The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1921-10-24
BULLET IN BRAIN
HAS SEALED LIPS
Of FRED SQU|RES
Sandgate Man Lives, but Unable
to Describe Shooting
ONE SIDE is PARALYzED
Ahira Mears, Confessed Assail-
ant, Held at Bennington
County Jail
ONE SIDE is PARALYZED

Attorney Frank G. Archibald OF
Manchester arrived in town Sunday
afternoon and with States Attorney
George A. Mathers motored to Cam
bridge, N. ", to begin the inyestiga-
tion into the shooting OF Fred Squires
of Sandgate now in the Cambridge
hospital. Contrary to expectations
Squires was found to be alive He
had been in semi-conscious condi-
tion at times since the shooting, has
apparently been able to recognize his
wife when aroused and makes fire.
quent efforts to speak, Articulation,
however, is impossible as the mans
entire left side is paralyzed. Squires
was shot with a 32-calibre revolver,
the bullet striking under the left eye
brow and passing nearly through the
mans head
Ahira Mears, deputy county fish
and game warden and near neiS;ibor
Of Squires, is in Bennington county
Jail. He admits the shooting but
claims he acted in self defense when
Squires resisted arrest after being
caught in the act of killing raccoon
out of season.
AS near as can be learned, the shoot
ing took place between 1890 and II
O'Clock Friday night in small open
shed at the rear Of and adjoining
Squires' home. Information of shs
tragedy was not received here until
the next forenoon when some unknown
person telephoned to States Attorney
Mathers and also to Deputy Sheriff
Arthur A. Russell Few details CT the
supposed tragedy could be learned over
the wire and as soon as possible Sher-
i'll Perry B. Gardner, the states at
torney, Deputy Russell and q repre-
sentative of the Evening Banner were
speeding to Sandgate in the sheriff S
new Haynes Knight car.
The road through Green River val.
ley was in poor shape. Much Of the
soil is clay and recent rains had made
-t.te highway sesceedingsy slippery III
quiry at different farmhouses
along the way failed to develop much
information The whole country was
aroused over the shooting but no
one seemed TO know much of the cir
substances except that Squires was
in the Cambridge hospital and that
Ahira Mears was the man who did the
siooting.
1t was noon when the officers
reached the scene of the shooting, a
group OF three houses on the right
side of the road leading to and about
three miles southwest Of Beartown, a
hamlet that figured in sensational
homicide number of years ago.
The first of tae three houses is oc-
cupied by Mears. and the game ward
en-, haggard because of a sleepless
night, with big pouches under his
eyes and face covered with three
days growth Of black beard met the
officers in the doorway. Briefly, and
in a voice that trembled with emo
ton, he told his story of the saooting,
how he had come upon Squires in the
act of shaking a raccoon out of a
tree Tor his dog to kill how the two
had wrangled over the wardens at
tempt to arrest dhe hunter now
Squires had threatened the officer
with shotgun and the actual shoot.
ing
Mears told his story with question
ing and when he finished the sheriff
said: You'll have to come with
u.s.
That's what | expected, Mr. Gard
ner," was the reply in the same even,
almost giriish voice in which the war
den had told his tale OF the tragedy
Leaving the warden in the custody
OF Deputy Russell, the sheriff ana
the states attorney next visited the
scene of t.,e shooting, the home oil
the victim but few steps away.
Here we're found a number OF men
living in the neighborhood Mrs John
Morev. sister Of Mrs. Squires, and
the wounded mans two children. q
girl Of nine and boy of seven. The
little girl seemed the most self-poss,
essed Of all She told how she had
been awakened by the report OF the
revolver, how she mad rushed from
the house and had attempted to raise
her fathers head from the shed floor.
She also pointed out the dark stains
on the rough boards of the floor.
The officers next visited the next
house occupied by Herbert and Frank
Mears, cousins of the warden, and
for whom the warden's mother, Mrs.
Matilda Mears, keep house 1t was
from his mother that Mears secured
the revolver with which he shot
Souires. Mrs Mears had owned the
Weapon for some time, having pur-
chased the pistol because she was
much alone. When shown the reyol.
YER she identified it as one she had
given to Ahira but said she didn't
know whether it was the one that
shot Fred Squires.
On the way to Bennington the
deputy warden gave number OF ad
ditional details of the shooting and
the circumstances that led up to 1t
He said that he had worked off and
on recently for the wounded man whc
keeps d small general store in por
tion OF his home While WORKING
about the premises he obtained cyl
dence that led him to believe thai
Squires was violating the fsa ant
game laws by hunting coons before
the opening Of the season. He indl
rectly mentioned the matter OF coof