Year: 1876

Double Murder and Suicide.


Special Dispatch to the Boston Journal


ST. JoHNsBURY, Vt, Feb. l. A terrible
tragedy was enacted to day in Lyndon,
the next town north of St. Johnsbury. "A
young man killed his father, aged 50, and
his mother, aged 73. and then killed HIM
self. The scene of the murder was near
Red Village, about two miles east OF Lyn-
don Village. Your reporter visited the
place a few hours after the occurrence,
and obtained the following facts:


Levi H. Wilder and his wife, the aged
couple, who We're murdered, have long
resided in Lyndon, and have borne
good reputation. At the time of the muir
der the family consisted of these old peo-
pie, their sou Silas. aged 80. and his
wife, aged about q


This morning when the family arose,
the young man made some remark to his
wife about the straps on his overalls,
which she had shortened a few days be-
fore She replied that it could be easily
remedied, whereupon the mother, over
hearing the remark, said that she was
glad that she did not fix the straps. 1t
she had there would have been fuss.
He replied that she need not trouble her
self, as she did not do it. lie then went
to the barn to do his chores, and his wife
prepared their breakfast On his return
he sat down to breakfast alone. the old
peonle and his wife not being in readi-
ness. He ate very little, and his wife, as
she was pouring his tea, noticed that his
hand tremhled and that his eyes had
strange, wild appearance.


After drinking his tea he remarked that
This thing has got to be settled. and
went out into the shed. His wife, think
ing his actions peculiar, followed him
and met him returning with an axe. She
caught hold of the axe and asked him
what he was intending to do lie re-
piled, You get out of the way or | will
fix you" The father then appeared and
said: "What are you about?' and took
hold of the axe also.


The Young man then took knife from
his pocket and opened the small blade,
saving: "If you will not let me use the
axe III use my knife" and struck his wife
in the right breast, causing slight
wound, and then struck her again over
the right eve, intlicting a wound which,
though not serious, partially stunned her,
so that she did not realize what was go
ing on for little time. The mother be
coming alarmed seized the dinner horn,
rushed out OF doors and sounded it to
alarm the ncighborS.


1t is supposed that the young man alter
stabbing his wife attacked his father and
cut his throat with the knife, then hearing
the horn, picked up the axe, rushed out to
the corner of the house where his mother
was and killed her with the axe; that he
then came back. found his father i'll the
kitchen and killed him with the axe, MI.
Henry Perry, the nearest neighbor, upon
hearing the horn looked out from his barn
toward the Wilders, saw the young man
strike his mother with the AK, and heard
him eXclaim, There, lie there, -
After killing his father young Wilder
went up to the shed, where his vile was
Just recovering consciousness, and eA-
claimed, For Gods sake, Fan. | haynt
killed you, have l?n He then ran from
her toward Mr. Perry's, and he heard him
say, Its all settled now"


Several neighbors soon arrived and
found the mother dead by the corner OF
the house. Supposing that the murderer
was in the house. and knowing that he
had weapons to defend himself with they
were afraid to enter. About ~ A. NJ. DR.,
Cahoon arrived, who with Mr.. William
Houghton went boldly into the house and
found the old father upon the floor, dead,
with the axe imbedded so firmly into his
head that it required vigorous effort by
Mr. Uoughton to remove it.


Search was then made for the young
man. At length he was found in the barn,
dead hanging from the beams lie had
evidently gone upon the high Scatfold,
tied the rope to beam and around his
neck, and then jumped Off


The tiend accomplished his work most
effectually. He struck his mother three
times, settling the whole bit OF the axe in
to her head on either side, just above the
ears, and intlicting blow upon her neck
which severed her head from her body,
two small pieces of skin only holding 1t,
The father had, besides the cut on his neck,
which laid bare the windpipe, two deep
cuts in his head with the axe reaching from
the crown of the head down below the eye,
into each Of which mans hand could be
inserted The young man had Il severe
knife cut in his throat which shows that
he first attempted suicide by cutting his
throat, but failing in this, sought a more
certain method.



tragedy. There seems to be evidence of
his having n passionate nature. ard that
there has been an increasing i'll will on
his part toward his mother since his mar
riage, which occurred little more than
year ago, and that the mother has been
displeased with his wife and found fault
with her somewhat as is quite commonly
the case under such circumstances. He
has been subject to epleptic fits Tor some
years past, and has recently been taking
medicine which has stopped them. 1t is
hard to believe that the man could re-
solve upon such fiendish and unnatural
scheme of murder in a mere fit of anger,
yet some of his neighbors state that he
has made threats in times past that ''lt 1t
were not for the law there would be less
Wilders in the world"


There has been some difficulty i'll the
family about the property. The father
had decided his farm TO this son with the
condition that he should support his pa
rents while they lived. 1t is thought by
some that he has been brooding over an
| noyances which have come upon hlm
and cherishing malice in his heart toward
his parents, until it has eliminated In this
appalling tragedy. which might have
been excited this morning by his moth
er's cutting remark with regard to his
overals. 1t may be that the medicine
which he had taken for his fits had pro-
duced such an effect upon his mental con-
dition that the arousing of his anger pro-
duced kind of temporary insanity. This
is the most charitable view of the case,
and perhaps the best, as no positive cause
can ever be ascertained.