The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1907-12-30
DOUBLE TRAGEDY|N
LITTLE TOWN OF
SUTTON
Edward ButterfieId Shoots
Mother-in-Iaw and Self
WAS cRAzED BY ALCOHOL
Murderer Drove Family From House
and to Avoid Arrest Shot Himself
Through Head.

Sutton, Dec. 29.-High on the rocky
hills Of Sutton, only two miles from
the placid waters of Lake Willoughby,
a double tragedy was committed last
night and this morning when Edward
Butterfeld, aged SO. deliberately killed
his mother-in-law, Mrs. Lydia Ann Ber-
ry Durkee, aged 70, and at day break
this morning killed himself with the
same rifle rather than face capture
at the hands of posse of dozen Off
GERS who had been shadowing the
house since midnight
Butterfield had been acting queerly
for some time and quart of alcohol
| which he had consumed since Christ
mas, had SO deranged his already weak
ened brain that 1t is evident he intend
ed to kill everybody in the house. AT
ter he had committed the awful deed
and before the officers arrived, he dis
cussed the matter freely with his only
neighbor George s. Wheeler and told
him he had an admonition from the AL
mighty that he would be rewarded
| Will ocdt DIT HOu TIBUt manu- III lie
killed his mOther-in-law.
| The family which consisted of the
husband, wife, the mother-in-law and
four children, Edward, Frank, and Ar
thur, aged %, 19 and 1S, and the daugh
ter, Henri, aged II, were present at
the supper except Edward. At seven
o'clock the father came from the din.
ing room into the sitting room where
his wife was writing at her desk and
the grandmother vas in an adjacent
rocking chair with little Henri in her
lap.
| After taking another drink of alco
mol and singing a song, without any
warning he seized Winchester re
beating rifle and shot Mrs. Durkee in
the face. the gun being so close thai
her face was horribly blackened by
the powder. Little Henri slipped out
OF her grandmother's lap unframed
and ran to Mr.. Wheeler's house some
thirty rods away and bursting open the
door cried, Papa has shot Grandma.
i After instantly killing Mrs. Durket
Butterfield attempted to shoot his
wife but was prevented by his son:
who rushed into the room when the
first shot was fired.
The family fed from the house ii
: terror, leaving the murderer on guart
J and he rugged up an arsenal consist
ing OF two Winchester repeating rifle,
two shot guns, two revolvers, all load
ed to their fullest capacity, and TIVE
dirk knives.
Edward ran nearly three miles t
the nearest telephone at South Bar
ton to notify the Sutton authorities ant
1t was ii O'Clock before Deputy Sheriff
r Chapman and two assistants arrived
, In the meantime Butterfield had beer
, Iup to Wheeler's house three times hun
ing for his wife and told Wheeler h,
would kill anybody and everybody VIII,
attempted to arrest him.
Sheriff Winch of McIndoes arrive,
: at 4:30 this morning with a party O
deputies. Sheriff Winch took com
mand and at eight o'clock led the pos
: Sc to the house where it was suppose,
; the murderer was standing guard
Sheriff Winch broke the door dow
with an axe and found the man witt
his head nearly blown off. He ha
, shot himself twice, once near the ey
: and the second time through the lef
+ temple. The body was still warn
= and he had been dead less than al
hour The body of Mrs. Durkee wa
I, upright In the rocking chair with
. clotted pool Of blood beneath and tn
: whole scene was the most CHASTITY eve
: witnessed by anyone present.