Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-07-01
WARNER ON TRIAL
FOR MURDER Of
AGED c D UPLE
AndOver Man Changes Plea to a
Mere mot Guilty"-Defense
May BE Abnormal Men.
tai Condition.

Woodstock, June 2s--Windsor county
court opened this afternoon at three
o'clock with the Hon. Seth ~ Gage OF
Weathersheld, the newly appointed as
sistant Judge, In his scat. The case Of
the state against George Warner of
Andover, charged with the murder Of
MIR, and Mrs Henry Wiggin on Novem-
Der 4. 1914. was taken up Warner changed
his plea OF not guilty by reason Of in
sanity to simply not guilty. The after
noon was taken up in impaneling jury
which was not completed, The question
ing of the jurors BY the defense tended
to show that insanity or uncomfortable
impulse perhaps BY reason Of drinking
habits will be the defense.
STORY OF THE MURDER
Ramsdel Amsden of Simondsville in
the town OF Andover heard the telephone
ring. calling his father-!n-ls house
about six o'clock Wednesday evening,
November I, 1914, apparently without
getting reply, and ne listened upon the
line His suspicious We're aroused and he
hastened to the farm house. Finding no
signs Of the family. he notified the neigh
bors. who after searching found the
bodies of the aged Mr.. and Mrs Wiggin,
evidently the victims of murder. The
body Of Mrs. Wisgin vas found hidden
in the Woodshed with several bullet holes
in her head, and she had apparently been
dead for several hours. Nearly an hour
| later the body of her husband was found
| under some straw in a stall in ,he barn.
Suspicion pointed TO another son-n-aw,
| Georg" +. Warner who disappeared the
| same day. His wife. assistant post
mistress in Simordsville. had recently
started divorce suit ON grounds Of
i abuse. The story is that no had called
on her Tuesday and beaten her. and she
notified her father. Mr.. WiGgin, who lived
! three quarters of a mile away. Another
story is that Warner was jealous of the
| mail carrier who brought the mail to his
wife in the postoffice. and was sorry he
did not get him.
! BLOOD STAINS FOUND
What happened at tho home of the
aged couple may ever remain a mystery.
! II is believed that one of the victims
| tried to telephone for help. The dead
man was a wealthy farmer, and the fam
! lily was highly respected. Blood stains
We're found on the seat of the dead mans
wagon and upon a horse blanket which
! he carried in the vehicle Besides two
daughters Mr. and Mrs Wiggin left
three sons. Eugene Wiggin a carpenter
| in Chester. Erwin in Rutland and en-
ployed by the Rutland railroad. also
Harry, employed ny tho same railroad,
but living in burlington. Mr. Wiggn
was about 63 wears old and his wife was
Of about the same age. George T.. War
ner. the alleged murderer. is described as
] being & years old. weighing about 16a
| pounds. dark complexoned, smooth round
face, black hair tinged with gray Mrs.
Warner is highly respected in the village
as are her parents She is n bout * years
younger than her husband and the moth.
er Of six children from four to l6 years Of
age
| A posse of 3" citizens from Chester made
a systematic search of the surrounding
territory Thursday. November >. without
getting trace of Warner and another
larger posse under Sheriff Kiniry also
made search. shortly after dark Thurs
day he was found. cold and hungry in a
pasture near his mothers home He was
given hearing Friday before Municipal
Judge Blanchard. He waived examina
ton and was bound over to county court
without bail. He was brought to the
county Jail in Woodstock Friday after.
noon, November 6, On January a, 1918
he was committed 70 the State hospital
for the insane at Waterbury for observa.
ton as TO his sanity On June he was
brought back to the county iail to await
trial