and getting 81 due him for
work. he took to the woods. Twenty or
more citizens and neighbors were out all
Sunday night and Monday hunting for
Blanchard. lie was finally captured by
Officer Gould, of Coleraine, and five others,
while eating mis- breakfast in house at
South Readsboro. VT, and was lodged in
Greenfield Jail.
are few rough characters, but the senti
ment of the town at large is decidedly
against such lawlessness. Only the day
before this bloody affair in the church-yard.
this same Blanchard and two other men
named Leman and Charles Blanchard. but
not related to Herbert, met at j. W. Burnss
house in the same village. and all three
hourished revolvers, and came very near
using them, the quarrel growing out OF an
affair with another girl with whom Herbert
tried to 60 The Stsrks brothers have each
q wife and three children, and If both should
die they would leave them pretty destitute.
One owns small farm, and the other rents
one. Sunday afternoon the personal enc
mics of Blanchard were going about the
streets of Savoy armed to the teeth, thirst
ing for his blood, but he vas well out of
their resch.
Herbert Blanchard was interviewed on
Monday. in North Adams jail. lie said he
was an "engineer :" but had been working
as farm laborer; that he had obtained
Clara Stark promise to be his wife; that
suisse uantly she informed him in the pres
ence OF her father, that their relations were
at an end. She had taken this step, she
said, because she had learned that my NOR
ais were of the worst and that my conduct
anu WClC hhSit hhA iSpASbNh-
sible. attempted no defence, for saw it
would be useless. | simply told her that |
should abide by her decision, and from that
time have never recognized her, nor have
| annoyed her in any way. During this
farewell interview between Miss Starks and
myself, her father applied the most oppro-
brious epithets to me, and by his manner
as well as by his language did all in his
power to provoke me to blows. On other
occasions, and before witnesses, he was
equally violent and abusive. but | never re-
piled to him further than to caution him
not to assault me.
The TERMINATION or THE QUARREL.
The bloody termination of the quarrel
between Starks and myself occurred at
O'Clock Sunday afternoon. had attended
church in the morning, bu. did not remain
througho the service. lett the building
when saw Miss Starks enter it. From the
church walked to the house Of Welcome
Bourne, where | remained until nearly
o'clock, when ! left the house and, in COM
papy with Francis Barden, started IN the
direction of the church. had proceeded
short distance when | met Francis Starks,
the father of Clara, who stopped me and
anerily inquired if | was the author of a
certain item which appeared in the Fireman
of July ss To his question asking il was
the author Of the item, replied, mo. sir !"
"Dii Bourne write it at your instigation ?"
mo. sir !" You are lying -" told
him not to call me that again, and started
to walk away from HIM. Starks followed
me. lie used abusive language and dared
me to fight him. My sell retraint so enraged
him that he finally struck me. received
the blow just below the right eye OF
course | could not stand that gave back
the blow We clnched. | threw him to
tho ground, and had the better Of him I'M
till his brother, Albert Starks. came to his
assistance. Together they fell upon and |
beat me brutally. Ii was then that pulled |
my revolver. fired two shots, one to the |
right, another to the lett, and then fired |
three shots in the air for the purpose OF |
soaring my assailants. ! then ran to the |
house of Welcome Bourne and took down a
shot gun which was hanging on tho wall.
did this for the purpose Of defending my
self, as | expected that the friends and re