The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1909-04-15
HANGS HIMSELF.
Would Have Been Taken to Water
bury Insane Hospital, But He Es-
caped from His Keepers.

street, had hung himself was sur
prise to many in this city Thursday
afternoon, but to some it was not
wholly unexpected, as he has been
known to be somewhat insane for
the past few weeks. Wilmer A. Lee
land. who lives on the Leland farm
on the Mortified road about a mile
from this citp, telephoned in to the
police station at about AIS o'clock,
stating that he had just found
dead man hanging by chain in his
barn and asked that the proper au-
thorities come and take the body
away. Chief Durkee, Mayor Daw-
ley and Drs. Grimes and Lindsay
went Immediately to the scene and
found Mr.. Brown, who had been
dead for some little time.
He was hanging by trace chain
and was almost in sitting position
on the floor of the runway from the
cowstable the chain was one with
a hook at one end and ring at
the other, and Mr.. Brown had put
the hook through the ring and
drawn it tight around his neck, then
climbing UP on the side of the
building and throwing the other end
over a beam which runs across the
shed, fastened it by putting the hook
through one of the links of the
oha; ot; la hod
evidently leaned straight back
against the chain, for his body had
sunk down almost to level with
the floor. There was no doubt what
ever of his death when Mr.. Leland
telephoned to this city, and when
the officers arrived, they immediate
ly took the body down and placed
it in the Volholm ambulance, which
had been summoned in the mean
time
The shed in which the suicide was
committed is a sort of protection to
the cows as they come down from
the constable into the barn yard
NhSA bhO holCl llOuSh 10 olludICu
and the floor is on an incline. The
discovery of the body occurred when
Mr.. Leland attempted to turn his
COWS down in the barn yard, but the
animals refused to go forward, be-
coming frightened at the body
swinging in front of them, and when
Mr.. Leland went to investigate the
cause of the blockade, he discover
ed the lifeless body of Mr.. Brown
hanging in the doorway.
No one had seen Mr.. Brown enter
the barn and in fact he had not been
noticed in the vicinity of the place
tha> day, but several persons saw
him walking up Mortified street
early in the afternoon. In order to
get into the shed where he COM
mitted the deed. it would be neces-
sary for him to enter the large
doors of the barn and go through
the COW stable, where he picked UP
the chain, which was hanging on the
wall.
Mr. Brown had been somewhat
insane for some time and papers
were made out yesterday morning
by States Attorney Gates for his re-
moval to the Waterbury Hospital
for the Insane, where he was to
have been placed under observation,
with a view to curing him of the
drink habit, to which he was ad-
dicted. He was subject to delusions
Of peculiar nature, thinking that
members of his family were treat
ing him with electricity, and for
several days had been telling per-
sons that he met on the street that
his wife had been burning his face
and hands with electricity. Thurs
day morning he entered the Montpe-
ler Savings Bank and Trust COM
pany's building and explained his
troubles to several of the employees
there. He explained to States At
torney Gates in his Office that there
was hole in the ceiling where a
bolt of electricity had come down
toward him, and this fact, together
with several other indications of his
insanity, led to the measures which
were taken for his removal to Wa
terbury, John McAvoy and Dwight
Mason had him in charge Thursday
but in some way he escaDed them
about noon and was not seen by
them again until he was found dead
at the Leland farm.
Mr.. Brown was peculiar in many
ways and lately had kept two loaded
revolvers and several knives on a
small table at the head of his bed
at his home, but never has caused
any trouble by his threatening to do
damage with them. He also built
himself coffin, which is now in his