St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1908-01-01
Crime Caledonia County Many YearsThe
Brave Attack of Sheriff Winch and the Rest of
the Posse Sunday Morning.

A double tragedy was enacted Satur
day night and Sunday morning Sutton
when Edward Butterfeld killed his
mother-in-law, Mrs. Lydia Ann Berry
Durkee, aged 10, and about II hours
later committed suicide rather than face
capture at the hands of a posse Of officers
who had guarded the house all night.
The Butterheld house and the home OF
George s. Wheeler, nearly opposite, are
located on lonely road three miles from
the railroad station at South Barton
and are the first houses on the road that
climbs the mountain from that station.
Willoughby Lake is just over the ridge
and the scenery is more like the Bad
Lands of Dakota than the green hills of
Vermont. In this desolate region MIR.
Butterheld had lived 20 years, got a
little subsistence out of a As acre farm
and trapped and hunted the rest OF the
time. He was a crack shot on any
occasion and this fact tended to prolong
his life as our story will show. Here he
lived with his family which consisted of
a wife, her mother, Mrs. Durkee, three
boys, Edward, Frank and Arthur aged
%, 10 and Is respectively and the little
girl, Henri. aged II. He had recently
completed small cottage, moving into
it from log house which had been his
home for so many years and which is
still standing nearly opposite the Wheeler
house.
On the day before Christmas he went
to South Barton and returned with a
quart of alcohol and after diluting this
he drank it all before he ended his own
life. He had been drinking freely Satur-
day and though he had acted queer when
not under the influence Of liquor, the
quart of alcohol rendered him crazy
drunk and in condition to commit any
crime. From what he told Mr. Wheeler
after the murder was committed, it is
evident he intended to kill everybody in
the house for he made some hieroglyphcs
on the wall which he said was a message
from the Almighty that he would have
seat on His right hand if he killed his
mother-in-law.
The family were all present at supper
except Edward. and after supper Mrs.
Butterheld sat down to her desk to write
letter to her brother The grandmother
sat down in her rocking chair and little
Henri went and sat in her lap. Frank
and Arthur remained in the dining room.
The father came from the dining room
into the sitting room adjoining and was
greatly angered because his wife was
writing letter. He snatched the letter
from her, tore it up and also tore up a
lot of postal cards and other papers on
her desk Mrs. Butterheld then started
to write another letter and he attempted
to read that, but after little parleying
went into the dining room and mixed
up another drink and started to sing
song. Then without any warning he
seized his Spencer Magazine rifle and
advanced from the rear towards Mrs.
Durkee, She turned her face towards
him and received the bullet the over
the right eye, the ball passing through
her head and through two outside doors
into the yard. Little Henri sprang out
of her grandmother's lap and ran to Mr..
Wheeler's house and bursting open the
door said "My papa has killed nv
grandma. don't know how l got here. -
In the meantime there was more
trouble at the Butterfeld house for the
murderer then attempted to shoot his
wife and would have succeeded if the
boys had not interfered. Arthur lifted
the rifle out of range of his mothers heaC
and Frank attempted to overpower hi.
father Just as his brother Edward anC
his companion, Harvey Robbins, cam
in the house Butterheld struck his wifi
vicious blow on the head before h
was dlsarmed and then everybody bu
the murderer fled from the house to tn
Wheeler place. Butter6eld then proceede,
to arrange things for siege and sue
ceeded splendidly for he had a who'll
arsenal at his command. He had fv
magazine rifles, two shot guns, tw,
revolvers, all loaded to their ulles
capacity, nearly 500 rounds Of amurn
ton and two knives for use At Clos
range if necessary. These were all foun
afterwards conveniently arranged abou
the house, except one revolver which M,
Hartman found by the front door II
had also arranged all the lamps in N
front rooms, leaving the bedroom do =
from which place he evidently burmese,
to stay and direct the firing when III
otheers made their attack He had ale,
locked the doors and windows an,
allowed the kitchen fire to 90 out II
went up to the Wheeler house three time