The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-05-19
Son Blows His
 Sire's Head Off
Wealthy Greenwich Farmer Commanded Lad Twice to do
 it, and He Obeyed
DIDN'T THINK IT LOADED
Father Declared He Simply Wanted
 to Hear How the Trigger Worked.

Greenwich, May 19-Fred Husted. a ing in the northern part of Greenwich, where many New York men have large estates, committed suicide on Wednesday afternoon by persuading his 12 year old son to pull the trigger of shotgun while the father looked into the barrel.
 Husted owned a farm of eighty acres opposite the estate of Mrs. George E.. Nichols of New York and it is said he had lately refused an offer of ESQ., 900 for the place. He devoted his whole time to his farm, and had re- gently paid off a mortgage, leaving the place free of debt. He had fam fly of five children, the youngest babe, the oldest Lester, a boy of F. Last Winter Husted had an attack of the grip and his act of Wednesday has been attributed by some to the fact that he never recovered from the disease. Others believe that he was impressed by a dream from which he had just awakened and that he com mitted the deed while in dazed state Of mind He awoke about o'clock and told his wife that he felt queer and had been dreaming. He told her to go to the home of a neigh bor Charles Young, and see if Young would take some eggs to the Green wich market. Mrs Husted refused at first to go, saying that he did not look we'll, but he insisted that he was all right, and she left. him with Lester, who was in the garden. The baby was asleep and the other three children were at school.
 Soon after Mrs. Husted left the house the father called out to Lester, according to the boys story, and ask ed him if he had seen a hawk fly over the chicken yard. The boy said he had not. and the father answered:
 'He was after some chickens, and I guess I will get him.
 He called the boy to the kitchen, and picking up a double-barreled shotgun which he always kept loaded in corner of the room, he laid it on the kitchen table and told the boy to pull the trigger as he wanted to see how it sounded.
 The man knelt on the floor on the opposite side of the table, closed one eye and with the other looked direct ly into the muzzle of the gun. which was only four inches away. The boy hesitated and his father said:
 ''It isn't loaded
 The boy snapped the trigger, but let it go easily, holding it with his thumb and the piece did not explode. His father took the gun from the table, cooked it again, and laid it back in the same position while he got on his knees and again looked into the bar rel
 'It is not loaded; pull the trigger and see Show it sounds he again told the boy Lester says he then did so, and his father dropped dead, the left side of his head being blown off.
 Mortified, the lad rushed to his nearest neighbor, Daniel Ryan, and told him that he had killed his fath- CT. The man did not believe him and it was with great difficulty that Ryan was prevailed upon to go with the boy to the house.
 Word was sent to Mrs. Husted, who returned to the house, accompanied by Miss Young and her brother, Dr.. Clarke, Medical Examiner for the Cor oner, was called. but Husted's death had been instantaneous.
 The verdict of the Coroner was sui eide The lad, when seen, hardly real ized what had happened. He said his father had never acted strangely and if he had not assured him twice that the gun was not loaded he would not have pulled the trigger.