Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1901-12-20
WEARY OF THIS WORLD
IN IDLENEss, LONELINESS AND SENSE
OF HOMELEssNEsS,

Though Well-To-Do Financially for Farm
Hand, Albert Schroeder Takes His Life
Dead in Bed for Seven Hours Before the
Fact Was Discovered Though He Shot Him
self in the Center of the Village Employ
ed for Dozen Years Here and in Vernon.
Albert Schroeder, As, German, who
has worked in town and vicinity for a
dozen or more years, committed SUI
eide by shooting in his room on the
third floor in the Simonds house on
Elliot street Saturday morning, prob
ably about O'Clock, though the fact
was not discovered until nearly the
middle of the afternoon, and no one
heard the shot. /. b. Morris, who oc-
cupies the room underneath heard him
come in late Friday night, and also
heard him moving about twice during
the night and few minutes past IN
the morning. whence the supposition is
that he took the opportunity when the
occupants had left the rooms nearby,
as he had certainly been dead several
hours when discovered. In the middle
of the forenoon Mrs, Henry f. Brown,
who has charge of the house, went to
the room to do the chamberwork and
opening the door saw him abed, and
noticed also that two toes were pro
truding from under the coverlet. Sup
posing he was asleep, she returned to
her work. Going to the room again at
. O'Clock she saw him in the same po-
sition and spoke, loudly, to inquire If
anything was the matter. Ellcltlng
no reply, she went down stairs and
asked Henry Niles to go to the room,
fearing the man was sick. Niles on in
vestigating quickly found that 1t was
a case of suicide The dead man lay
naturally on his back, inclining lit
tie to the left, his left arm under the
ear and pillow and the right lying
across the breast, grasping a short D
calibre revolver in the hand which
had evidently dropped TO that position
after firing. Aside from that, evident
" the man had never moved and
death was instantaneous, lie had
aimed the shot just above the right
temple, at the edge of the hair, and 1t
had taken a downward course lodging
in the base of the brain. The revolver
was an old style, fve-barrel one and
contained one cartridge besides the
one fired. In his trunk was found
new box of cartridges from which Just
two had been taken out.
On the stand was letter IN Ger
man. addressed to Antoine Geiger, In
the employ of Smith Il Co. and which
read:
II am tired of life and this is why
| take this step.
And directing also mat after paying
for his burial his money be sent to his
sister, whose name was written Marie
Schroeder. Bartenstein, East Prussia. y
Immediately on the discovery of the
facts, DR. Miller was sent for and In
his absence DIR Conland, who pro-
nounced it a clear case of suicide.
Selectman W. II. Vinton was then
placed in charge Among the dead
mans effects were three Savings bank
books. showing S675 in the Vermont
Savings bank, s79O in the Brattleboro
and $3.50 in the Franklin at Green
field. There was also s.. 60 in change
and a gold watch, which he bequeathed
to Geiger John L. Roess has been
appointed administrator of his estate.
The funeral was held Monday at l.. 30
D. M. from Bonds undertaking
rooms. Rev. r. X. Marvin officiating
and the bearers were II. II. Rohde,
Antoine Geiger, Jacob Kempf and
Charles Ebinghausen. The burial was
in MorningSide cemetery.
Schroeder, who so far as known has
neither family nor relatives IN this
country. came here from Bartensteln,
East Prussia, some l3 years ago. lie
worked several years as farm hand
and gardener in Vernon, for }. o.
Frost. Alonzo Stebbins and others,
and for four seasons for L. ID. Thayer
and also on +. b. Barrows' coal team
here. For the past two years he had
been in the employ of F. L. Dickinson
and left there only about three weeks
ago in temper at mild and casual re-
proof from the foreman for leaving
meal before calves. This and some
other circumstances indicate that he
had been "off" mentally for the last
few weeks. He was an industrious,
honest and faithful man. and ordlnar-
ilv temperate. though ne had spells OF
drinking. though seldom if at all to
but with a peculiarly
hiph strung nervous temperament,
even moderate drinking, IN which he
was known to have INDUCED lately, to-
gether with his idleness and sense of
may have contributed to
him. So far as known the
only relatives he leaves are two sisters,
one married and the other single and
an invalid from a shock, to whom he
wished his money to go, at Bartensteln.