The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1907-12-30
CRAZED MAN
A MURDERER
And After Resisting Arrest,
Shot Himself
TRAGEDY WAS Al SUTTON
Edward Butter6eld Shot Aged Mother.
in-Iaw Saturday Night and When
Posse Closed In on Him, lie
Committed Suicide.

Sutton, Dec. So Andrew r. Butter
field, who SAturiay night shot and kille
hs mother.ln.lnw, Mrs. Ly,iia A. Dur,
kee, attempted 10 KIN his wife and chill.
dan, anil then held three deputy saer'
iiIs a. hay through the night from bi.
harSnacd loiise. ended his own life
carly yesterday by blowing the top oi
his lissd Of witi a rifle.
Buiierfeld Killed himself just a. Ssscr.
IN q. r Winch. States Attorney Guy W
1911 aud four deputy sherilia were about
10 force thcir way into the house. de-.
spite his threats that be would .taos
TIE hfet oDc that came within range of
bis rifle.
While they were preparing for the
attack the officers heard two shots.
When they broke down the door they
found Mrs. Durkee dead in the chair
where she was shot Saturday night,
while in anothcr room, lying on a bed,
was Bnttcr6cld, rife IN hand, With a
wound In his head.
The house was a regular arsenal, and
showed that Buttcrfield was prepared
for q long resistance. There were rifles.
shoigtnis, revolyrs and knives and a
grcat amount Of ammunition. lie had
converted the house into a miniature
fort. Every door was harricadti. a.
were all the windows on the iirst floor.
The Butterfcld home Is located ncir
Willoughby lake. one Of the widest Sec
tions OF mountain country In this section
Of the state, although IN talc summer
time Il j. a iavorite resort for icskltx
mon and camping parties.
According 70 the members of Butter
fields family. he had been drinking heav-
ily since Christmas. Saturday night
without an instaw's 5 warning. be walked
into the room where the family, con.
sisting OF his mother. .in-law. his wife.
little daughter and three sons, was as
semblczi, and shot Mrs Dtmkee. who held
his little eight year.old daughter in her
lap.
Butter8ed then tried to kill his wife.
hut was overpowered by his sons. his
wife and daughter fleeing ia the mean.
time. The suns also ran 70 the home Of
George +. Wheeler. the nearest neighbor,
and gave the alarm.
While they We're gone, BDtterheld bar-
ricased the house AMI collected his wea-
pons. Deputy SherifTs T. b. SInith and
y. ]. Washburn Of West Burke and IL.
ID. Chapman OF Sutton we're the first to
arrive at the house. They were warned
by Butteriield to keep away. They stood
on guard about the house throughout
the night, and early yesterday they were
Joined by Sheriff Winch, states Attor.
ney Hill and Deputy +. +. Hartman.
When reinfooements arrived, Butter
field was again ordered to surrender.
He refused and repeated his threats to
shoot.
About s o'clock Sheriff Winch ordered
the pose to advance to the house, the
sheriff leading the way. He was fol
lowed BY Col. Ruiter, Mr. Calkins and
the deputies
As Mr.. Winch broke in the door, Col
Ruiter saw the dead man In bed, and
the anxiety OF the deputies was over
Butterleld had shot himself twice, the
first bullet entering Just below the left
temple, and the other passing through
the same temple.
Butterfeld would have been 90 years
old in February, ard Mrs. Durkee was
90 wears old. The fanily viii be cared
for fr the present at Mr. Wiheelcr's
house.