Connecticut western news., 1874-04-03
vsr,aont Correspondence.

EDITOR NEws.-A word from Vermont may be acceptable to you for variety's sake If nothing more, and we are very anx- ious to tell everybody how we are situated and what we are doing, and why we do 1t. take the liberty to say that we are situa- ted under very genial sun and over lay CT of very soft earth, (most of us). One year ago to-day the snow was three feet deep here. and to-day the mud is any depth you could wish. The whooping cough or epizootic is gradually subsiding, and about one twentieth of the population are strut ting about declaring that they haven't had it, nineteen twentieths have nothing to say. The sugar season has fairly set in, and everybody is engaged In the sugar bush. The two nearest works to me gathered about forty barrels of sap each yesterday, and believe the sap this year averages about ten pounds of sugar to the barrel. Some years it yields better, and others not as we'll, varying from eight to twelve lbs. Very few cattle buyers have been this way SO far; few pairs of oxen have been driv- en away-sold at and cents per pound !; fair cattle of about 2s00 at cents. extra have brought cents. Cows have been sold at $45.00 to $50.
 Almost tragedy occurred in this little burg few days ago. A MT. Wright, aged sixty-nine years, an old resident of Man chester, has lived alone for some time, and having few hundred dollars in his posses sien, he became impressed with the belief that nearly everybody was determined to kill him and get his money. One morning last week MT. Hicks, near neighbor and an old friend of Wright, visited his house to do some triding errand, and while seated at the stoYe in friendly, fanillar manner, Mr. Wright stepped to the door and turned the key, and in very natural way passed Mr. Hicks and took revolver from shelf behind him. Mir. H. turned his head in time to see the revolver in the hands of this now thoroughly excited lunatic, and at the same time heard him hiss You scoundrel ? A slight, instantaneous change of position saYed Mir. Hicks life, and the ball from the revolver cut through the skin over the right shoulder, near the neck. Fortunately, Wright knew very little of revolvers, and tried to turn the cylinder with his hand. which gave Mir. Hicks time to get hold of 1t, and now commenced desperate strug- gle between two powerful men (although both were over sixty years of age,) for the possession of the pistol. In the struggle they fell upon bed, and the bedstead gave way and all went upon the floor. Mir. Hicks succeeded in wrenehing the pistol away from Wright and made for the door, which he found locked. The key waa still in the lock, and he had barely time to turn the key and open the door before Wright was again upon him. determined to recover the weapon. The struggle was continued until they got into the street and assistance was seen hurrying to the spot
 when Wright retreated to the house and locked himself in. The authorities have slnce taken him to the Asylum at Brattle- boro, Vt.
 By the way, Mr. Editor, when you offer up your petitions for the welfare and cor rect department of the wanderers from Sal isbury, you will do well to pray as far north as the north line of Bennington Co. for occasionally one of your townsmen who has got into tho habit of straying in this direction, and who is considerably on the avoirdupois, becomes absent minded or demoralized to dangerous extent. Not long since, while wandering in the woods east of this place, be ralsed his foot with the intention of placing it upon the leaf covered pan of huge bear trap. But was saved by the vigorous application of friendly hand upon the shoulder, which landed him headforemost in neighboring brush pile. And very lately he passed through 8 turnpike gate in thls vicinity SO completely assorbed in working out some problem that he was blindly unconscious of the existence of turnpike gates and deaf to the keepers demand for tolls. But the toll gstherer keeps dog that seems to under stand the intentions of such travellers, and has keen way of inviting gate runners to return to the captains office and settle. and the dog on this occasion was told to per form his duty; but luckily friend saw the peril of the wanderer and saved him 8 probable term of bydrophobia. J.
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