Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1904-02-26
COAL GAS KILLED TWO
Former BrattIeboro Girl Had a
Very Narrow Escape

/ Her Husband and Maid Servant Per-
ished-Married only Two Years Ago to
Mlllianalre's Son.
Joseph H. Garfield 80, died Thursday
while in bed at his home in Bridgeport
/ Conn, and a few minutes after his fate
was discovered the body of Linda Ander
sen, a servant, was also found in a
room directly above that occupied by Mr.
and Mrs. Garfield. Mrs. Garfield gave
the alarm, but when assistance arrived
she WAS incohcrcrt and hysterical.
Mr.. Garfield was the son Of II. o. Can
/ field, the millionaire rubber manufac-
turer in Bridgeport ANA was superin-
tendent of his fathers factory. lie WAS
prominent in the most exclusive circles
in bridgeport, and two years ago sur
prscd some of his friends by marrying
Miss Mae Katherine O'Donnen AN cm-
ployc i'm the factory. Miss O'Donnoll
went from l}rattloburO only "a few years
ago. She lived here with her mother ON
Williams street and was the youngest
of "A family of four children. The family
home bad been in this town and Guilford
many years. Her youngest brother,
Frank O'Donnell, is well remembered as
| an athlete, particularly as end rush ON
/ the Bratteboro foot bah team. Mrs.
/ Garfield is a very prepossessing young
/ woman.
All bridgeport was greatly shocked by
the story of the tragedy, and five physi
clans viewed the bodies and afterwards
! autopses were performed. but the YER
dict was unanimous that both Mr.. Can
| field and the servant died from asphyx-
iation, coal gas escaping from defective
/ furnace into the rooms of the house.
After thor marriage Mr.. and Mrs. Can
field fitted up handsome home at $40
/ Colorado avenue, in one of the best res
idential sections of the city. Mr.. Cam
/ fields parents have been i'm South Car
DINA during the winter ana "A short time
ago the son wont to visit them. and also
to Florida for hunting trip. His wife
had been suffering from nnammatory
rheumatism, and therefore did not ac-
company hir' on the trip, but. during his
absetcc visited few days in Brattleboro
ana then with her brother. Frank
in New York city Mr.. Canfeds letter
announcing his intention to return home
miscarricd and when he reached Bridge
port Wednesday he found the home empty
save for the servant He went to New
York ana Mrs. Garfield returned with
him. They arrived i'm Bridgeport shortly
after midnight Thursday morning. Neigh
bors heard their homecoming and lights
We're seen i'm tn" house for "A short time
The next day tradesu en- called at the
/ house and their telephone was rung sev-
eral times, but no sign of life was seen
about the place
1t was Thursday night. % hours after
they returned that Mrs. Garfield gave
the alarm. She says that on their ar
/ rival nome the servant had a fire burn
/ ing in the furnace and put into the fur
mace a fresh supply Of coal before going
/ to bed. Owing to her i'll health Mrs
/ Garfield explained that she and her hus-
band occupied separate rooms. although
they were adjoining. and the door was
/ open between them The servants room
was directly above that occupied 10y Mr.
] Garfield. and one OF the hot air pipes
/ leading up from the furnace opens 10y
means of registers into the two sleeping
4 rooms. Mrs. Garfield said that during
/ the night her husband aroused her, COM
/ planned of the cold and said he would
! sleep with her. All day Thursday prob
| ably. the gaseous fumes poured from
| the furnace into the sleeping rooms Mrs
| Garfield says that when she awoke there
seemed to be a great weight upon her
! head. and she was Mortified to find her
| husband lying cold by her side She was
! unable to scream. but little by little
| crawled to the side of the bed and fell to
/ the floor. The shock aroused her suffici-
emily SO that she could use the telephone,
| and she called her husbands brother AL
/ bert, and also asked assistance of Mr..
/ AMI Mrs. NJ. b. Hammond near neigh
/ hors. Then she stumbled down the front
stairs. opened the front door and scream m
/ Cd Police Murder three or four times
When Mr. and Mrs. Hammond arrived
she was sitting on the stairs in a state
Of absolute deirum, shaking with cold
and ntrVousn"ss In her hysteria she
had torn her uChtrobe into shreds She
threw her arms about Mrs. Hammond's
/ ! eek. weeping like baby and exclaimed
Joe is dead and all cold | found him SO
when | woke up" She was in a state
of complete collapse for hours. and had
tn no f1t..
trained nurses. She was taken as soon
as possible to the house of her husbands
brother Doctors We're summoned and
also police officials. 1t was evident that
the house was filled with gas. but the
case seemed somewhat peculiar owing to
the fact that Mr.. Garfield who was six
feet and one inch tall, and was a fine
specimen physically had died, while his
wife. who is somewhat frail. and who
mad been suffering from the effects of
rheumatism for months. had survived.
lamp was burning in the room oc-
cupied hv the servant, and Mr.. Gaylord
one of the aldermen Of the city. who lives
directly across the street thought he saw
a light moving around in the house when
he went home Thursday evening.
The tragedy was told in sensational
| form in the New York papers but COM
plete investigation showed that both
deaths We're purely accidental Mr. Can
fields brother, on being interviewd. stated
that Mr.. and Mrs Garfield had had some
MISUNDERSTANDING, but no more than is
ordinarily the case. They were fond of
each other. and he spoke of his sister-in-
law as having n very sweet disposition
After the marriage two years ago the
bride was received on terms of intimacy
by all the members OF the Garfield fam
lily. The Swedish servant was about 90
years old. and came to this country only
seven months ago.