The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-10-11
GU|LFORD FARMER
MURDERED WITH
A HAMMER
Walter Nichols Found Dead in
Field Near Home
HIRED MAN Is MISSING
Young Wife of the Murdered Man
Has Also MysterlousIy
Disappeared
HIRED MAN is MISSING

Bratteboro. Oct. 1l.-Walter Mic
hols, ~, who lived in West Guilford,
about nine miles from this village,
was found murdered in moving
lot about 100 rods from his home by
Rev. II. !. Kemp of Guilford yester-
day afternoon. His wife. Katharyn
Moore Nichols about 20 and Erwin
Wrisley about 80, hired man, are
missing. The bay horse weighing
1000 pounds and heavy express
wagon are also missing. Mrs. Mic
hols' best clothes and all of her
jewelry have been found at the Me
hols home. 1t is also thought that
Wrisley left his everyday clothes.
Last February Walter Nichols
bought his fathers farm in the
western part of Gulford bordering
on the Halifax line. The parents
made their home with the son eX-
cept when visiting until Monday
when they moved to the Eastwood
place about three miles away. They
left their son and his wife, TO whom
he had been married about two
years, and Erwin Wrisley who has
worked there since sugaring-off
time. The victim is the janitor of
the Baptist church of that communi-
ty and he was not at the Christian
endeavor meeting on Thursday eve
ming.
His absence stirred up little
curiosity among his friends and rel
atives of that section and they won
dered if he was ill., Mr.. and Mrs.
Homer Thomas, who are neighbors
went to the Nichols home yesterday
and found the kitchen door unlocked
although everything about the house
seemed natural. They returned
home thinking that the Nichols were
out in the fields The parents OF the
dead man hearing that their son was
not at church became worried that
he had been taken i'll and after
dinner started over to investigate.
They visited on the road and iok-
ed with reference to whether thei.
son was i'll. Just after dinner Rev.
and Mrs. II. |. Kemp went up to the
Nichols home 20 make a call. When
he failed TO find anyone at home he
drove up beyond the house on a road
which leads out into a moving lot
situated in the town of Halifax and
when about 100 rods from the house
he found the body of Walter Nichols
lying face downward near the fence.
The back OF Nichols head was
smashed in with a hammer and the
hammer was under The body.
DR.. G. X. Anderson of Brattleboro
was summoned and he thought the
man had been dead about "A hours.
The selectmen of Guilford we're mott
fed, but as the body was just over
the line in Halifax the selectmen Of
that town were also notified. w. Il.
Warren of that board went at once
to take charge of the body. G.. c.
Mann, sheriff of Windham county.
who was attending county court at
Newfane, was informed and immed-
lately started to the scene of the af-
fair by automobile with his deputy,
Walter T.. Howe of Wilmington.
Upon arrival there he placed Deputy
Howe on guard over the body and.
sent to Brattleboro for a photograph
er to take a picture of the dead man.
\ preliminary search of the prem
ises by the neighbors did not die.
close that any affray had taken
place, but a more thorough search
was instituted by Sheriff Mann and
Deputy Sheriff George p. Miller of
Guillord, who had been summoned to
the scene. Mrs. Charles Phelps, 4
neighbor. was at the Nichols home
about 10 o'clock Thursday morning
and Mr.. and Mrs. Nichols and Wris.
ley were there and one other neigh
Dor thinks she saw some one in the
field on the Nichols farm.
Mr. and Mrs. Fisher and hired girl
who live on a hill three-quarters of a
mile from where the body was found.
saw two men about 2.3O Thursday ar
ternoon running i'm the moving lot.
one man fall and the other strike
him while down. Later they saw one
man leave. Soon afterward they
heard two shots fired in the woods
above this point. The lateness OF
the hour when this information was
ascertained caused the officials to de-