The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-08-22

Beeennut PackIng 20. ana was ADOut
to Leave Canajoharie.
Walter II. Lipe, who married Miss
Christina GoodaIl of Brattleboro, daugh
ter of the late Col Ezra K Goodall,
hanging in his garage on his premises in
Canajoharie \. Y. The motive for his
act is a mystery. He was expected to
leave Canajoharie for New York yester-
day afternoon to take up his new duties
as vice president of the American Sugar
Refining Co.
The unaccountable act of-Mr. Lipe,
who was 90 years old, came as a great
shock to the many friends of Mr.. and
Mrs. Lipe in Brattleboro as well as else-
where. Mrs. Lipe lived in Brattleboro all
through her young womanhood, the Good
all home being on Putney road, now
owned and occupied by ID. f. McElhinny,
and attended the Brattleboro high school
She and her family have visited here
many time since her marriage.
In the absence of his wife and two
daughters, who We're away from the Lipe
home on vacation, the death of the
sugar refining company official went un7
noted for several hours. Soon after dawn
a man who had been hired to do some
work on the automobile, arrived at the
garage next door to the pretentious Lipe
home. IS
| For a short time the man was busy at
his work and then he happened to glance
up at a stairway leading from the garage
proper to the upper floors. He saw the
form of a man dangling from the stairway
railing and recognized the man as Mr..
Lipe.
! With the assistance of others he cut
down the body. All efforts to revive Mr..
! Lipe We're unsuccessful, and later twas
established that he had apparently
hanged himself Saturday night.
Mr.. Lipe, before being elected vice
president of the American Sugar Refining
{ Co, was general manager of the Beech
nut Packing Co. of Canajoharie He was
/ regarded as a millionaire when he sold
/ his interests in the Beeehnut Packing Co.
early this year. The news of his suicide
was received with amazement by officials
of the Beechnut Packing Co. Those who
could be reached by newspapeFmen said
they could think of no reason why he
should take his life.
| He is supposed TO have become mentally
unbalanced owing to more or less fancied
physical and financial difficulties He
carried life insurance aggregating several
hundred thousand dollars and short
time ago tried to take out $150000 more
but after examination was refused. Since
then he had been melancholy at times.
Early in the business slump following
the close of the war. AIR. Iipe became fear
full as to the future of the Beechnut Pack
ing Co, which he had been instrumental
in building up to extremely large proper
tions. and no words from his iustifiably
optimistic partners seemed to have any
effect upon him, although the company
was in excellent condition in every way
and doing a large business. Finally to
relieve him of all Beechnut cares his in
terests were bought by others. and subse-
Quent events have demonstrated that his
/ fears for the safety of the business were
groundless.
! For years he had done much for Cana
joharie. He loved the place and the big
business he had been so prominently
identified with, and the fact that he had
disposed of his interests and was to leave
the place, together with physical ailments
undoubtedly produced mental derange-
ment
Mr. Lipe was a good public speaker
and often addressed conventions relative
to pure food the packing of provisions,
etc. During the war he was tireless
worker for the Red Cross and all efforts
calling for war finances
! Besides his wife he leaves two daugh-
ters Virginia and ROsann, also his father,
sisters and brothers.