The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-11-29
Mrs. Eugene Johnson and
Miss Victoria Opened
Valves in Gas Range
BROUGHT COUCH
DOWN FROM ATTIC
Mr.. Johnson Had Difficulty
in Entering House on
Spruce Street This Noon
and Found Them Dead.

Mrs. Carrie Sophia (Porter) John
son, 56. wife of Eugene c. Johnson,
wheelwright of 10 Spruce street, and
her daughter. Miss Victoria Johnson.
%, committed suicide this forenoon in
their home by asphyxiation
They moved a cot from the attic into
the kitchen, plugged all openings to the
room, placed themselves on the cot,
one lying with her head one way and
the other in the opposite direction, and
opened all four of the valves of the
large gas range.
They were found By Mr.. Johnson
when he returned at noon fer his din
ner. DR.. George r. Anderson, DIR. c. r.
Aldrich and DR.. II. L. Waterman
worked over them but said they had
been dead too long to be revived
An effort was made to obtain the
pulmoter which was installed here by
the Twin State Gas & Electric com
pany, but that has been disposed of.
The physicians said it would have been
useless had it been Immediately avail
able when they were found.
Mental unbalance is given as the
cause Of the double suicide Mrs. John
| son some years ago underwent an op-
! Grafton and at that time her family
were told that she was not always right
i mentally. Miss johnson, who had been
married and obtained divorce and
| the right to resume her maiden name,
| once before. few years ago, attempted
! her own life by drinking denatured
/ alcohol. Since her divorce she had made
| her home with her father and mother.
! While Mr.. johnson had noticed that
J both mother and daughter were very
morose lately and talked considerably
/ about the danger Of the daughter be-
| ing taken to an institution, there had
not been such material change in
! their mental conditions recently as to
! give ground for the suspicion that they
+ intended any rash act. Certainly there
! had been none that both would attempt
suicide at once.
| Mrs. Johnson got breakfast for her
husband this morning, and he said that
/ there was nothing unusual in actions.
! She asked him as he was about to leave
if he would be back any before
his usual time for dinner and he re-
piled that he would not. The signifi-
cance of that remark is evident now.
Neighbors noticed Miss johnson 90
to a mail box near her home at about
9 o clock this morning and mail let
ter. After that they did not see either
mother or daughter, which was nothing
unusual as both had been obsessed with
the idea that the neighbors did not like
them.
Mr.. Johnson reached home shortly af-
ter II O'Clock and found the house
locked. Not only were both front and
back doors locked, but all windows
were locked. He obtained a ladder and
climbed to the second floor. which is an
unoccupied apartment, and got down
stairs to find the double doors leading
to the parlor locked He forced them
!, open, but found everything as usual He
rushed through the house to the kitchen
, where he was greeted by the smell OF
gas and saw the cot in front of the gas
, range with the forms of the two women
covered with q blanket. Apparently
, they had done this rather than see each
other in their last moments.
Mr.. Johnson sent for help and Bar
ney S. Pratt, a neighbor, who had Just
reached home, and Olcott T. Dodge, an
other neighbor, responded. Messages
were sent for physicians and the men
shut off the gas and opened the house
wide
When time could be spared to inves
tigate it was found that the two womer
had moved the cot down from the at
: tic and had made every possible prepa
+, ration to make sure that their purpose
would be successfully accomplished
There was not a visible crack in the
kitchen that had not been plugged will
rags. Even the keyhole in the outeI
z