Putnam patriot., 1915-02-19
ADOLPH LAWSON
 A SUICIDE
Dead Body Found on Cemetery Wall with Bullet through Head and Pistol
 by Side
Had BTaajsd ever Tragic Events in Home, Fathers Murder and Mothers Trials

Adolph w. Lawson, 22, of East day night and his dead body was found shortly after o'clock Tuesday morn ing lying on the wall at the East
 Woodstock cemetery with a bullet hole from S2 calioer tn his right temple, the revolver lying by his side. The body was discovered by Everett E..
 May while on his way to work. Medi. cal Examiner Dr. Joseph Spalding of
 W oodstock was called and made an examination and pronounced it case of suicide. In an inside pocket of the coat the following statement was foundi
 "STArEMENp-l hereby wish to in. form our shrewd and intelligent CD state police, and everybody else who, as in previous case, may think they know Il all that this Is my own act and deed and hope no innocent per son will be accused thereof. A. W,
 LBwson.n
 Young Lawson was the only son of Jonas P. Lawson, the prosperous East
 Woodstock farmer, who was murdered in the cellar of the Lawson home on the night of August f4th, 1913. On the night Of the murder he was at a nearby pond camping. The state po- lice worked on the case and on Sept. 29th Mrs. Amanda U. Lawson, mother of Adolph, was arrested on the charge of murdering her husband. She was ill at the time and was attended by a trained nurse during her confinement in the county jail at Brooklyn. On Oct. 29th of the same year she was brought to Putnam for appearance be- charging murder in the first degree. The grand jury found no true bill and Mrs. Lawson returned to her home with her son and daughter Florence, the daughter being year or two l younger than the sufi.
 Rumors were current that the officers were still engaged on the ease and on Thursday morning, March 29th, l9l4, Mrs. Lawson was again arrested, this time on bench warrant from the SUI ] perior court charging her with man. slaughter The tria of the case came 1 up last May and consumed over q week, once having to be postponed on account of Mrs. Lawson's illness. Both the son and daughter were called us witnesses by the defense. After being out but a few minutes the jury return ed verdict of not guilty. The family once more returned to the East Wood stock farm and have been living there ever since, Adolph carrying on the work.
 1 At the time of his fathers death Adolph for a few days seemed dazed and had apparently been breeding and his mothers troubles ever since l But for while past he had seemed more cheerful except now and then when he appeared depressed. He sold the farm a few days ago and since then he had appeared q little more gloomy l Monday he transacted some business with neighbor, John May, who was one of the state's witnesses at the trial of Mrs. Lawson. MT. May says that Adolph appeared about as usual. MT. l May asked him what he was going to do now that he had sold the farm and he said he hadn't made up his mind. l MT. May then told Lawson that he l was sorry to have him move away and he replied, "l III, y not go very far. v l In the light off he following tragedy Mir. May puts some significance on l this statement.
 1 Monday evening Lawson went to the l village about mile from his home to attend a meeting of the Village Inn l provement society in which he had shown considerable interest. oWhile not thinking of it at the time several | members now remember that Lawson | took no part in the general discussion I and when the dance which followed began, he just sat around taking no part in the festivities. Lawson left the hall about the same time as the 1 other members. The sidewalk near the cemetery where the body was found was covered with ice and the people in going home walked in the road and 1 one or two remember having heard a shot from the direction of the ceme- tery but made no investigation.
 | Young Lawson was quiet gentle. manly young man and was for time a student in Trinity College, Hartford, but left there to help his father con. duct the large farm and distribute the products in the surrounding towns. When the estate of his father was dis tributed Adoiph took as his share the interest in the farm and had continued to work it, his mother and sister, the latter student in Woodstock Acade- my, living with him.
 l The murder of his father was dis covered when his dead body WAS found lying in stall in the horse barn with l the head battered it. It was at first i thought he had been kicked by his horse but after daylight trail of blood was found leading from the barn to the cellar where blood stains were found