Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1882-05-03
Waterbury Items.

Of human life eliminated in this village Saturday
morning II Ia the old story OF disappointment
In love, OF passionate attachment broodng over
blighted hopes till life itself had lost its charms
and the grim resolve Z" to shuttle off this mortal
coil had entered the soul and wrought out It's |
fatal purpose. The general public have little con-
Germ with the private history OF the sad affair |
and morbid curiosity should not invade the sane
tity Of private grief and add TO It's burdens by
reasonably detailing It's domestic incidents. Henry |
Anterior, son Of A. A. Atherton, was young cab |
inet-maker about twenty-five years OF age, and |
had Of late been working at his trade in Detroit
To shake off the disappointment which had |
clouded his life he went TO England few months |
ago with the intention, u Is said, OF going Aus
tralia. Returning few weeks since, he went to |
Detroit and resumed work with his former en- |
ployer. lie was industrious, temperate and with |
systematic economy saved his earnings. He had |
developed into n promising manhood, and his |
friends hoped the shadows had lifted from his |
life, but Wednesday the 26th ult. he returned to
his home in this village in a condition Of mind |
that excited the lively apprehension Of his friends
Friday he wrote several letters, and In response to
the manifest solcitude Of his parents and sister
assured them that they need feel no anxiety on |
his account 1t was known that he had a revolver
in his possession with which he had been prac- |
ticing. He was repeatedly solicited to give the
weapon up. He assured his friends on Friday |
that II was not about his person. but could not be
induced TO tell where he had secreted IT, nor
could It be found. Friday evening he went out to
mail letter An offer was made 10 take II to
the office for him. but he preferred himself to
carry what was undoubtedly a farewell message
to his former betrothed and promised his sister
that he would return without delay On retiring
at night he embraced his father, mother and sis
ter ahectionately. Great solicitude was felt in
the family and watcher was called in, but he
earnestly requested his friends TO leave him to his
rest and begged them to dismiss their fears. The
household passed sleepless night but there was
no disturbing event Henry appeared In the
morning carefully dressed and evidently under
heavy mental depression. lie ate n light break
lRA
later passed out into the front hall An instant
afterwards q pistol shot startled the anxious
household The deed his friends had feared and
against which they were watching had been done.
In the parlor young Anterior found pros
trate on the floor shot through his right temple.
letter to his mother was found by his side. In
Il he gave the reasons for his selidestruction and
full directions in regard to his funeral, naming
the persons he wished for bearers requesting that
the services be conducted by Rev Mr.. Wheeler
and that the hymn 1--WE shall gather at the
| river" be sung on the occasion. The letter also
conveyed the information that he had guarded
against any failure Of the pistol to do It's fatal
work by swallowing a dose OF poison, a fact
which was confirmed by his movements just be-
fore his passage into the front hall and which had
arrested the attention Of his friends. Three car
| tridges In the chambers of the revolver bore the
marks OF the hammer indicating that he snapped
the weapon twice before 1t discharged His de-
termination to die seemed TO be uualterably fixed
For the sad household whose cup OF sorrow has
been made full to overlooking by this event the
tenderest sympathy Of this community ia deeply
| felt. Funeral ceremonies largely attended were
| had on Monday. The floral offerings from friends
and neighbors were rich and rare Allusion
| was made in this column some time ago TO the
practice prevalent among certain youngsters In
this village OF carrying pistols. Recent events
have called fresh attention to this matter and to
| acts OF youthful rowdyism which are too often
| noted on the streets and in public places.
youth in his early teens recently asked pistol Of
| his father because such and such boys had the
laA cd mar pfa1 I'D mon
| ton on the subject which undoubtedly settled
the desire TO carry firearms in this individual in
| stance, but it is undeniably true that some par
ents who are reposng In the firm belief that their
sons are not addicted to this youthful folly may
| some day be undecived by another added to the
engthenng list OF tragic events In this town II the
matter Is not made the subject of immediate and
| thoroughgoing inquisition Closer parental SUI
pervision at home, reinforced by the provision OF
| thoroughly good schools and enforced attendance
with discipline that is rigid while it is kind and
melting to manliness, is the great and pressing
| want OF the rising generation in this community
Too many young lads are out evenings on the
| streets, in the stores groceries, hotels, prema-
turely and vciously acquiring knowledge Of
nor virtuous citizens. "An idle brain is the
Devils workshop" Judicious home influences
with literally endowed and well taught schools,
will assist to force this Satanic craftsman, for
| want Of shop room here, to tramp along =. Mr..
George +. Moody of this village has been reap
pointed organist in the Third Congregational
church, Burlington. Mr.. Cole junior member
OF the firm OF Crossett & Cole, has bought out his
for long time clerk with w. II. Ashley, is now
employed by Mr. Cole, and Charley Wade, for.
merly with W. +. Carpenter, enters the service of
Mr.. Ashley. Peter McCue, brother OF the muir
dered wife, bid off the McCaffrey farm at the
auction on the 2Sth ult. Price paid, $500 -.
John King, not the rotund vulcan Of the same
name, left his home nearly two weeks ago. His
whereabouts are not decisively known, but his
ha1 In I'd
Vergennes.. Bruce's butter tub factory at the
old shops in Colbyville is now in full blast. The
new machinery, under Mr.. French's efficient care,
works successfully, and with 1t workmen make a
hrkin quick as cat can wink her eye. -. "A
young mother OF five living children, the eldest
of which, a daughter OF fourteen, is a year older
| than her mother at the time OF her marriage, was
| trading in one of the stores last week. She Is a
French Canadian, and bright and merry dame,
a. she ought to be- Her age is twenty-seven and
she has buried one child No theft elopemen'
| or accident reported from Warren Sommer-
ville's wood camp this week Either dull week
on the mountain the wires are down. "A
visit to Q. o. Graves Company's warerooms
will convince the sevrcher for hardware in any OF
its varieties, for domestic, mechanical and agri-
cultural tools for wall paper in endless variety OF
patterns,-cheap, artistic or tasteful,-for shad
ings and curtain fixtures and for notions OF al
kinds useful OF ornamental, that there are few
places this side OF Boston where larger or bet
ter selected stock Of these goods can be found
The store formerly occupied by p L. Mussey il
now used by this firm and especially devoted tc
| wall paper and similar goods of which there IL
no larger or finer stock in Washington county
They are special agents for the Improved Colby
, Wrnger, Florence oil stoves and the Stoddard
churn, the best articles Of the kind in the market
That the firm Is made up OF wide awake yOung
, men is observable in every department, anc
proved by their large and growing trade. :. "A
II. Selleck and wife narrowly escaped disaste
Saturday evening. Ascending to "the hill,
, their horse took fright at the photograph cal
which Boisselle is Transforming into shoe shop
The animal plunged furiously forward, when thu
bits broke In the effort to control 1t. Wisely en-
joining his wife to 81 stick to the carriage" Mr.
Seleck endeavored to bring the horse under con
troll, 1t seemed about to stop at the post-office
= but suddenly yeered diagonally across the stree
: toward Mr.. Towns, and was making off to eros
+. the bridge when o. L. Scott seized the beast b.
the nose and brought 1t to a stand still -. The
s friends and associates OF Henry Atherton gener
= ously betrayed by subscription the funeral ex
Q penses OF their dead companion.