The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-09-11
Ownership of Weapon Which
Caused Death Fully
Established
CASE PLAINLY is
ONE OF SUICIDE
Autopsy on Smith s Body Performed
This Morning - Smith Obtained His
Wanted to Shoot Savage Dog.

Ownership of the double barreled shot
gun which caused the death Sunday
might of Thomas f. Smith of l. Law
renee street in the barn on the Morning
side cemetery property has been estab-
llshed and an autopsy on the body of
Smith has been performed. and these two
Developments seem to prove beyond a
doubt that Smith met death at his OWN
hands. It seems to be plain case of
suicide, and evidently Smith discharged
the weapon by pushing the hammer back
with his foot while holding the mizzle
in his hands, the barrels being aimed at
his heart
| At Smiths home this forenoon il was
stated that on reading in The Reformer
that Smith had been shot Thomas NJ.
IOtonnor Of 30 Maple street. a Boston &
Maine freight conductor and cousin of
Smith, came to the house and told the
young mans parents and other members
/ OF the family that the gun was his. He
said he met Smith on the street about
O'Clock Sunday morning and that Smith
said he wanted to borrow his gun as he
had dog which was savage and had been
wanted TO put it out OF the way
! Mr.. O'Connor told Smith to come up to
the house with the dog and they would
90 out in the woods together and make
way with the animal Smiths story be-
ing purely an invention. he went to the
lhouse shortly before / O'Clock that after
moon. soon after leaving his own home.
without any dog. When asked by Mr..
iO'Connor why he did not bring the dog
Smith said he did not wish to attract at
tention on the street with savage dog
Thereupon Alr. 0'Connor procured his
gun and explained To Smith the workings
lof the weapon, as Smith was not used to
Handling firearms. A loaded shell was
lplaced in one barrel and Smith said he
imight need more than one shell and took
two more out OF the box, putting them in
his pocket.
As Smith left the house he was eau
ttioned by Mrs. 0'Connor to be careful So
as to avoid any accident and Smith as
surcd her that he would so so. Where
he was from that time until he shot him
self is not known. neither is the motive
for his act known
While the indications pointed to sui
: eide the mystery about the gun made it
: seem advisable TO States Attorney Viii
I liam X. Daley ~ lay the matter before
a Attorney General Herbert g. Barber. who
. was in st. Johnsbury at murder trial
! so he telephoned Mr. Barber and the lat
!. tier agreed with him that it would he
twell TO have an autopsy performed in or
i der that the exact facts so far as an au-
l itopsv would reveal them would be avail
f able in the event of any subsequent de
4 .velopments. Mr.. Daley therefore ar
i ranged with DIR. b. II. Stone of the stat,
. laboratory in Burlington to come here Il
/ perform an autopsy. which he did thi,
!. morning, accompanied by another sur
geon, and the work was done in the pres
ence of DIR. Henry Tucker, health officer.
The autopsy showed that the muzzl'
of the gun was held close to the body
that there were powder grains around tn,
n wound. that two or three shot, which wer
tbirdshot, wounded the heart and that tn
lmain charge broke off one rib and force'
E, lshot and wadding through one lung, tear
# ling it badly