Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1866-01-04

DESPERATE ENCOUNTER WITH BUR
CLARION Saturday night last Mr..
Francis Smith, provision dealer in
Williamsburgh, n. Y. counted his re-
Ceipts for the day, amounting to 1920,
in the presence Of a number Of strangers,
and shortly after closed his place Of
business and went home. About four
o'clock Sunday morning he was awak-
ened by the screams of his wife, and on
looking up he saw man with blaCken-
ed face standing at the head Of his bed,
with a pistol in his hand. AS soon as
their eyes met, the burglar presented
his pistol to Smiths head, saying; "Your
money or your life" Seeing the deadly
weapon in such proximity, Smith imme-
diately drew the coverlets over him.
The burglar pulled the covering off the
bed By this action he discovered a
brown paper parcel at the foot of the
bed containing the above amount of
money which he Immediately seized
and started to leave. Mr. Smith, by
this time realizing the situation. leaped
from the bed and following the burglar
to the next room, Collared him. Here
a desperate struggle ensued. Both men
tusseled with the utmost desperation,
and at moment when Mr.. Smith, by
herculean effort, succeeded in raising
the ruffian from his feet, the latter drew
revolver and fired three barrels of it
at him in rapid succession, two bullets
taking effect in his body Thus disabled,
Smith sank upon the floor, while his as
sailant sprang out of the window
reached a piazza or shed, and then
jumped a distance Of some fifteen or
twenty feet and escaped. A surgical
examination of Mr.. Smith showed that
one bullet took effect in the pelvis and
lodged some distance further down,
where it yet remains the other entered
on the right side of the backbone and
made it's way to the centre Of the stom-
ach, whence it was extracted. His re-
covery is doubtful The burglar left
his cap and piece Of his vest behind,
which may lead to his identification,
MAKING A GENERAL We note with
regret that bill has been submitted to
Congress (House) proposing the creation
of the rank of General in the army of the
United States said general to rank our
present lieutenant general, aud to be
paid fifty per cent more than the emolu-
ments of the lieutenant general-that is
to say, about $4,000 per annum. 1t
cannot be that our little army of fifty
thousand or thereabout needs in peace a
commander of higher rank Cor larger
pay than our armies, amounting in the
aggregate to one million or over, re-
quired when we were involved in ire
mendous war; and, If this bill is inten-
ded only to increase the pay of our pres
ent lieutenant general we are decidedly
opposed to the means, even more than
to the end, We protest against raising
any ones compensation, or increasing
expenditures in any quarter. until we
shall have returned to sound, redeema-
BILE currency. Let us be honest before
we undertake to be munificent. Every
soldiers widow, now shivering through
the winter on IS per month, mutely APP
peals to Us for resumption Of specie
payments whereby her monthly pittance
may be made to yield her hungry babes
nearly double the subsistence it now
does and even the lieutenant generals
pay would thus be increased in Il legiti-
mate, benefcent way. Gentlemen in
Congress! let US pay our benetactoTs
the sums we pretend now to allow them,
instead of making an empty parade Of
increasing their allowance.-N. y III
b,.Da