The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-06-05
EUGENE KNIGHTS ATTEMPT
To Commit Suicide ut SpringheId.-The
Real Facts about IL.

TO Commit Suicide ut SpringheId.-Th.
Real Facts about IL.
Eugene p. Knight, AN employee of the
American Express company at Spring
field Mass, but formerly of Brattlebo
TO where he was member of theWheel
club and Red Men, attempted suicide
at Springfield, Mass, Monday evening
by shooting himself from 50 calibre
revolver in the left side between the
seventh and eighth ribs, Just below
the heart. The act was committed in
his room in the house of G.. l.. Davis
at 213 Worthington street. Mrs. Davis
was out in the yard, heard loud re
cort went into the house, and, openi ng
the door of Knights room, saw him ~
ing on the bed with the revolver on
the floor at mis- side. He gave evidence
of consciousness by warning Mrs. Da
Wis not to come into the room on pain
OF being shot. He says he did this be
cause he was stripped. He had laid
himself out on the bed, before shoot
ing, $50 they wouldn't have any
trouble, 'as he says, and calculating
to make clean job Of it, She gave
the alarm. Dr. Tracy came and bound
up the wound and he was taken to the
city hospital, where he is doing we'll
At first physicians thought he had not
more than an even chance to live, but
last nights report was very favorable
| indeed and this morning it is stated
that he is able to sit up little.
In reply to question of Mrs. Davis,
why he did IT. he said that she
wished he had done it sooner" He
had, AS he admits, been planning to
| I, ~ oil IaX md hn
several times during the day and at
supper he had some scutile with the
table girl over the revolver which she
snatched away from him, but regarded
it as matter OF sport at the time. A
fortnight before his companions feared
that he would drown himself and fol
lowed him to the river, where he said
he had gone to watch man fish. He
was heard walking the floor most of
that night
There is no doubt that he was men
tally unbalanced at the time and the
only known cause for it Is that he was
bothered about bills he owed. For the
last two years he was in Brattleboro
he was out of work, more or less, and
left s270 behind, but he had paid up
all but about 81 Of it He had been
sick twice since he went to Springfield
and once with trouble in his feet,
and he feared that it was in some way
connected with the brain. and that he
should 90 as an uncle did who died of
a foot trouble He had been brooding
over these things for some time. The
statements of Springfield papers that
he had been drinking heavy are denied
by his friends there who agree that
he was 1uiet, gentlemanly fellow,
VIII o always minded his own business
No one here ever saw him the worse
forliquor
Proof of insanity is in two notes
which he left, One starts off Good
by, lin clear hand and then growing
more scrawly and illegiblc, II did it
myself, Gene. Tell my brother to look
out for insurance The clock vii stop
when do it,. The other is simply
impossible to make ont except that it
seems to be signed 10y 'I O u
Letter Carrier ) " Knight his
brother, went down Tuesday and made
so that everything pos
sible should bc done to make him
comfortable