The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-06-06

Rather than face a life or emDar- rassing hardship caused by financial difficulties, Raymond E. Gilyard, first selectman of Seymour, shot and killed himself in his office after set | ting the stage to indicate murder. This is the official opinion of Cor oner James J. Corrigan as incorpor- ated in his formal finding made pub lie yesterday.
 Bullet marks on the late select
 mans automobile purposing to show previous attacks on his life for his | fearless prosecution of gang of supposed bootleggers, were made by 1 the deceased's own gun. Seymour's s l first selectman, according to Cor oner Corrigan, first telephoned for
 the police and then fired the fatal
 shot into his heart.
 l The coroner in his lengthy finding delves into the past life of the late | selectman, stating that he was great l ly in debt, had spent a legacy left to his wife and was being greatly ha-
 rassed by creditors. He also analyses l various features of the plans appar- ently made by the deceased to point I to murder. The circumstances under which MT Gilyard died caused statewide sensation. Four. men and three Wo- men were promptly arrested and held as suspects. Feeling for the sup posed martyred selectman ran so high that threats of lynching were circulated. The reports of finger print experts and other specialists called into the case are used as the basis of the coroner's finding, which is complete as follows:
 Deceased, the husband of Helen I q (silvo ,sd Iivod with his wife and four children at 135 Skok orat street in Seymour. He was first select man of that town. On May 12th, 1881, his body was found in the first selectman's office of the town hall in Seymour with AS calibre bullet wound in his left chest.
 II find that on that morning de-
 ceased came to the town hall at about a. m. (e.st) and after a conversation with one Sponheimer, the foreman of one of the town gangs, he entered the selectman s office about 6:O5 a. m. At 6:3O d. Tn. deceased telephoned the central operator from the selectman's off, flee that he had been shot by three colored men. He instructed her at that time to phone Dr Harvey. his personal physician, and police. Three
 
 was again removed from the hook but no voice spoke to the operator. find that the latter eventually volunteered the information that she had already notified Dr Harvey and the police and that they were on their way. The receiver was then replaced, and upon the entrance of Constable Wierdo few minuets later is was reposing upon one or the desks.
 From 6:05 a. m. the time de- ceased entered the selectman's of flee, until 6:3O a. m.. the time of the first phone call. the gang over whom Sponheimer was foreman were in the garage directly in the rear of and adjoining the select mans office. Shortly after deceased entered he was seen to light the light in the washroom of his office, the window of which overlooks the garage. At 6:2O a. m. Sponheimer, who had left on an errand, returned and picked up the group Of men whom he had left in the garage. In the building north of the town hall a hotel is conducted by one Joseph Ivanauskas and l ind that Ivanauskas was outside his hotel from 5:45 a. m. in the morning con- tinuously up to the time Wierdo arrived. No person except deceased was seen to enter or leave the town hall by either members of the gang or Ivanauskas up 10 the time de- ceased was shot. When Wierdo arr rived he found deceased lying upon his back with his head popped up against the leg of one of the desks. There was large pool of blood to the left of his chest and his shirt was smeared from just below the shoulder down almost to the waist. There was no blood upon the body below the belt line, A .45 calibre Colt automatic lay on the floor about two feet from his outstretehed legs. On q largo table about in the center of the room was deeeasedH hat and q .23 oalibre revolver.
 "The town hall of Seymour is situated on ihe nerthwesterly e0r' ner 0f Second and Raymond sireetA, Tho building is an old farmhouse which has been converted Into otilea rooms, Tho first seleetmnn's office | consists Of one room which ronsii' tuteH the southerly wing 0f the | building, The door by which en' | trance iA RaiHed iO this room iH on | inc westerly side of the building and
 Il opens nest ta the northafiy Mnli Af ihe room, Just Inside, to inc Jeff Df ihe outer entrance h dD0f leads tD lhH ather iDhn 0nirpa, hlil | fkla a4aar hnlth fuafn thn lnkldn Of