Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-08-28

Clad in a union suit, hath robe.
slippers and stockings. with Young
% calibre automatic seven-shot re-
volver clutched in his left hand and
bullet wound under the heart. in the
left chest, another behind the left ear
and third in the back portion of the
center of the head the body Of will
! liam c. stacy. aged So. retired ar
| tist, living at SIS North Prospect street
! was discovered lying on the floor i'm
the dining room shortly after 10
/ O'Clock Sunday night by Mrs. Electa
| Roberts, the housekeeper who came
down from the second floor to in
vestieate three muffled shots. There
was still little life left in the body
as the pulse moved slightly and Mrs
Roberts went up stairs and informed
! Mrs. STACY that she was going out
/ for a minute to get Frank r. Perkins,
the next door neighbor for help
Meanwhile Mrs. stacy. who is an in
| valid, telephoned for doctors. whether
the aged man died from a self-in-
! flicted wound or whether he was shot
by burglar has not been deter
mined.
To substantiate tho burglar theory
! some silverware, spoons. sugar she'll
| pitchers. etc were found gathered UP
| n
| body of the man. a screen in the east
window had been taken out and the
window opened as was bulkhead en-
| trance into the cellar. on the table
| with the gathered-up silverware were
silver vase containing some flowers
! and an electric hand lantern, one of
the large portable stand-up kind,
which was lighted as was also the
Welsbach gas mantle in the chande-
lier.
The body OF MIR Stacy was lying
| face upwards, with the revolver with
| three empty cartridge shells in It
! held in the left hand. but on the in
dex finger of the right hand we're
| powder burns on the floor under
| meath the body was silver-headed
cane usually carried by Mr. Stacy,
who had been feeble for some time
and little way from the gun was
red necktie. The latter the mem
bers of the family say they do not
recognize as belonging to him.
| According to members of the family,
! the aged man never had any KIND OF
firearms in theahouse but went down
town Friday. and might have pur-
chased the revolver at that time. 1t
was evidently new.
Mrs Roberts left everything as she
| found it until the arrival OF DIT X L.
MAYNARD, and Medical Inspector Charles
A. Ravey and the police and thor
oush investigation OF all the things
| in the room was made at once. Be-
cause Of the fact that there are three
wounds in Mr. Stacy's body and three
shells empty in the chamber Of the
gun. IL would appear that the death
was caused by himself and that the
opening of the window, the gathering
up Of some of the silverware. and even
| the opening of the cellar door with the
| light of his lantern might have been
done as ruse by the man himself.
| In talking with the Free Press represta-
! tive Saturday night. neither Mrs.
Stacy nor Mrs. Roberts could offer any
reason for the act. If self-infiicted, for,
although weak. Mr.. Stacy had been in
the best of spirits and their lite mad
been of a congenial and loving nature.
Mrs. Stacy stated that so far as she
knew the financial affairs of the fam
ily were in their usual condition. al
Though she remembered that Mr.. Stacy
told her Saturday that some interest
money due on western mortgages
which had been due for some time had
| not arrived, but she did not believe
that this was the cause of the death
| of her husband by his own hand. She
! is rather inclined towards the theory
of murder by some burglar who was
| fter the silverware.
Mrs. Roberts told the Free Press that
| she had gone about the house before the
| family started to retire for the night
and saw that the windows were closed
| and the doors locked and then Mr.. and
| Mrs. Stacy went up to the second floor,
Mr.. Stacy was left sitting partially I'M
dressed in sort of a living room wait
| ing for Mrs. Stacy. who had gone to an
other room, accompanied by Mrs. Rob
erts, who acts as housekeeper and