Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-10-02
CUSTOMS OFFICIAL
SHOT AND KILLED
Whether Case of Ralph B. Fland.
ers of Island Pond Is Homi-
eide Is Unknown

Island Pond, Sept. 30-United States
Customs Inspector Ralph B. Flanders
was shot through the heart and killed
in his room at the home of Capt. II. f.
Randall between the hours Of four and
five O'Clock this morning, following his
return from what is known as the Iron
Bridge road, where, in company with
n brother inspector, II. p. Belknap. he
had arrested four men and conflscated an
automobile loaded with struggled liquor
which had been run over the border from
Canada. Whether the shooting was acct
dental or the result OF n deliberately
laid plan to get Flanders for his
activity in the prevention and catching
of liquor smugglers will not be definitely
determined until the completion of a
rigid investigation by Sheriff II. a. Bems
and states Attorney Clair II. Powell.
The shooting of Inspector Flanders
occurred soon after he had returned from
his duties after lodging the four oceu-
pants OF the car In jail and placing the
coniiscated car in garage for safe Keep
ing. the time being about 4:30 O'Clock
as near as members of the Randall fam
lily can determine. The first that they
knew of anything unusual was when
Mrs Randall heard Flanders cry out
I'm shot" she and her husband being
asleep in an adjoining room on the sec
ond floor Of the house.
She awokc Mr.. Randall and they in
vestigatod. Upon opening the door into
Flanders room they discovered him on
the floor semi-conscous. Mr. Randall
picked him up while Mrs. Randall ran
for the telephone to get physician.
Before she came back Flandrs had died
in Mr.. Randalls arms, never speaking
another word.
The man was fully dressed with the ex-
ception of his coat which he had taken
off and put over the back of a chair. On
the bed which had not been disturbed
was Il rifle, a revolver and his cap. The
rifle was loaded and all cartridges in il
were undischarged The revolver was
likewise. Near where the body lay was
second loaded revolver also. the prop.
crty of the inspector, with one discharged
shell.
Sheriff f. A. Bemis of this town arrived
at the house soon after five o'clock and
look charge of the situation. The body
was taken to the local undertaking rooms
where late this afternoon an autopsy
was performed by Drs. Bingham II. stone
and Charles f. Whitney of the State
Board of Health. According to infor-
nation gathered at the autopsy the bullet
pierced the heart almost in the center and
on the vest which Flanders wore were
powder marks which indicated that the
bullet had been fired at close enough range
to burn the cloth. There were no other
marks of physical violence on the body
In the opinion of those present at the
autopsy death was due either 10 suicide
or iril Il-hi IA n;ro
until further investigation has been
made.
1t is possible that the activities OF
Inspector Flanders. who was re-
garded b. the government officials
as one of the most trustworthy eff
ficient inspectors in the service in
Vermont. may have been the direct
cause of his untimely death. for i,
would not have been a hard thing
according to information received
here, for a person to have shot the
man by standing on a ladder or a shed
roof which was directly under one OF
the windows in the Randall home.
The four men who were arrested
last night by Inspectors Flanders and
Belknap, were G. n. Bryan of Coati-
cook p c., the driver of the automo-
bile, n Chevrolet touring car: John
May OF the same town, VINO WAS II
passenger; Or. Pierre Gucrtin and A.
Beaulieu of North STAFFORD. N. III. The
two latter claimed to own the whiskey
found in the car and they were ar
rested on the charge Of conspiracy
against the government and with viO-
lation of the federal smuggling laws
All four men We're brought before
United states Commissioner Walter II
Cleary at Newport late this afternoon
DR.. Guertin and Mr.. Bcaulieu waived ex-
animation and were held in $500 bail each
The driver of the car and Mr.. May were
released after hearing as 1t was found
that they were not implicated in the deal
Bryan being only the chauffeur and Mt
May "A friend of his companion The
Bryan car was cOnfiscated under the
laws, however, and 1t will be disposed OF
later.
Inspector Flanders arrested only a
week ago two men from Berlin, ~ II.
with many cases of whiskey, gin and
cordial, they being Oscar A. Dupont and
Fred Nedeau and both of these men are
out under $1,000 bail now. Inspector
Flanders had been connected with the
service only little more than a veal
and was "the prince of good fellows" ac
cording to his chums, leading clean life
He formerly resided in st. Adams and Is
about IS years old.