The Lamoille news. (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1877-1881, 1877-04-18
TRAGEDY IN EAST MONTPELIER.

CAAN hNsn ~ W VA ~ A@taf'A aN'Ait
pelicr Village, Hiram ArbucIlle wound
ed, perhaps MORALLY, George Short,
killed George Bancroft and then COM
mitted suicide.
Hiram Arbuckle was about twenty
nine years of age. George Bancroft,
one of the victims, was fifty-one years
of age, and a brother-in-law of the man
who killed him. 1t is said that Ban
croft has not been very steady this
winter; end at any rate there was trou-
BILE pet him and his wife, and the
only explanation of the shooting by
Arbuckle is that he thought his sister
had not been well treated by her hus-
band. George Short, the wounded
man, is very young, being not quite
seventeen years old. 1t was not
known that Arbuckle had any serious
trouble with young Short, though
George, in going to fair or horse trot
last fall, had a collision with Arbuckle's
team. Dir. Short had paid for the
damage however. Arbuckle had been
waiting on girl last summer, who
afterwards went more with Short than
with him, and it is thought that jeal-
ousy had more to do with the shooting
than the affair of the collision last fall.
The scene of the tragedy was the
grist-mill, blacksmith shop, and dwell
ing house of Mrs. Arbuclle in East
Montpelier village. Mrs. Arbuckle
lives on the west side of the street and
the grist mill is on the east side, a
little south Of opposite her house.
Bancroft's blacksmith shop is farther
down in the hollow on the west side of
the street, and south of point oppo-
site the grist mill.
Yesterday George Short drove to
the village, left his horse at the black
smith shop to be shod, and went into
the grist mill. There were three or
four others in the mill when Arbuckle
came in between one and two o'clock.
The latter reached over Mr.. Cunning
ham and with a navy revolver shot
young Short in the body, the bullet
entering t'afor three inches to the left
of tls rifh$ ippIe and passing dowp-
ward about four inches. Short turned
and fed when Arbucklc shot at him
again, the bullet passing through the
arm about haif way from the elbow to
the shoulder, but going in front Of
and not breaking the bone. Short fell
at this second shot.
Arbuckle at once crossed the street
and went into the blacksmith shop
where Bancroft was shoeing Shorts
horse, and fired at his brOther-in- Jaw.
The first bullet entered Bancroft's back
just below the shoulder blade, passed
nearly through the body and lodged
near the breast bone, inhicting a NOR
tai wound. A second shot passed
through the lower part Of the victims
arm. Bancroft ran and Arbuckle pur-
sued him. 1t is not known whether
he fired again before Bancroft crossed
the street or not. Bancroft after try
ing to escape him near the shop, ran
across to the grist mill, pursued by
Arbuckle, who at the door Of the mill
fred again. The bullet entered at the
base1of Bancroft's head, just behind
the ear, passed through the neck to
the upper and front part Of the throat,
when it followed the skin downward
and lodged in the breast, not far from
the first bullet. Bancroft went into
the mill and died, while Arbuckle went
to his mothers house.
Howard Arbuckle who was working
in a shop near the house heard the
shots and came out to meet his brother
in the yard. Hiram had revolver in
his hand ahd his appearance led his
brothefsto ask him what he had done,
Hiram told him and said "now what
shall / do; shall | run and be stink,
or be an example, or kill myself"
He then went into the house and while
there said he had intended for a month
to do what he had done. He walked
about the house and after some min
utes asked if the constable was coming.
He was told that he was, as just at
that time constable George Rowland
who had been sent for was seen ap-
preaching the house, Arbucl1le then
passed out of the back door of the
kitchen upon small piazza, barred his
breast and shot himself through the
heart. AS he fired the fatal shot he
threw the revolver from him with such
force that although the premises were
carefully searched it had not been
found last night. BY the time How
land got into the house Arbucble was
dead.
Meantime Short severely wounded,
as he was, got into his buggy and rode
to his home mile east of the village.
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