The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1920-11-12
BOY ACCUSES
HIS FATHER
OF THE CRIME
asrr
Latter Disappeared Oct. 30
and the Boy Says He Was
Terrorized By Threat If
He Said Anything About
Murder Which Took
Place Four Years Ago.

LAngdon, n. H., Nov. l2.--An aban'
doned we'll on the farm of William 3.
Whitney, which had been filled with
rocks and debris, was reopened to-day
by county authorities in a search for
the body of Whitney's second wife.
The search was ordered by County So
Ecitor Henry n Hurd as a result OF
a declaration made to him by John
whitney, l5-year.old son of William
B. Whitney, by former marriage,
that he saw his father strike down his
stepmother i'm their home four years
ago, take her body to the haymow and
later bury it in the we'll
Whitney disappeared from the town
on Oct. 80. after eight years of resi-
dence here, in which he gained repu
tation as a solid citizen. In his wake
came bankruptcy petitions against
him, and charges that he had duplicate
mortgages OH his home. With the de-
parture of the father, his Nson, John,
went TO the county authorities with
the story which he said he had kept
secret under threat of death by his
parent.
The family was originally named
Doolittle. according to the son, and
lived at Madison. Me-, where the moth.
er died. The father was charged with
passing worthless check, his son said,
and, calling his children to him, told
them he was leaving for the west, and
that their names thereafter would be
Whitney He went to Montana and
lived there several years. returning
east in 1912 with a second wife, and
settled here.
The family was reunited, the four
sons by his first marriage being
brought into the home with their step
mother. On the night of June 30, 1910,
Whitney and his wife went to lee
ture in the neighboring town of Al
stead, returning late John told the
county solicitor that after their re-
turn he was awakened in his bed over
the kitchen by a dispute, and looked
through the hot air register into the
room below. He said he saw his father
grasp a stick of firewood, and beat his
etepmother with it. The woman was
apparently killed by the repeated
blows. the boy said, adding that he
saw his father next take the body out
of the house to the haymow in the
barn. There, according to his story, It
Law for several days before Whitney
prepared the well TO bury it. Then he
placed the body in the old waterhole,
threw on top of II stones gathered for
the purpose and the debris of the farm
ward, and told his son that If he ever
told any person what had been done he
would Kill him, the boy said.
Mrs. Whitney had been planning a
visit TO relatives in Ohio, and Whit
ney told the neighbors that his wife
had gone there. subsequently her rel
Rtives wrote to inquire. why she had
not arrived and the letters went unan-
twered. The relatives apparently
placed the matter in the hands of Ohio
police, because inquiries were made
and in the summer of 1917 county Of
feers went to the farm to investigate.
r After they left young Whitney said
his father built hay stack over the
well.
Whitneyis disappearance was sur
prise to the townsfolk, as were the
bankruptcy petition and the reports OF
his indebtedness among trades people
which followed. The only indication OF
where he went was contained in a
statement that he had purchased a
ticket 10 Greenfield, Mass, at Bellows
Falls, VT, the statisn nearest this
town.