The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-03-23
SUICIDE TO ESCAPE ARREST
charlemont Man Charged With Kill
ing a Deer.

North Audnoi MdICH q. Dc
cause he feared arrest and con-
viction for killing a deer out of sea
son. Patrick Sullivan of Charlemont,
a young man IS or 10 years of age,
who has been a state charge is be
lieved to have committed suicide by
drowning himself in the Deerheld
river
This belief is brought about by a
note which was found together with
the young mans coat and pipe, in
the woods about two and half miles
east of Hoosac Tunnel yesterday
morning. The find was made by
gang of workmen who were drawing
lumber and material for a new power
house
The note read.
ITO whom it may concern.
Please notify the game warden
when you find this | have stood all
| am going to stand about that deer
I shot. | am going to do way with
myself so don't look for me. You
won't find me when am in the
river.
Pat Sullivan.
Game Warden Nichols"
On March IS. a deer was shot near
Charlemont and Game Warden A. M.
Nichols of this city investigated the
case. He secured what he considered
positive evidence that Sullivan shot
the animal. Sullivan in the mean
time disappeared. A search was
made for him but he could not be
found Some of his friends said he
had gone to Michigan; others said
he had gone into Vermont and others
claimed they did not know where he
was.
Yesterday morning the note togeth'
er with the pipe and overcoat were
found about 20 feet from the river.
The note was written on a Western
Union telegraph blank and was
weighted down with a piece of iron,
Men who made the discovery say
that there were tracks leading tow
ard the river which is kept open by
the swift current. A considerable
quantity Of ice broke up in the river
yesterday and the probability is that
if the young man did jump into the
river; there is every probability that
he did, his body was ground to
pieces.
Sullivan had lived in the vicinity Of
Charlemont for some time He
worked for different farmers in Char
lemont, East Charlemont and Plain
field and had the reputation of act
ing rather queer, although he never
bothered anyone and was a good
worker. He was hunter and expert
woodsman and spent much of the
time in the woods with his gun. It
was when he was on one of these
trips that he is believed to have shot
the deer.
After working up the case against
him and finding that he had disap-
pear, Game Warden Nichols told
some of Sulllvan's friends in East
Charlemont to tell the boy If they
saw him, that the game warden
would do all in his power to have the
court deal leniently with him if he
would come back and give himself
up.
Sullivan has not been seen since
March 9 and nothing had been heard
from him until the note was found
The men who found ii are sure that
it was not there when they went up
with the last load yesterday and the
note itself which had been written
with lead pencil did not have the ap-
pearance Of having been out in the
snow for any length of time The
words were poorly spelled but the
writing was legible. The name Sui.
Ivan was written twice so that there
could be no mistake about IT,. The
name of Game Warden Nichols was
printed
The fact that the tracks led from
the coat to the bank of the river
and the fact that there we're no
tracks leading from the bank leads
all who know the facts in the case 70
believe that the young man carried
out the intention which he signided
in his note
An investigation will be made how
ever, before the note will be accepted
as proof positive Of his death.