The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1901-02-06
The Pittsfleld Tragedy.


peculiarly atrocious, or the victims es-
pecially prominent, individual cases
pass quickly from the remembrance of
the general reader.
A tragedy was enacted in Pittsheld,
Mass, in August, that created more
than momentary ripple on the sea OF
the general n WIS of the day, since it
involved the killing of young woman,
one of those domestic events occurring
under very painful circumstances that
always arouse public interest and SYM
patty. Even this affair had passed out
of the minds of persons not immedi-
ately interested till it was recalled re-
Gently by The arrest of the brother of
the young woman on the charge of be-
ing his sisters slayer.
The circumstances are these: On
the August night in question the fam
lily of Robert l.. Fosburgh, wealthy
contractor consisting of himself
and wife, his son, Robert s. Eos
burgh and his wife, the daugh-
ters May and Beatrice Fosburgh-the
latter girl of fourte n-and their guest,
Miss Bertha Sheldon OF Providence,
r. l. The evening was spent in social
enjoyments. There were music and
merry-making, The family went to
bed about midnight All were dis
posed in sleeping rooms on the second
floor of the house. Mr.. and Mrs. Eos
burgh senior occupied front room,
the hall. Misses May and Beatrice
slept in room together, and Mr. and
Mrs. Fosburgh junior in a room adjoin-
ing, connected by doorway. They had
previously used spare room across the
hall from the room occupied by the
Misses Fosburgh, and some Of their
clothing, and 32-caliber revolver load
ed and lying in bureau drawer, re-
manned in this room.
About half past one O'Clock Mr.. Eos
burgh senior says he was awakened by
the flashing of a light in the hall near his
door, which was open, and he was soon
confronted by masked man, holding
revolver, which Mr.. Fosburgh knocked
out of his hand and which was after
wards found under the bed where it
had rolled. 1t was q AZ caliber Colt
bulldog. Mr.. Fosburgh had violent
struggle with the intruder, rib being
broken in the contest. A second masked
man struck him over the head severely
bruising him. Mrs. Fosburgh, in her
efforts to assist her husband, received
some injuries.
The struggle aroused Miss May Fos-
burgh who started to go into the hall,
but when she reached the doorway a
man standing on the threshold of the
spare room opposite fired two shots,
one reaching her heart and killing her
instantly. Meantime her brother was
rushing through the connecting door
way and reached his sister in time to
catch her in his arms as she was fall
ing. The brother then clinched with
one of the burglars and in his turn re-
ceived severe blow on the head from
a confederate. At this juncture the
burglars beat retreat, one running
down the back stairs, and two escaping
to the ground by way of window and
the roof of the yeranda.
Miss Beatrice Fosburgh was swak-
ened simultaneously with her sister,
but stopped to turn on the electric
light. Her story, maintained under
frequent and close cross examinations,
is that she saw her sister lying on the
floor and her brother struggling with a
strange man, one of the intruders.
When Miss Sheldon, who is slightly
deaf, appeared on the scene the bur-
glars had fed and the family was
gathered around the body of Miss May
Fosburgh, lying on the floor near her
bedroom door. Mr.. Fosburgh senior
had called for help and within some
ten minutes his immediate neighbors
began to arrive at the house, who say
that they found the condition of affairs
in the Fosburgh mansion substantially
as described above.
The police were called but no cap
lures rewarded their search for the
burglars. Foot prints were found on
the ground, near the veranda, where
the two burglars escaped. These were
facing inward, as they naturally would
be, the men letting themselves down
by clinging to the edge of the roof.
Some distance away pair of Robert
Fosburgh's pantaloons was found, also
hat, shoe-neither of which be-
longed to the Fosburghs-and mask
made from pillow case that had been
in the spare room. The revolver
which had been in the huraau drawer