Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1916-12-01
DOUBLE SUICIDE PACT
Mrs. Johnson and Miss Victoria
Opened Gas Range Valves
Brought Couch Down from Attic-Mr.
johnson Had Difficulty in Entering
House on Spruce Street at Noon.

House on Spruce Street at Noon.
Mrs. Carrie Sophia (Porter) John
son, Sc, wife of Eugene c. Johnson, a
wheelwright of 10 Spruce street, and
her daughter, Miss Victoria johnson,
%, committed suicide Wednesday fore
noon 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 for his din
ner. DR.. George r. Anderson, Dr. G. 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 g. 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 OPP
Grafton and at that time her family
were told that she was not always right
mentally. Miss Johnson, who had been
married and obtained q 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
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.
G Mrs. johnson got breakfast for her
husband Wednesday, and he said that
t 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
canoe of that remark is evident now.
Neighbors noticed Miss johnson &c
to mail box near her home at about
Q o clock that morning and mail a let
l. ter. After that they did not see either
= mother or daughter, which was nothing
t unusual as both had been obsessed with
the idea that the neighbors did not like
them.
Il Mr.. Johnson reached home shortly af-
ter IL O'Clock and found the house
, locked. Not only were both front and
e back doors locked, but all windows
: were locked. He obtained a ladder and
I climbed to the second floor, which is an
unoccupied apartment, and got down
stairs to find the double doors leading
e 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
2 range with the forms of the two women
l covered with a blanket. Apparently
they had done this rather than see each
other i'll their last moments.
Mr. johnson sent for help and Bar
Y ney S. Pratt, 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 women
had moved the cot down from the at.
tic and had made every possible prepa-
ration to make sure that their purpose
1 would be successfully accomplished.
There was not visible crack in the
kitchen that had not been plugged with
rags, Even the keyhole in the outer
3 kitchen door had been plugged tight
f after the key had been removed. SO
. well had they done their work that
! there was not a perceptible odor of
gas in the rest of the house when Mr..
I johnson first entered.
t Mrs. Carrie Sophia porter Johnson
s was born in Rowe, Mass, Sept. "a,
1860. She married in Albany, n. Y,
. May s, 1877, Eugene C. johnson. They
came to Brattleboro to live "a years
f ago. Besides her husband she leaves
n one son, Floyd L. Johnson, one of the
: proprietors of the Brattleboro China
store, and one daughter, Mrs. c.. Z.
Howard of Hazardville, Conn.
i Victoria Louise johnson was born in
S BrattlebOro July Il, 1891, and with the
exception of a short time had always
made her home here.
The funeral will be held this after
I noon at o clock at the house, Rev.
r L. Q. S. Osgood, pastor of the Unita-
rian church, officiating. The burial
will take place in Prospect Hill GENE.
terry.