The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-10-13
May Have Been Cause of the
Double Murder on Farm
of Walter Nichols
MIR. NICHOLS'S HAT
FOUND NEAR WIFE

bic May Have Started in Her Pres
ence Double Funeral This After
noon in Baptist Church.
Developments in the West GuilforI
murder case since the finding Of the
bodies Of Mrs Walter Nichols and her
slayer, Erving Wrisley. Saturday morn
ing, following the finding of the body
of Mr.. Nichols Friday afternoon with
his head crushed in with hammer at
the hands of Wrisley, leave the dou-
be murder and suicide shrounded in
deeper mystery than ever News comes
from West GUilfOrd today that Mr..
Nichols s hat was found in or near
the wagon with which the three left
the house TO pick apples in the orchard
10 the west and near which the BODY
Of Mrs. Nichols was found with pert
Of her head shot away. There were
hair and blood stains on the hat and
there was a hole in il which might
have been made with a hammer
As stated in The Reformer Satur-
day, Willard Fisher. who lives half a
mile northwest of the Nichols house.
I saw Mr.. Nichols and Wrislev running
across the moving Thursday afternoon
Y from the direction of a barn in the
orchard. 70 which barn it was supposed
the two men went after ladder and
where 1t has been supposed the trouble
started. He saw Mr.. Nichols fall to the
ground, where his body was discover
ed Friday by Rev. H. l. Kemp. pastor
Of the West Guilford Baptist church
Then he saw Wrisley disappear toward
the Nichols house and later return to
the locality where Mrs. Nichols 5 body
was found, carrying with him what
resembled a gun, and soon afterwards
two shots were fired.
1t has been thought that Mrs. Mich
ols knew nothing of the trouble he.
tween her husband and the hired man.
Wrisley, but the finding of the blood
stained hat near the spot where the
three were at work raises the question
as to whether the trouble might not
have been started right there in the
presence Of the woman and whether
Mr.. Nichols did not receive the first
blow before Mr. Fisher saw them run
ming
Ii also raises the question as to what
Mrs. Nichols was doing from the time
the trouble started until Wrisley re-
turned with the shotgun and why she
did not start to run away before Wris-
AGN Adiiit bdth L EISOnS " llO huEM nEA
state that she was subject to faintins
spells whenever anything unusual came
, up, so it may be that she tainted when
her husband was struck and did not
regain consciousness, being shot while
lying on the ground. There is a grow
ing belief that Wrisley did not oecupy
his bed that night, although it was the
only bed in the house that was not
made up. but that after killing Mrs
Nichols he ended his own life as soon
as he was able to fasten the shotgun
to the butt of small tree in the pas
; ture, where his body was discovered.
) New facts have come to light as Il
} the possible cause of the trouble. Mr.
7 and Mrs. Nichols spent the day in Elm
Grove, Mass. Wednesday. driving hum,
/ that night. 1t is now stated that o.
2 Wednesday night Mr.. Nichols t0l5
Wrisley that he should not need his
i, services any longer. The exact cause
of the trouble, however, probably vii
! remain forever as uncertain as the So
! quence of the tragic acts on the farm
west of the house. The money whici
! Mr. Nichols is supposed to have ha,
: either on his clothes or at the hOusi
u and which is estimated at from So
: to 5000 has not been found.
Rev. II. /. Kemp offered prayer n
the Nichols house at ! o clock this af
terno0n and the bodies were taken 4
the Baptist church, where a double fu
neral was held at > o'clock, Rev. Nh
Kemp officiating. There was a larg
attendance of relatives, neighbOrs an,
friends, and there were many beauti
full floral remembranees. The circun
= stances made the occasion one of uu
/. usual impressiveness. The burial vii
! take place this afternoon in the Yves
,. Brattleboro cemetery
The body of Wrislev, which wa
= brought Saturday afternoon to Mora
!, & Co 5 undertaking rooms in Brattle
= boro. has not been claimed. Moran
:, Co. are endeavoring to get in toHe
! with Wrisley's relatives in Bernard
I" ston Mass