The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-02-22
FAITHFUL DOG
GUARDED BODY
OF WOODBURY. MAN
Morris McKinistry Had Been Buried by
Pile of Lumber and Dog Waited
Nearby Till Searchers Came
and Uncovered Body.
and Uncovered Body.

Woodbury., Feb 22.--Selectmen of the
town yesterday completed their inyes
tigation OF the circumstances leading III
to the death of Morris Mckinistry, a
farmer, who met death in his wood lot
on Woodbury. mountain sometime Tues.
day afternoon, when a pile of 4.foot
wood collapsed and fell on him. The au-
thorities satisfied themselves that Mr..
Mckinistry's death was due to an aeci-
dent and permission was given to pro-
ceed with preparations for burial The
funeral will be held in Hardwiek Friday
afternoon and interment will be in that
village
faithful shepherd dog owned BY the
deceased aided neighbors in their search
for Mckinistry when he failed to. re-
turn home from the wood lot Tuesday
afternoon, and as most of the search
was conducted under cover of darkness
it is probable that the body would not
have been found until morning, had it
not been for the persistence with which
the dog guarded a spot near the wood
pile which covered his master Mr.. Nc.
Kinistry set out for the mountain wood
lot soon after noon Tuesday. He drove
a pair of horses and told his wife as he
left the yard that he would be home
early for supper. As night began to fall
and her husband did not appear, Mrs.
Mckinistry began to worry and finally
she notified Ernest Wheeler, neighbor,
of her anxiety Mr.. Wheeler was the
first TO respond to her request for as
sistance and it was he who, traversing
the mile of uncertain roadway between
the McKinistry farmhouse and the wood
lot, uncovered the body.
Darkness fell early in the woods and
for time Mr.. Wheeler's search seemed
destined to result hItilely. He found
the horses patiently waiting their mas
ter's return but careful survey of the
lot failed to indicate where the man
might have gone. Presently he heard
the dog barking loudly and when the
shepherd refused to leave certain spot
1t the foot of the woodpile, Mr.. Wheeler !
began TO make an opening in the tumble /
VI four-f foot sticks. A little way under .
he wood, he found Mr.. McKinistry lying /
lead. He had bled considerably from /
he ears and there was a mark over the
orehead. The condition of the body in
Heated that the man had been dead
ometime. After removing the eemains
o the McKinistry farm, Mr.. Wheeler
Iotified the town authorities.
II is thought that the farmer went
o the wood pile and began shoveling
way the soft snow, preparatory to
acking his sleds up TO the pile. The
rood was piled six feet high and it is
resumed that the mans operations
erved TO undermine the pile, which, in
alling, caught him unawares. Those
-ho examined the body thought that the
low indicated by the br,ise on the fore
cad was sufficient to kill the farmer
lstsntly.
The deceased had been practically ,
fe long resident of this town. He was
round 40 years old and was held in
ign esteem by the townspeople. He
aves his wife and there are two chill
rem, daughter, Mrs. Ellen 0lmstead
Hardwick, and son, Perley Mckin- I
try. who lives in California. Surviving c
so are several brothers, among them v
ling Morton Mckinistry of Woodbury.. 0