The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1909-07-29
COMMITS MURDER, ATTEMPTS
SUICIDE,
James Mikeles of Barre Shoots Mrs.
Mascot Through the Heart, Then
Turns Weapon Upon Himself.


what is thought to have been an
Impulse from a demented mind,
James Mikeles, Greek lad 16 years
of age, shot and killed Mrs. G. G.
Mascot, of this city, Sunday after
noon, at about 430 o'clock, then
turned the revolver upon himself
and attempted suicide, putting
bullet through his temple. The lat
ter wound did not prove fatal, and
the young man is still in the City
Hospital, where an operation was
performed Immediately after the
shooting, but it is not known wheth-
er or not he will survive.
The deed was done in the rooms
occupied by Mr.. and Mrs. Mascot
on the third floor of the Eastman
block, on the first floor of which
Mr.. Mascot has a candy kitch-
en- and ice cream parlor. Mikeles,
by the way has for the past four
years been employed as a clerk in
the store together with his brother
john and has made his home with
his employer, always having APP
peared to be a sober, Industrious
sort of fellow. No explanation
can be given for his action except
that he was jealous Of Mrs. Mas
colt and in his diseased mind, con-
ceived the idea of the crime which
he committed with such fatal re-
suits.
The murdered woman was for
merly Miss Alice Maud Kelley, of
Burlington, and was the daughter
of Mrs. Sarah Kelley, who survives
her, together with three brothers,
james, John and Theodore, and two
sisters, Mabel and Mrs. Josephine
Tobin, all of Burlington. She was
20 years old and was married Janu-
two children, George, aged years,
and Vedora, aged year. Mrs. Mas
colt was well known in Barre and
was highly esteemed by her friends
and acquaintance, being a member
of the Church of the Good Sheperd,
also belonging to the New England
Order of Protection, and the Red
Star lodge of Rebekahs, which she
joined two weeks ago. She was a
handsome woman and presented a
striking appearance, one that would
attract attention in public on ac-
count of her beauty.
There were no eye witnesses to
the shooting as Mr.. Mascot had
gone for walk, although Mrs.
Maggie Woolhouse, professional
nurse, who lives just across the
hall from the rooms occupied by
Mr.. and Mrs. Mascot, talked with
the dead woman only moment be-
fore the deed was committed. She
and Mrs. Mascot conversed for
few moments in the hall, concern
ing picnic which they intended to
participate in later in the week, af-
ter which both returned to their
rooms, Mrs. Mascot entering her
kitchen, which opens into the COR
rider. They noticed Mikeles stand
ing in the hall, facing down the
corridor, but when the two women
separated, he followed Mrs. Mas
colt into her rooms, shutting the
door behind him. Mrs. Woolhouse
Immediately heard conversation
between the two, but thought no.
thing of the matter until she heard
a woman's screams, followed in
stantly by three revolver shots, fir
ed in rapid succession. Even then
she did not realize that the shots
had been fired in the Eastman
block, but thought that someone
was shooting outside and went in
to ask Mrs. Mascot If she had
heard the noise. On entering the
kitchen, she saw the two bodies ly-
ing on the floor, and ran screaming
down the hall, arousing the other
occupants of the block, who came to
the scene at once. They found the
body of Mrs. Mascot lying near the
window, while that of Mikeles was
in the middle of the floor, while no
revolver could be seen, although
this was discovered later under the
refrigerator, where it had fallen as
Mikeles dropped to the floor.
Ben Gilley, who lives on the Sec
ond floor of the block was the
first on the scene, while Chief of
Police Faulkner with Deputy Sheriff
Morris responded Immediately, they
in turn summoning Health Officer
M. d. Lamb, and DR.. NJ. l.. Chand-
Ter. They found that Mrs. Mascot
had been killed instantly, but Nike
les, who was found to be still
breathing, was taken to the hospi-
tai where an operation was per-