Murder In Milton - The Chalfont House

The Chalfont House in 1940

A few times a year, someone will ask about the history of the old house by Spangler (now Murray) Motors, and inevitably, someone will repeat the following story: "There was a murder there.  A group of women were playing cards, and a husband came in and shot his wife."

While this is partially true, it was not in the house by Spangler motors, but rather, in the nearby  Chalfont Home, shown above.  There were 8 girls attending a bridge party at the house, but they were simply bystanders.  The shooters target was his estranged wife, who lived with her parents.  After spending two hours in the home, playing with his young sons, he helped his wife put them to bed in their cribs.  Then he shot both of his children, his wife, and his father in law, George S. Chalfont.  Mr. Chalfont  the only fatality,  died trying to stop his son in law.

George Stackhouse Chalfont was Born January 29, 1886.  He married Clara Eckert, daughter of Ottomer S. Eckert of Lancaster, and they were  members of the Milton Presbyterian Church. "Mr Chalfont for 26 years was one of Milton's best known merchants.  He entered business by purchase of the farm implement enterprise of Harvey Lindner, located on Bound Avenue in what is now the Deaner building.Soon afterward he added hardware to the stock and moved to the building on Arch Street, where his business eventually changed to antiques and second hand furniture" - from the obituary of George Chafont, 1940

George's daughter Aletha married James Bickford , the manager of a nationally operated chain store in Milton. But after losing his job (as the result of a quarrel, here he believed he deserved a promotion), he moved back to Massachusetts with his family to work as a longshoreman.  When he lost that job, he went on to work for the WPA.  The newspapers report that  when James was  out of work, and his wife and two children were on the verge of starvation.  Aletha had taken a job in a Boston store, and her income was supporting her husband and children as well as some of her in laws. 

 She secured an order from the state of Massachusetts directing that James pay her $8 a week for support of herself and her children.  Along with that order, she was granted full custody, pending a final hearing.  James did not show up for the final hearing, and 

he never obeyed the order.  With no other options, Aletha took her two children back to Milton to the home of her parents.  She was quoted as saying "It was either do that, or starve."

James  made, unsuccessful to attempts to kidnap his children, and  he made threats, saying he had a gun an ammunition.   But when James visited  Mr Chalfont's store in September and asked to visit his children, his  father in law drove him to the house, and James stayed for a couple of hours, with no incident.  James then asked if he could return that evening, and Mr Chalfont told him that would be fine.

On the evening of September 24 1940, Mr & Mrs Chalfont were babysitting their 4 and a half month old granddaughter, while her parents, Mr & Mrs Kline, attended the Bloomsburg fair.  14 year old Betty Chalfont was playing with her young niece and nephews.  Charlotte Chalfont, another daughter, was hosting a bridge party of 8 additional girls, on their first floor. George Chalfont Jr, an 18 year old son and a student at Milton High School, was studying geometry lessons.

And James Bickford was playing his two young sons, who were living in the Chalfont home with their mother.

At 9pm Aletha put their 20 month old  son Peter to bed.  Then her husband helped her put their older son, 2 and a half year old Jimmie, to bed.  Aletha turned out the light, and James soon turned it back on revealing that he  was holding a revolver close to the crib.  Before she could react, James shot their son.  His aim was poor, and the bullet went through Jimmies cheek. He then turned to Aletha and said "You're the one I most want to get", and he shot at her.  Again, his aim was poor, and the bullet grazed across her forehead above her eye, before ricocheting into another room.

Mr Chalfont, emerging from  bathroom just five feet away, was James next victim.  This time the shot was point blank into the chest.  Mr Chalfont grappled with his son in law,  but Bickford pushed him off and went to the room of his younger son.  There he leaned over the bed and shot 20 month old Peter in the head.

Mr Chalfont, severely wounded, continued to attempt to stop his son in law, but he was rapidly weakening.  His son, George Chalfont Jr, rushed to his aid and picked up the revolver, which had fallen to the floor, and attempted to hit Bickford on the head with it. Bickford  kicked him out of the way.

Charlotte  Chalfont, the sister of Aletha, who had been hostessing a bridge club downstairs,  heard the shots.  She ran outside and to take the key from Bickford's Buick, but finding no key in the ignition, she turned on the lights, hoping to run the battery dead.  

James ran down the stairs and burst through the plate glass door.  Finding his car wouldn't start (or the key was missing, accounts vary), he ran into the bushes along the river.

Charlotte then got the family car and took her sister, and young Jimmy,  who had been shot in the head, to the Lewisburg hospital.

George S. Chalfont Sr, Aletha's father, died from the gunshot wound to his chest.

Two days later, the papers reported that 20 month old Peter Bickford was in critical condition at Geisinger, having been shot in the head.

Two and a half year old Jimmie Bickford had a slight bullet wound in the cheek.

Aletha Bickford, wife of James, had a skull wound that was not deemed serious.  The bullet, shot point blank at her, had "drilled a groove in her forehead" before ricocheting into another room.

Aletha's brother George S. Chalfont had a severe concussion, suffered in a scuffle when he attempted to subdue his brother in law.

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As Charlotte returned home after dropping her sister and nephew at the hospital, she spotted Bickford in front of the Blue Spruce Inn, referred to in various papers of the time as "The lunch counter", "the gas station", and "the tourist camp."  She went to Milton and got the police.

After leaving the Chalfont home, Bickford had made his way to the Spruce for a pack of cigarettes.  He asked Herman Clemans, who was working there, to phone the Milton police barracks, but there was no answer.  Bickford went to the bathroom to wash up, and when he returned, asked Clemens to drive him to the police station, offering him $1 to do so.  They were walking to the car when Charlotte spotted him.  She pulled in and hollered that he had shot her father.  Clemens asked him if that was true, Bickford replied "Yes and I'm ready to give myself up, my work is done."  Clemens then declined to drive Bickford anywhere, and Charlotte drove to the Milton barracks to get the Police.

When Officer Filbert apprehended Bickford at the Blue Spruce, he asked him why he had shot his father in law, wife, and two sons.  Bickford replied, "I don't know.  I must have been nuts."

In Bickfords later statement, he says  that after shooting his son he put the barrel of the gun to his own head, intending to commit suicide, but the gun jammed. The county detective disputed that version of events, stating that the bullet showed no markings, which it would have had the trigger been pressed.  In all the time up to his trial, Bickford seemed unconcerned by what he had done. 

In October, Bickford plead guilty to the murders, but he later retracted his plea.  In December of 1940, ad jury found him guilty and was sentenced to life in prison.

George S. Chalfont is buried in Harmony Cemetery in Milton.

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An Early Tragedy For Mr Chafont

In November of 1924, the five year old son of P.G. Moreheard darted out into the road in front of his home on the detour road between Milton and Wasontown, and was struck by a car being driven by George Chalfont, Milton Hardware Merchant, and a member of borough council. Chalfort stopped before running the boy over, but the bumper hit the boy and threw him onto the pavement.  He died before reaching the doctors office.

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