St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1909-09-29
DOUBLE TRAGEDY IN
DANVILLE.
ABEL HARTSHORN SHOT AND
KILLED MRS. F. ]. FRYE
AND THEN HIMSELF.
Ray Taylor to Rescue.

W SdfC. MO IIJCs-MuluSiSl AOUh
Strychnine Before Shooting Himself.
Illicit Love Affair the Cause of the
Tragedy.-FuneralS of the Victims.
Caledonia county still maintains it's
unenviable reputation as the home of
murderers and within month after the
double tragedy at Walden, double
shooting occurred in the adjacent town
of Danville, when on Friday morning
Abel Hartshorn killed Mrs. Fred J. Frye
and then turned his gun on himself with
equally true aim and results. To
those who read between the lines the
motive is laid bare by the announcement
that a years intimacy between the
principals had eliminated within week
by Mr.. Frye bringing suit against Hart
shorn for $4,000 for alienation of his
wife's affections.
About $50 Friday morning Mrs. Frye
was engaged about her usual work in
the house. Her daughter, Luella, aged
10, had gone to school, and Mr.. Frye
was at the blacksmith shop. With her
in the house were Esther, aged two, and
Ray Taylor, Is year old boy, who has
been doing chores about the house dur
ing the summer. A step was heard at
the kitchen door and Mrs. Frye came
from the sitting room to investigate. On
seeing Hartshorn in the room with a
revolver in his hands she turned back
and reached tor her own revolver on the
mantle piece and returned to the
kitchen. Hartshorn brutally ordered
the Taylor boy to leave the house but
the spunky lad refused to go and Hart
shorn Immediately opened fire on the
woman sending bullet through the left
side of her neck, below the base of the
skull which went through and shattered
the right jaw. She responded with a
shot, but it went wild and smashed a
mirror on the side board and then she
fell to the floor, dropping the gun.
Young Taylor Immediately got posses
sion Oft and Mrs. Frye told him to
shoot, an order which he obeyed at once.
Hartshorn fred one more shot while the
woman was prostrate, which went in
above the left temple and Travelled down,
lodging behind the eye. 1t was this shot
which caused death.
In the meantime the bov was doing
good work in defense of his home and
the people who had befriended him. He
| fired three times, one of the shots grazing
Hartshorn's cheek, another blowing a
furrow across the top of his head. and
the third crashing through his left arm
and lodging in his body. Ray then pick
ed up the baby and carried her in safety
to Mrs. Henry Pages, from which place
he notified DR.. c. E. Libbey, the health
officer, of the trouble.
Hartshorn followed the boy from the
house and climbed stone wall directly
across the road from the house, where
! he lay down, took a liberal dose from a
| package marked 'strychnine," evidently
written by layman, and then fired the
shot which ended his own life The
bullet went into his lett temple and
passed through his head, fracturing the
right temple, and thus again murdereI
had by his own hand saved the state
the trouble and expense OF long trial.
Hartshorn was 81 years old and life
long resident of Danville. He was a
! well-to-do farmer and prominent breed
er of horses. His victim was formerly
Kate Bonnette of Waterford, a sister O
the aeronaut and Hartshorn's atten,
tions to the woman had been matter
of common talk for over year.
short time ago Mr.. Frye interested
himself in the affair and induced his wife
to break off her relations with Harts-
horn and return his presents. This turn
of affairs evidently angered him and on
Sunday preceding the tragedy he called
at the Frye home to talk things over
1t is claimed by some that at this meet
ing he tried to induce Mrs. Frye to re-
sumo their former intimacy aud leave
town with him. Another story has il
that his errand was to try and forestal
the suit which he had reason to believe
was to be brought against him. Agar
on Monday he was seen in the neighbor
hood of the house, where he was blazing
away with a revolver. Notwithstand
ing that she was thoroughly frightened
at his threats to kill her on Sunday anc
his actions the next day Mrs. Frye re
mained firm in her purpose to have nc
more to do with the man and on Wednes
day the suit for alienation was brought
Her husband also anticipated trouble
around home from Sunday until Friday
and even then left Taylor at the hous'
with instructions to look after things.
While his work of last Friday suggest,
an unbalanced mind, the crime wa
premeditated and planned with unusua
cunning. A piece of millet, which
according to neighbors would TAX
about ten minutes to now had beer
purposely lett directly in front of tn
Frye house where the farms join. H
had spent the entire morning moving
this small patch and had seen both Fry
and his daughter leave the house. Ex
pecting no trouble from Mrs. Frye or tn
youth with her he then made tor tn
home to begin his gruesome work
Even the means of ending his own lif
had been provided in the powdere,
strychnine His plans were nterfere'
with by Taylor however and the sho
which ended his own life was fred atte
he realized that the shot in his bod
would bring death by bleeding eve
before the poison could work
DR.. Libbey notified Selectman Dram H
Stevens, Sheriff George F. Winch an
Rolf Searles, acting for the state
attorney, of the affair. Sheriff Winch a
once started for the scene in his automc
bile and Searles and Deputy Sheriff Ere
s. Hartman went from here by team
When the officials arrived there wa