The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-02-11
Fearful Scene in & Bed-rOOm-A Rob
Der Shot to Pieces.
From the Dayton Journal,

From the Dayton Journal.
The hope is frequently expressed by
"parties in interest,"" and especially by
the ladies', that the sneak-thieveS who are
occasionally detected crawling through
peoples houses at midnight in search Of
spoils, will get ball holes put through
them. 1t is the very general desire of the
h~ouseholders that these Scoundrels shall
come across fellows with pistols in their
hands, and who are not afraid to use them.
Here is an item which will delight those
people who have been waiting and watch
ing to learn of these "~oreadful villains"
getting shot. A few nights ago Smith and his
wife went out to spend the evening with
Jones and his wife. They returned home att
late hour, to find that, while Biddy had
permitted the fire in their bedroom stove
to 60 ont, she had kept up the fire in the
CRATE in the sittiDg-room and while Mrs.
Smith dailied a short time in the genial
atmosphere of the sitting-room to arrange
her toilet for the night, Smith, who was
rather sleepy, went on in advance to their
bed. room, up stairs. Smith was in excel
lent humor, having beaten Jones at o game
Of chess, although Mrs. Jones had aided
Jones to take both his castles and check
mate his king twice; and he was engaged
IN whistling q ~tune-that is, if the rather
uncertain sound Smith makes when he
FUCKERS his lips and blows, or blubbers,
can be properly termed whistling a tune.
But this is not o musical criticism.
Just as Smith was entering the room
and was preparing to light the gas he
espied tie legs of q M md the bed!
Did he cease whilstling ? On the contrary,
he redoubled his eXertions, and although
he felt his hair rising up on his head, he
walked squarely out of the room, getting
the glimpse of the robbers hat as he
passed out at the door! His mind was
made up-the villain should not be taken
from under the bed alive !! fastening into
an adjoining room, he grasped his revolver
fromthe %sideboard, and returning to his bed
room, he rushed in and fired at the figure
under the bed-bang bang bang until all
seven shots were empticd out of his re-
~volver, and the room was all ablaze and
filled with smoke. His wife, innocent of
the situation, and just getting a glimmer
through her sleepy little head that proba-
bly, her husband had been attacked by
robbers and murdered, rushed frantically
up stairs en- diShabIle, screaming most
frightfully, and terrifying the children, who
were suddenly awakened, and who put in
first treble screeches to their mothers
second It was a sorry family group that
met Smith on the threshold of the paternal
bedroom as he came forth, the smoke rush.
ing out after him
His wife's joy at beholding him alive
was so great that she had an almost ire
sistible inclination to swoon but she
obeyed the better impulse Of rushing into
his arms, exclaiming, "Oh, John" And
that was as far as she got in the sentence ;
but Smith understood her to ask for an
explanation of the dreadful shooting, and,
steadyiug her while he put his revolver in
his pocket and took the baby in his arms,
he told his terrified wife and children that
he had killed a man-Shot him all to pieces!
When the shock which he had caused his
household had somewhat subsidized, and he
had conducted them into the children's
room, where they would in any event be
safe, he reloaded his revolver and yentured
into his bedroom. All was still as death
and smelled dreadfnliy of powder. =
wreath Of smoke hung about the pasl;rht
and the counterpart was burning. 80
He put out the FIRE, and cautiousIv
looked under the bed-will the reader be-
lieye it?-he had shot the robber clear ont
of his breaches. Nothing remained of
him but his pants and an old hat. Pulling
ont the remains" he was rather beaten
to find that they comprised the pants and
hat which he had taken off prior to chang
ing his suit to Ego out" and his wife had
chuekea them nnder the bed temporarily
70 pnt them out Of sight. The pants had