The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-02-21
Richard Ciardi Had Been Ill
and Troubled over
Business Affair
HE WAS MANAGER OF
GRANITE s STORE
He Took s y Poison Potion
WI : at a Friends
% House

Richard Ciardi. one of the best knowr
/, men in the Italian colony of Barre anC
for several years closely identified Will
mercantile interests on Granite street
died at the home OF Charles Abbiati oi
80 Circle street Saturday afternoon at 4
N o'clock. Circumstances surrounding the
case point quite plainly to suicide by
poisoning and an autopsy conducted in
the Perry & Noonan undertaking estab-
/ lishment on Depot square by DR.. b. II,
Stone of Burlington, state pathologst,
and DR.. c. f. Whitney Sunday afternoon
is expected to determine the exact nature
of the potion which the man took to end
his life
An unsigned letter in Mr.. Cardi's
handwriting, which was found on hrs
person. ascribes the deed to impaired
health and adverse business conditions.
Several weeks ago Mr.. Ciardi submitted
| to a surgical operation at his home, I
Granite street. Very recently he had
( been able TO be about the house and Sat
urday forenoon he told members of the
family that he was going to the home of
his long time friend. Mr.. Abbati, for
visit. He reached the Abbiati home on
upper Circle street around 10 o'clock and
conferred with Mr. Abbiati regarding
business matters 1t was during the
visit that he was taken III.
During the forenoon and afternoon two
physicians were summoned. To neither
DR.. P. S. Duffy nor DR.. w. +. Lazeh, who
were called, did theNnan indicate the
cause Of his illness. Ne did not suffer
acutely, but his unexpected death in the
latter half of the afternoon led members
of the Abbiati family to suspect that
something of mysterious nature had oe-
Cured. Mrs. Ciardi was Immediately no.
titled and police headquarters was adj
vised of the mans death Grand Juror
William Wishart and Chief Sinclair were
summoned along with Health Officer
Charles oliver. who was called in the
absence of Dr. j. w. Stewart, secretary
of the local board of health, who is de-
tanned at home by illness. The letter.
found in Mr.. Ciardis coat pocket, dissi
pated all doubt as to the manner of his
demise
More than page of foolscap was used
by the dead man in his vaIedictory mes
sage. Written with pen and ink, ii gave
in detail some of the reasons why he
wished to end his life. Apparently il
had been penned before he arrived at the
Abbiati home. for it was written on the
business stationery Of the Granite City
General store. Addressing his wife, he
asked forgiveness for the deed and to his
children he commended the care of Mrs.
Ciardi. beseeching his son to shun tobac
% and intoxieants and to seek employ
nent at once. A portion of the letter
was concerned with the affairs of the
Granite City store and he asked that
r. G. Rowland be consulted in discharg-
NC outstanding obligations SO far as pos
ible. Regarding a. certain Mr.. O'Hanlev
he spoke in praise of his friendlness and
sked that his monetary loss be mini
nized as much as possible. Mr.. Ciardi's
arewell message also contained this
tatement: 81 have been wronged more
" the workingmen than by the capital
SITS. but in spite of it all | still have
aith in the workingman." Latterly he
peaks of futile attempts to organize an
dequate bookkeeping system for the
remarking that i'll health came
0 hinder his third attempt to put the
fairs of the store on working basis.
Physicians who examined the body
ere unable to form conclusive theory
S to the real nature of the poison taken
y the man. Neither his lips nor his
ongue had been burned by acid. Grand
uror Wishart communicated with
tate's Attorney f. f. Gleason, who in =
lrn consulted with Attorney General
erbert G. Barber OF Brattleboro. The
lree officials agreed that an autopsy
lould be held and at Z o'clock the fam
V was given permission to remove the
mains t, the Perry & Noonan under
king establishment. there TO await the
rival of DR.. Stone and his assistant.
A development in the case came late
lis forenoon when Bruno Ciardi, son of
Ie deceased. who is employed in the
ranite City store, recalling that his ia
er. before his departure Saturday
orning. mentioned a prospective trip to
c company's lardhouse on Batchelder
rect. went TO the little building. There
found what is believed to be tangible
idence that his father partook of pois
while in the lsrdhouse and before go
: To the Abbiati home. On table in
e building was a glass tumbler, which
2 young man recognized as the prop
" Of Miss Mary Mccarthy. book
eper az the store Traces Of a white
WIDER were found in abundance on the
ide Of the glass and apparently an at
npt had been made 20 eliminate all
ms Of the poison for bits Of scorched
per around the glass on the table indi
.ed that someone had tried to burn the
vder
Young Card Immediately reported his
covery 10 the police and Grand Juror
shart. The latter took charge OF the
- and contents and viii probably
N them over 20 the state laboratory
analysis. The authorities are in
,pd to the belief that Cisrdi must have
led a solution of water and poisonous
gder. althoush the nature of the pow.
s difficult to determine without an
.ivsis
-he Young man. discovery bars out
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