Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1921-09-02
BURGLAR FATALLY.
SHOT BY MERCHANT
Gardner Hill Was Boring Holes
in Spofford, N. H.
David w. Slade Aroused by Waterman
and Fires Hills Body Found in
Woods-Record i'm Vermont,

Gardner Hill, 50, whose home formerly
was in this county and who had n
criminal record of some length,
was shot and almost instantly killed
early last Saturday morning as he
was attempting to enter the store oil
David w. Slade of Spofford, \. Ii. Mr.
Slade himself did the shooting from the
front of his house across the street. send.
ing the charge of shot into the back OF
the victim as he was leaning over bit
with which he was boring holes into
door panel.
Although mortally wounded, Hill man
aged to run around to the rear of the
store, and Mr. Sladc, not knowing how
badly the man was hurt, rang the fire
alarm to summon Constable II. b. Ball
and posse Of searchcrs. Hills body
was found shortly afterwards in the
woods few yards to the rear of the
store. He wore mask and gloves and
carried loaded shotgun and revolver.
He had on pair of shoes that had been
stolen from the store.
The mornings shooting was the cul-
mination of series of burglarics which
had stirred the community deeply. Mr..
SHADES store had been broken into no
less than six times. thrice within two
weeks, and as precautionary measure
he had equipped it with series of bell
alarms and hired Ernest Dcering to act
az night Waterman.
Shortly before 3 o'clock that morning
Deering heard someone on the piazza
and pressed n button that rang n bell in
the Slade home across the way. Mr..
Slade himself saw the man at work in
front of the door panel and started to
fire at him with revolver but changed
his mind and went back to the house for
his shotgun.
1t is understood he did not order the
burglar to surrender but fired without
warning.
Hill is said to have campcd in the
body was taken to Keene Satur-
day morning after it had been viewed by
Dr. O. II. Hubbard, medical referee.
Gardner Hill had a varied criminal rec
ord in Vermont. and although arrested
several times he usually escaped from the
officers, getting away once with handouts
on. He was arrested first in Townshend
threatening his father. He made. no
trouble at that time, but chafed at the
delay of court procedure and vowed he
never would be arrested again.
Later he got into some trouble over
registered letter at the Rutland postofIice
and was apprehcnded after lively tusse.
during which both officer and prisoner
were somewhat rufflcd. Hill was hand
cuffed and taken by automobile to the
police station By two officers. When he
was getting out of the machine. neither
officer having a firm grasp on him, Hill
struck at both POLICEMEN with his hand
cuffed arms and got away. speeding
through the railroad yards. He was shot
at several times, but was not hit. Several
weeks later the handouts were found in
a henhouse on farm south of the city.
In the early part of September 1916,
Bellows Falls officers were asked to look
for a stolen automobile They located a
car answering the description given, and
asked the driver to show his license. The
man proved to be Hill, and while making
n pretphse at looking for the license he
Jumped, from the car and got away. The
car was stolen from the Spofford lake
garage and belonged to NIillers Falls
man. who went to Bellows Falls and iden-
titled it,
HILLS next episode was on Sept 10,
1915. in the highway between Townshend
and Saxtons River, near Athens. Deputy
Sheriff George p. Alexander of Saxtons
River had been looking for him two days,
and on that day while driving an automo-
bile liza met Hill, who had bicycle. The
wheel had no pedals and so could be
ridden only down hill. so Hin abandoned
the wheel and darted into the woods be-
side the road. The officer jumped from
his machine and fired several shots, but
none took effect. a rifle strapped to the
bicycle had been stolen from a Saxtons
River resident.