Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1908-01-02
pousLe TRAGEDY IN SUTTON.
ink-Craxed, Edward 6utterfieId Kills
Mother-in-law, then Himself.

Drink-Ctozeo,e EDWARD 0ouerTooIo NtUs
Mother-in-Iaw, then Himself.
High on the rocky hills of Sutton, only
two miles from the placid waters of Lake
Willougbby, double tragedy was COM
mitted Saturday night and Sunday morn
ing when Edward Butterield, aged SO,
deliberately killed his mother-in-law,
Mrs. Lydia Ann Berry Durkee, aged 20,
and later killed himself with the same
rifle rather than face capture.
Butterfield had been acting queerly for
some time and quart of alcohol, which
he had consumed since Christmas, had so
deranged his already weakened brain that
it is evident he intended to kill every
body in the house. After he had COM
mitted the awful deed and before the
officers arrived, he discussed the matter
freely with his only neighbor, George s..
Wheeler, and told him he had an admoni-
ton from the Almighty that he would be
rewarded with seat at Gods right hand
if he killed his mother-in-law.
The family consisted of the husband,
wife, the mother-in-law and four chill
dren, Edward, Frank and Arthur, aged
%, 10 and IS, and the daughter, Henri,
aged IL. All were present at the supper
except Edward and at seven O'Clock the
father came from the dining room into
the sitting room, where his wife was
writing at her desk and the grandmother
was in an adjacent rocking chair with
little Henri in her lap.
The father was very angry because his
wife was writing to her brother and tore
up the unfinished letter and other papers
on her desk. After taking another drink
of alcohol and singing a song, without
any warning he seized a Winchester re-
peating rife and shot Mrs. Durkee in the
face, the gun being so close that her face
was horribly blackened by the powder.
The ball passed through her right eye
and two doors into the yard. 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.
After instantly killing Mrs. Durkee,
Butterfield aimed his rife at his wife's
head, but his son, Arthur, quickly
raised the barrel just as his two brothers,
Frank and Edward, came in. Tie three
boys, assisted by their companion, Har-
vey Robbins, threw Butterfield down, but
not before he had struck his wife vi
cious blow on the head.
The family fled from the house in ter
=
he rugged up an arsenal consisting of two
Winchester repeating rifles, two shot
guns, two revolvers, all loaded to their
fullest capacity, and two dirk knives.
Edward ran nearly three miles to the
nearest telephone at South Barton to noti-
fy the Sutton authorities and it was IL
O'Clock before Deputy Sheriff Chap
man and two assistants arrived. In
the meantime, Butterfield had been up to
Wheeler's house three times hunting for
his wife and told Wheeler he would kill
anybody and everybody who attempted to
arrest him.
A 80 Sunday morning with three deputies
and States Attorney Guy w. Hill and
Deputy Sheriff Hartman, both of st.
Johnsbury, reached there at 6 O'Clock.
Sheriff Winch took command and at s
O'Clock led the posse to the house where
it was supposed the murderer was stand
ing guard. Sheriff Winch broke the
door down with an axe and Col. Charles
w. Ruiter of st. Johnsbury was the first
to find the man, with his head nearly
blown off, hidden under the bedclothes
and tightly clasping his rifle. He had shot
himself twice, once near the eye and the
second time through the left temple.
The body was still warm and he had
been dead less than an hour. The body
of Mrs. Durkee was upright in the rock
ing chair with a clotted pool of blood be-
meath, and the whole scene was the most
CHASTITY ever witnessed by any one pres
ent.