The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-09-10
Thomas Smith of Brattle-
bOro Believed to Have
Shot Himself
BODY is FOUND
IN WHEELBARROW
Barking OF Dog Led to Discovery in
Barn This Morning on Morningside
Cemetery Premises - Mystery as to
Where Gun Came From.

Persistent barking by dog about 80
o'clock this morning led to the dis
covery of the dead body of Thomas f.
Smith 80, of Lawrence street i'm a wheel
barrow III barn on the Morningside
cemetery grounds. a gaping wound over
the heart discharged shotgun lying be
tween the mans legs, two loaded shells in
his coat pocket and burns on tho flesh
near the wound indicated that Smith took
his own life with suicidal intent
For a time there seemed to be a com
plicating circumstance, and there Is mvs-
terry as to where he obtained the shot
gun, which had two barrels, a. it is stat
ed at his home that he never owned a
weapon and that nobody in his home
lowned any firearms. No reason for the
act is known
Some years ago Mr. Smith was en-
iployed as brakeman by the Central Yer
mont Railway Co. and lost part of one
foot by getting it caught between two
freight cars. Recently, while employed
lin the roundhouse. he injured one eve
land did not return to work Two weeks
tago he went to Berlin, y H.. to work for
the international Paper Co, returning
here last Saturday. He was at his ia
ther's home on Lawrence street at noon
and was seen on the street after O'Clock
He was addicted to the use of alcoholic
beverages
Yesterday afternoon after > O'Clock
John Blake, sexton of Morningside ceme-
terry, went from his home on South Main
street to the barn on the cemetery
grounds to feed the horses Everything
apparently was all right then This
morning he went to the barn with
Thomas Clune, who is employed with
him, to attend to some work. Mr.
Blake's dog began barking in the barn
floor and Mr.. Blake saw a man lying in
a wheelbarrow. Thinking the man was
asleep he went to take care of his horses.
, but the dog kept barking and Mr.. Clune
looked at the man and discovered the
shotgun. He called to Mr.. Blake and
: they discovered that the body was life
7 less.
! | Mr.. Blake telephoned to Selectman 4.
+. Merrill and Health Officer Henry
!, Tucker, who notified States Attorney
w r. Daley They made an iDvestiga
ton and the body was ordered removed to
. Moran & Rohde's undertaking rooms.
The front and rear barn doors had been
left open on account of new hay be-
: ing in the barn, and it was apparent that
Smith entered through the rear doorway
States Attorney Daley was of the opin-
= ion that Smith sat down in the wheelbar
row, cooked the gun and discharged it
Il with his foot after holding the nozzle
II near his heart The gun then apparently
! dropped down, the stock resting on the
4 floor and the barrel against the end of
IN the wheelbarrow between his legs. The
rs body fell over backward, and no struggle
Sc was indicated.
Il An examination of the gun showed an
1y empty cartridge shell in one barrel, but
II the other barrel was clean. There ap-
peared to be blood or rust on the end of
r. the barrels. At the undertaking rooms
lie two loaded cartridges were found in one
te of the pockets and while the clothing did
1T not appear to be burned there were burns
IL on the flesh. indicating that the gun was
e. held not far from the body when it was
re discharged.
We In the opinion of Health Officer Henry
ro- Tucker death took place before midnight
as the body wa, rigid when found.
As Mr.. Smith did not come home las
night one of his sisters telephoned thi
morning to the Snowflake corn can
ming factory, where it was thought h
er might have obtained work, and was in
formed by Supt. A. c. Griffin that Thoma
Smith began work there this morning
cv That information eased the minds of tn
me family. but about an hour later Dl
tte Tucker brought them the news of tn
mt mans death, which caused mystery
=ht States Attorney Daley drove in his auto
mobile to the canning factory and va
eX- told by Mr.. Griffin that Thomas Smit
tor began work there this morning and wa
n, still working. After little questionin
the fact came out that there were tw
en- Thomas Smiths and that when the tel'
ike phone inquiry came Mr.. Griffin though
the man working there was meant
Thomas +. Smith was born in Athlon
Ireland. April 27. 1920. He was a son
Mr. and Mrs. Harry Smith OF Brattlebor
He came with his parents to this countr
Lay IlS years ago last August. He leaves. b
sides his parents, brother, Harry Smit
member of Company |, stationed
o!u Camp Bartlett, Westfeld, Mass. and tv
tiai sisters. Florence, wife of Robert Parme
IN ter, and Lucy, wife of Jesse Bailey. bo
ttes of Brattleboro. He was not married.