Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-10-09
.YEAR.OLO
BOY TRIES SUICIDE
Angry With Parents Because of
Their Disapproval of School
Love Affair, George Irish
Shoots Himself in Head In
flicting Slight Wound


to parental disapproval Of school love
affair. coupled with overstudy and his
incomplete recovery from nervous
breakdown, was the direct cause of the
unsuccessful attempt of George Irish. the
14-year-old son Of Mr. and Mrs. George
$. Irish of 67 George street, to end his
life shortly before one o'clock Tuesday
afternoon by shooting himself in tho
right temple with 80 calibre revolver.
the local police brought the lad before
Judge James II. Macomber of the pro-
bate court yesterday to determine his
sanity
The boy in his excited determination to
do away with himself pointed the gun,
an old fashioned pistol of the type Of q
years ago upwards and the bullet caused
only severe scalp wound instead Of killing
nm as he wished, and as would probably
have been the case had the gun barrel not
been slanted. The wound ran toward tho
crown Of his head a distance Of about two
inches and the bullet was recovered in a
probe by Drs. G. K. Johnson and Health
officer Charles a. Ravey. The lad was
able to be about the station later in thu
afternoon but suffered consider cradle pain
from the wound and was i'll from thu
shock
From information given the Free Press
by Mr.. and Mrs. Irish, parents Of thu
boy and from the boy himself, It was
learned that the home life of the lad was
not pleasant The parents claim that
their son has been willful and uncon,
trollable and has fostered a determination
to do as he wished He has repeatedly
uttered oaths to his mother and father.
but more especially to the former, dur-
ing the last year or so, and has threatens
ed the life of his mother, so she said sevs
eral times. The boy admitted that he had
so threatened and that he had threats
ened to do away with himself as well,
For the last three or four month(
! the boy has been keeping steady
company with a young lady. a student al
the junior high school with himself, and
the parents have been trying to break un
this love affair, claiming that it was
an undesirable one and that their son
was altogether too young to think of lova
at this time. The boy claims that his
mother has passed insulting remarks
about the girl of his choice and that ha
would not stand such from anybody and
| is determined to the girl and to "a
with her when and where he wants to.
He has asked his father to give him his
time" four or five times during the last
| year in order that he might shift for him.
| self and be free from parental restraint
but this the father has refused, aftet
| trying to talk to his son and making him
see his folly.
According to the father, about a yeal
ago the boy was seriously Ill with ners
vous breakdown and an abscess in hil
head. the latter being dangerous enough
to have two physicians in consultation
how h,s hoar inaa -. ~ ~ ,ross, 4
and has Norod m ,t ths ,aa q. r,-o,.oc. tio,,,
: One time several months aeo be had an
aItercation with his mother ovar 10
starving out Iate nights someti,es until
after midnirbt and tho roorninp follow.
inc ono NJ those late ontr,rcss tho p.tho,
discovered the how IN tho shed IN the rea :,
of his ward with the door locked.
He had a revolver , eo-caJibre which,
he had won in a Subscription contest. a
rifle and an axe in the shed and he red
fused admittance TO his father. saving
that If he came In he would shoot to nr.r
tect himself. He refused, TO unlock tho
loor hut after a time came out on his
own initiative and gave up his weapons.
The mother in telling Of the occurrencea
OF Tuesday said that he had STAYED ouS
Monday night longer than he had bee n
given permission to do and admitted VIII an
he came home at noon that he did rot
have his lessons. She then told him that
he could not go out again for a week and
that he must cease going out with thid
: girl He told her that he would go out with
whom he pleased and 1t was none of heS
business whom he went with or what nd
did She thought that he had started fol
school but heard him going up stairs.
} Wondering what prompted him in god
ing UP stairs she went up to Investigate
and saw him standing in his fathe-'}
; room filling UP the chamber of the lat1
ter's old ia shioned gun. She called to hei
! husband, who works nights at the chocol
late factory, and he started to go I'd
stairs. The boy cried out Come one ste1
more. Dad, and I'll let 'er co. Th1
father did and the bow pulled the triggei
: and fell down on the floor. eemi-consciou1
with the blood streaming from his he Al
: The mother had run out of the housd
when she notified her husband TO n
: and get the police and upon hearing tad
. shot telephoned for a physician.
In the revolver was found two On u