The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-05-16
ENDS LIFE WITH
RIFLE BULLET
Arthur ]. Blanding Thought
to Have BrOOded Over
Ill Health
COMMITTED ACTIN
CELLAR OF HOME
Lived With Mother on Maple Street
and Was Builder of Cement Blocks
Young Man of Good Character and
Habits-Had Been Nervous.

Arthur J. Blanding, Sc, committed
suicide by shooting about 6 clock this
morning in his home at &c Maple street
He was found by his mother, Mrs. o. H.
Blanding, in the cellar of their home
and was fully dressed. To commit the
deed he used a 1910 calibre rifle, which
had been in his possession several years
but which seldom was loaded or used by
him. He planted the end of the rife
barrel under his chin, and the bullet
went through his head, tearing off the
upper portion. Mr.. Blanding was of
mechanical turn of mind and proved
this in his last moments as he carefully
arranged a wire in the shape of the
letter S, hitched one end of it to the
trigger OF the rife and put his foot
through the othef loop, thereby pulling
the trigger. Dr. Thomas Rice was
called at once, but death had come in
simultaneously.
Mr.. Blanding had been in i'll health
all winter, following a serious illness
last fall with influenza, and had been
suffering for several months from ner-
vous break kdown, to which this act is
attributed. He had been able to work
a greater part of the winter for the
S. A. Smith Mfg. Co., getting employ
ment there so that he might do inside
work during the cold weather He was
a carpenter and cement block maker
| by trade and had worked during the
week on some special work for the
Brattleboro Memorial hospital, which
| work he was engaged in all day yester
| day. He left the work last night in
!! such way that it is thought he in
| tended to continue it today
During the night he was restless and
his mother, knowing that he was ex-
| tremely nervous, had listened to his
every move during the night. At about
2.S0 o'clock this morning, he got up and
dressed himself and went out Mrs.
| Blanding also got up and watched him
| to see what he intended to do. He went
a short distance from the house, TO the
| top of the hill and stood there appar-
emily in deep thought nearly an hour,
when he returned to the house and went
TO his room, remarking at the time to
his mother that the air was great and
he thought perhaps he might sleep bet
ter for having gone out.
Nothing more was heard of him until
shortly before clock, when he came
down stairs as usual, and it was expect
ed that he was busy building the fire 70
prepare the morning meal. Mrs Bland
ing dressed and had Just come into the
kitchen and had noticed that the fire
was not built, when she heard a muffled
sound. Sc thought at first that some
thing had fallen in the cellar As she
did not hear her son. Mrs. Blanding
went down into the cellar and found
him.
Arthur j. Blanding was born in Gros-
venOr, \. Y, Jan. ,. 1883, and was one
of seven children of Mrs. Minnie (Lam-
SOM Blanding and the late DIR. Otis III.
Blanding. He has lived in Brattleboro
the past seven years and worked when
first coming here at the Austine Insti-
tuition, at the time it was being built.
He married Miss Kate Spencer of ia
Hazel, now 10 years old. was born to
; them. Three years ago he obtained a
divorce. and this trouble had proved
upon his mind. He was devoted to his
little daughter, who came to visit him
each Sunday
Besides his mother, who came here to
. make her home with her son from Gros
e venor at the time of his trouble, he
e leaves his daughter and three brothers
e Riley f. of Medford. Mass, Howard III
. of Alexandria Bay, n. Y, and Hoyt W
of Watertown, Mass.
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