From Diphtheria to Poison: A Journey through Darkness
Edward H. Chappel was born in Granville, Massachusetts, circa 1862. That year, diphtheria swept through the Chappel's home in neighboring Tolland, Massachusetts. The bacterial disease ravaged the Chappel household, first claiming Edward's eleven-year-old sister Laura on June 28, followed by the patriarch of the family on the 29th. On July 9, Edward's five-year-old sister Mary succumbed, and his two-year-old brother William and his eight-year-old brother Clinton met the same fate on the 10th and 13th, respectively. (It's unclear what happened to his youngest brother - Russell.)
Edward's mother sent him to live with some folks in Blandford, Massachusetts. His mother married much older Silas Harrington on December 2, 1863, and the couple welcomed a daughter, Emma (circa 1866), and twin boys, Fred and Frank, in March 1868. (There was a 30+ year age difference between Silas and Edward's mother.)
By age 17, Edward moved to Southwick, Massachusetts, and began work as a live-in servant/farm laborer. Silas, on the other hand, was a penniless pauper. He (and his two twin boys) were under the charge of the Town of Blandford until his death on February 22, 1883.
Edward was in his mid-forties when he tied the knot with Ida Francis Murray on March 18, 1907; she was about 25 and appears to have had a complicated background.
In December 1899, police arrested Ida and one of her sisters for street walking. In January 1900, the sisters went in front of a judge to face charges of being lewd and lascivious persons and were each sentenced to two years in jail. Shortly after being locked up, the sisters accused their father of incest, and police arrested him. However, the grand jury failed to indict him, and he was released.
Edward and Ida lived in Westfield before moving to Water Street in Granville Corners. From the get-go, their relationship was stormy. Things got progressively worse, and one day, during a heated argument, Edward threw a lighted lamp at Ida, setting their home ablaze.
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| Granville, Massachusetts |
Ida left Edward to live with relatives in Connecticut. However, for reasons unknown, she returned to Edward sometime around July 20, 1907.
Edward woke Ida around 1:30 a.m. on July 26, telling her that he drank all of the poison in the house. Ida waited about a half-hour before calling neighbors. Someone summoned local doctor J. W. Fairing to the Chappel home around 3:00 a.m. But by the time he arrived, it was too late.
Dr. Fairing found Edward suffering intensely as the poison slowly took his life. He died around 7:00 a.m. after having swallowed three-fourths of an ounce of carbolic acid and an ounce of laudanum.
Edward's step-brother, Frank Harrington, reported his death to the coroner. Edward's funeral was held at his and Ida's home on July 28, followed by burial in Southeast Cemetery (today's Silver Street Cemetery).
Ida married Harry Theophilus Houghtaling on February 13, 1908.
Edited Out/Author's Additional Research Notes
Ida was born in Southampton, Massachusetts, but resided in Falls Village, Connecticut, at the time of her marriage.
At the time of his death, Edward was employed by B.J. Roberts as a truckman. His route ran between Westfield (Massachusetts) and Granville.
By age 12, Frank Harrington had left home to work as a farm hand for a local Blandford farmer. Frank later moved to Granville and then Southwick.
Edward's mother's name was Samantha, originally spelled Symantha. She was a live-in housekeeper. By 1870, she was working for George Harrington. She worked for various families over the years. Samantha died suddenly in 1914 while working for a family in Granby, Connecticut.
There are some contraindications about where Edward was born. Granville is believed correct due to diphtheria sweeping through the Chappel household.
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