The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-05-08

Herbert Is. Crovell shoots Himself al
NOrthheld - Question Whcther Acci.
dent or Suicide,

Herbert Is. CrONeil shOots himseIi ~
NOrthheld - Question Whether Acci
! dent or Suicide.
The community was shocked yester-
day forenoon as a community seldom
! is by the news that Herbert S. Crowell,
aged -. and son of George e. Crowell,
| had shot himself at Mt. Herman where
he was student and was to graduate
this year. 1t seems that he went from
his room into that OF Z. 3. Winchell,
in another building about 5 O'Clock
Wednesday evening. There were sew
eral students there and they had some
| lemons and sugar and were preparing
! to make some lemonade when he said,
"Let me do this: am great on max
ing lemonade. ~ He did it and as
they sat chatting, he inquired of Win
chelI who is the starter for athletics,
where his revolver was that he used
for that purpose. Being told it was in
the upper drawer, he reached over and
took it, inquired it's caliber and get
ting "32" for reply, took cartridge
from his pocket-the mate to another
afterwards found there-and put it
in, turned his left hand round, placed
the muzzle directly over his heart and
fired. He didn't move or even gasp
and for some minutes the other
boys had no idea what he had done
supposlng it was sport on his
his part and that he had used a blank
cartridge. One of them even began
to play banjo. As the watchman
who had heard the shot was approach
ing, and Crowell's body began TO tip,
they shouted. Brace up, Herbert, or
we'll all be arrested y Even when he
fell to the floor, face downward, they
thought it was play, as he was always
great mimic. 1t was only when they
came TO pick him up they learned the
truth which was almost unbelievable.
Prof. Cutler was Immediately notified
and he telephoned for DIR. n. p. Wood
of Northfeld, but medical aid was Of
no use.
Whether it was an accident and he
had used cartridges he supposed to be
blank. or whether in a sudden freak OF
insanity it was suicide. will never be
known certainly. lie had, however,
before had mental or nerve trouble, and
had 70, time been an inmate of the
Willard Nerve institution at Burling
ton. He was a young man of the high
est character and cleancst of life. an
earnest lHTlstldH,d Il IIDc sUnOldr, DeiDB
regarded as the best in languages in
his class, modest and retiring and a
thoroughly manly young fellow and
one that everybody not only liked but
sincerely esteemed. His eyes, however,
had been troubling him unusually
lately, and he had said to professor
lately that he felt very bad and used
up. He spent Sunday at home here
and then seemed in unusually good
spirits. He was also up at the base
ball game last week, his roommate be-
ing the pitcher of the nine, and took
much interest in it. Last year he was
a member of the Glee Club, singing
bass, and on the editorial board of tine
Mennonite, of which he was urged to
take the Management this .tpr but re-
fused
Will Moody and sProf. Cutler
brought the sad news yesterday and
Chritie Crowell, B. c. Austin and I'm
dertaker Emerson went down for the |
body. which all the $50 students accom- !
panied to the depot through opened |
ranks.