The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-10-11

that earlier in the week Mr.. Nichols |
and Wrisley repaired some fence on |
the premises Mr. Fisher told the Of
ficer that on Thursday forenoon he saw
two men whom he took to be Mr.. Mich |
OILS and Wrisley picking apples lie
said that about 2.30 O'Clock that al
ternoon he and his wife and hired girl
saw two men running as fast as they
could 90 down the road through the
meadow, going toward the south. He
took them to be Mr.. Nichols and
Wrisley. He SAYS that after running
a few rods the man behind appeared
to strike the other on the head and
the man in front fell. He says they
seemed to struggle on the ground, and
he thought they were foolng. After
/ while he saw a man run toward the
house and later 90 westward IN an
other direction toward the woods. Half
an hour later he heard two reports
| from the firing of a gun, the sound
coming from the direction IN which the
man went, but thought nothing of il
/ in particular.
| After returning home from church
| that night and remembering that Mr.
and Mrs Nichols were not at church.
he recalled the incidents of the day
and told his wife that he was going
down next day to see if there was any
trouble Then came reports of the find
| ing of the body.
In searching the house last night
Sheriff Mann found everything in per
| feet order except that Wrisley' bed
was mussed All the other beds were
made up smooth. So far as anybody
knew the only article missing was one
gun. All of Mrs. Nichols 5 best cloth
ing was in the house, also her gold
beads and her jewelry and trinlets.
All these things gave the case a pc
Eculiar aspect If Mrs. Nichols intend
ed to run away with Wrisley why
should she 90 in her everyday clothes
was the question that the sheriff asked
himself Why shouldn t she take her
best clothing and trinkets2 If she did
not 90 until late in the afternoon
why should Wrisley : bed be torn open
and all the other homework be done?
+ Unable to answer the questions sat
tisfactorilY, the officer began to be con
WINGED that Mrs. Nichols was not an
accessory in the murder of her hus
band and a suspicion took possession
of him that somebody had killed Mrs.
Nichols and had returned to the house,
occupied the bed until a favorable
hour and then left with the horse and
lexpress wagon. The disappearance of
the gun only made the conviction
stronger.
On the other hand, was there any
ground for thinking that the couple
had gone away together? Mrs. Nichols,
the mother of the victim, was asked
if there was any uuwarantcd atten-
ton between the couple She replied
that Wrisley had the appearance of
thinking a great deal of her son I
wife. but she did not think her dau@h-
J teT-in-laW cared especially for Wrisley
! except that the young woman knew hC
had no home and sometimes talked
: with him about leaving off drinking
. and making a man of himself. She said
: Wrisley always was penitent and crieo
g. after his drinking spells. 1t is stated
: that the elder Mr.. Nichols while living
: with his son was not pleased with tn,
. attention shown his son 5 wife by
! Wrsley.
i Up to a short time ago the elder Mr.
n and Mrs. Nichols lived with their sor
and wife and WrisIey. The son wa.
: born in the town Of Halifax, but al
ways lived with his parents, most Of
. his life being spent in las late home
=. which formerly was the Dexter Bon,
! place Wrisley came there to work il
: the last sugaring season. Last Fcbruar,
> Mr. and Mrs Nichols sold the place
- which consisted of two farms, partl
+, in GuiIford aud partly in Halifax. t.
- their son. Walter They had an auction
W, in May. but decided not to move unit
! after having. Several weeks ago the
n went on a visit to their daughter i
Greenfield and with relatives am
O. friends in other places, returning tn
:. latter part of September They move
! to the Eastwood house. three and
IL 4 II. To-.
n load of goods going Monday, Oct. 6.
- Erying Wrisley, whose body wa
- found this morning would hay
;, been 80 years old next July. He WA
h of rowing nature and had no parti,
-, ular home. and was addicted 70 the HIS
4 of liquor Several times he had bee
- under arrest for intoXication, twice {
II least in Brattlcboro. His wife, Jossi
b. who secured Il divorce from him,
" now married and lives in Cropsey, II
~ She is daughter of Joseph Martin
-, West Brattleboro. On one occasion J
y, was arrested for INVESTIGATION at Ma
- tin 5 house by Policeman Ellis
I Worden and gave vent to his feeling
IA by smashing the stove with an Ak
~ On another occasion he resisted ARE
~ by Ernest S. Hall, who was then chi
"a of police Two weeks ago, when he 4
~ not return home, Mr.. Nichols callt
-nr Chief of Police George Wilson by tel
- phone to know if Wrisley was detail
,ss ed in the lookup here. He former
IF was member of Company l, the Bra
tleboro military company, First We
ia mont regiment and went with the re
,b+ iment to Chic kamauga at the time
go the Spanish-American war.
Walter Herbert Nichols. 81 the mi
,,+ dered man, was the youngest child
the MI anu NIS. ilStEei' L. 1(ieI ,1l d
~, always lived at home, coming to w,
10 Gulford when a child. He was not
tho member of any organization, but W
! an active worker in the West Guilfc
If Baptist church and Christian Endeal
tho society He was respected throught
the the community, being young man