Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1913-04-02
DIES FROM POISONING
Mrs w. o. Cole, Well known in Barton
Dies from Arsenic Poisoning at Lyndon
vile under Suspicious Circumstances. MIR.
Cole Arrested and Lodged in Jail.

Mrs. w. o. Cole. about so years of
age, we'll known in Barton and sur
rounding towns, died from arsenical
poisoning Friday afternoon at Lyndon
vile, where she had just returned to
live with Mr.. Cole. after they had
lived separate for more than year
and half Some suspicious circum
stances surround the death and States
Attorney Dutton of Caledonia county
caused the arrest of Mr.. Cole and he
has been lodged in Caledonia county
Jail awaiting hearing.
Mr.. Cole is also we'll known in Bar
ton, having run the pool room in the
Pierce and Barrows building in Barton
for some time previous to his marriage
to Mrs. Cole in April, 1910. After liv-
ing together for time Mr.. Cole went
to Lyndonville where he has been clerk
ing in DwineH's drug store since and
Mrs. Cole took up nursing which she
has followed until about two weeks ago
when she went to Lyndonville to live
with her husband. Reports are in cir
culation that a loan was being negotiat-
ed on one of the life insurance
policies but that the money had not ar
rived at the time of her death.
Mrs. Cole was formerly Miss Char
lotte Cove of Wentworth, N H., where
her parents now live. She came to
Barton some ten years ago and mar
ried E. A. Walcott. After Mr.. Wal
colts death she married Mr.. Cole. A.
son, Reginald Walcott is living with
his grandparents at Wentworth and
owing to physical ailments will prob
ably never be able to care for himself:
Mr.. Cole says that upon his return
home for supper Friday evening he
r., n E~14 Nd
moned DR.. Copeland. who pronounced
was prepared for burial and sent to
Later suspicion fell upon Mr.. Cole and
i he was arrested in Wentworth where
he went to attend the funeral and be-
fore his return to Lyndonville. 1t is
said a messenger who delivered a tele-
| phone message to Mrs. Cole between
o'clock and o'clock Friday afternoon
saw her, and while she was sick and
had been for day, she appeared then
to be normal in every way.
While Mr.. Cole was always known
by the name Cole in this vicinity it
is understood upon very good authority
that his real name was Coleman and
that he changed to "Cole' when he
came to Barton from Rhode Island.
Drs. Stone and Whitney of the state
laboratory have gone to Wentworth to
exhume the body of Mrs. Cole and an
autopsy will be held.
Mr.. Cole has retained Cook & Nor
! ton as counsel.
The Lyndonville paper says: "Cole
and his wife had not been living hap
PLY together. In his talk with DR..
Copeland Cole said that during the
night before they had some talk about
certain matters and his wife not ap-
pearing we'll and being uneasy, he
got up and called doctor. and ex-
planned AS best he could the symp-
toms. He was told that the trouble
would probably wear away with a
little sleep but if anything more seri-
Gus developed to call again and he
would come to see her. 1t was not
found necessary to call the doctor
again. The next day she remained in
her bed and died about the middle of
the afternoon.
"Mrs. Neagle was in the room a
short time Friday morning. Mrs. Cole
was crying and feeling badly, and she
spoke of having had some unpleasant
words with her husband during the
night and that she couldn't understand
him."