Morbid Elroy Kent & The Murder of Delia Congdon
Long History Of Petty Crime
- Elroy Kent began petty crimes as a child and escalated into repeated thefts and prison stints.
- His early record framed him as a notorious local troublemaker long before the Congdon murder.
Catastrophic Head Injury After Train Jump
- Kent sustained a skull fracture after jumping from a moving train and had a two‑and‑seven‑eighths inch piece of wood driven into his brain.
- Doctors removed wood and brain tissue, then packed the wound, which later correlated with disordered behavior.
Repeated Hospital Escapes
- Kent escaped the hospital in 1908 using a duplicate key and a ladder made from bed sheets with fellow inmate John Keenan.
- Hospital security failures and repeated escapes amplified public fear and criticism of the institution.
On the morning of July 24, 1908, Delia Congdon, a deaf and non-verbal woman living alone in East Wallingford, Vermont, was found dead in her pantry—presumed to have been murdered while she prepared breakfast. At first, investigators suspected a local criminal known for his violent behavior; however, within a day, an unusual clue discovered in Congdon’s barn pointed them towards Elroy Kent, a notorious local thief and recent escapee from a nearby psychiatric hospital whose petty criminal antics had plagued police for decades. With a caveat of mental illness at stake, Kent's trial and execution came under heavy scrutiny.
Thank you to the magical and mystical Dave for research assistance.
References
Bennington Banner. 1909. "Elroy Kent found guilty in the 1st degree." Bennington Banner, April 10: 1.
—. 1909. "Shocking Tales in Elroy Kent murder trial." Bennington Banner, April 01: 1.
Bennington Evening Banner. 1908. "Bloodhounds at East Dorset on Kent's trail." Bennington Evening Banner, August 1: 1.
—. 1908. "Escaped lunatic through to be murderer ." Bennington Evening Banner, July 27: 1.
—. 1909. "Evidence against Elroy Kent is increasing." Bennington Evening Banner, April 2: 1.
—. 1908. "Tracing Kent by mania for name carving." Bennington Evening Banner, August 6: 1.
Boston Daily Globe. 1908. "Denies killing Delia Congdon." Boston Daily Globe, October 27: 9.
—. 1902. "Jumped from train." Boston Daily Globe, December 9: 3.
—. 1909. "Kent "faking" says Shirres." Boston Daily Globe, April 9: 8.
—. 1909. "Kent must die in 1911." Boston Daily Globe, November 3: 9.
—. 1912. "State aghast at Kent mishap." Boston Daily Globe, Janaury 6: 8.
Brattleboro Reformer. 1905. "Elroy Kent heard from." Brattleboro Reformer, October 6: 1.
Burlington Clipper. 1902. "May do some good." Burlington Clipper, February 8: 2.
Burlington Daily News. 1909. "Testimony against Kent." Burlington Daily News, April 3: 1.
—. 1908. "Want $10,000 for an alleged libel." Burlington Daily News, August 25: 1.
Burlington Free Press. 1908. "Foul murder in East Wallingford." Burlington Free Press, July 25: 1.
—. 1909. "Grout may be called to stand." Burlington Free Press, April 5: 1.
Daily Journal. 1908. "Elroy Kent under arrest ." Daily Journal, October 24: 1.
Montpelier Evening Argus. 1909. "Kent pleads not guilty." Montpelier Evening Argus, March 30: 1.
New York Times. 1908. "Gte insane murder suspect." New York Times, October 25: 20.
Reformer, Brattleboro. 1908. "Elroy Kent a murderer?" Brattleboro Reformer, July 31: 1.
Rumboldt, John. 2013. Murder on Sugar Hill. Family history, genealogy, Rutland, VT: Rutland Historical Society.
Rutlad Daily Herald. 1961. "Two instances." Rutland Daily Herald, March 24: 8.
Rutland Daily Herald. 1905. "Insane criminal still at large." Rutland Daily Herald, August 19: 7.
—. 1908. "Murdered in E. Wallingford." Rutland Daily Herald, July 25: 1.
St. Albans Daily Messenger . 1905. "Escaped last night." St. Albans Daily Messenger, August 12: 1.
St. Albans Daily Messenger. 1902. "Elroy Kent back in jail." St. Albans Daily Messenger, December 8: 1.
—. 1905. "Elroy Kent captured." St. Albans Daily Messenger, October 23: 1.
State vs. Elroy Kent. 1909. NA (Supreme Court for the State of Vermont, October 1).
Vermont Phoenix. 1902. "Burglar with record." Vermont Phoenix, January 31: 2.
—. 1905. "Elroy Kent, notorious criminal arrested." Vermont Phoenix, October 27: 2.
Veront Journal. 1902. "News and notes." Vermont Journal, March 8: 8.
Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)
Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)
Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley
Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally
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