The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-09-24
Ludlow Shooting Affair.

An account of the shooting affair which
occurred at this place Sabbath last seems
to have travelled as far ss Boston, as may
be seen by consulting the Journal of the
22d inst, in which may b. found the fol-
lowing
AT Ludlow, Monday forenoon, IA Dr.. A.
B. Bixby, the dentist and photographer of
the town, was passing a crowd oflOafers,
boy named Yates remarked that he "won-
dered where Mrs. Archer war" Bixby,
irritated by the remark, turned and fired
upon the boy, the ball passing near his
head. lie continued firing upon. the boy,
who fled and escaped injury. The police
refused to arrest the assailant, but Cit
izen did.
Attention is more particularly invited to
the item as published, on the account of
the number of inaccuracies II contains,
there being no less than six or eight at the
lowest possible estimate. 1t is true some
of them are of no great importance, but,
are, nevertheless, not according to the
facts'in the case. W
Those conversant with the case, will
notice that the wrong day of the week is
set up also that the boys name is wrong
ly given also that the account sets forth
that the boy was not only fired upon once
but that BiXby continued firing upon the
boy as he fled to a place Of safety, whereas
the fact was there was but one discharge
of the fire arm. t.a ,4.n
The account, as it will be seen, sets
forth Bixby as "the dentist and photo
grapher of the town." the inference natu-
rally to be drawn being that he was the
only one of either calling in the place,
whereas it is not true in either case, and
what is more the doctor, as we understand
it, does not carry on the Photographic
business at MI, it being carried on exclusive
ly by his son Willie F. Other minor ter-
rors could be pointed out but it is not on
the account Of such that the item in ques-
ton is noticed, but more particularly to
correct the errors embodied in the state
ment that "the police refused to arrest the
assailant." The natural inference to be
drawn from this part of the account is
that our village police are not only neglect
full of their PLAIN duty but wholly indiffer-
ent to the public good. Indeed, the I'M
mistakable inference to be drawn from the
statement as it appeared in the widely read
Boston Journal is that our police are
wholly indifferent whether persons are.
being shot down in our streets or not.
We hardly think this statement will pass
unquestioned by those living abroad who
happen TO be well acquainted with our
police taken together or in their individual
capacity. 1t is sufficient reply to the
above to say that about-perhaps not quite
as soon az could reasonably have been
expected one OF the town grand jurors took
the case in hand and commenced Investi-
eating the facts, and, Notwithstanding the
highest authority in the management of
criminal matters in the county regarded
the urrest-from the well known character
istics of the party to be arrested and all
other attendant circumstances-as unneces-
sary before the coming Monday morning,
yet the grand juror had him duly arrested
early in the evening of the day on which
the firing was done, Sabbath though it was
We are somewhat Mt loss to account for
the source of the Journals information
possibly it was drawn from communica-
lion which appeared in the Rutland Herald
of the 2lst inst, over the signature of
"Slasher" but although that communica-
ton reflected somewhat severely upon our
police, yet all the errors and mistakes
which appear in the Journal could not
have been legitimately drawn from that
source.
If they could, have only to say that
should prefer to have some one else occupy
Slasher's boots, than TO do so myself. !
do not propose to discuss the case, out OF
which the foregoing has grown; it is not
necessary for the purposes of this commu-
nication TO do so. | only say that with all
due allowances for time and all other at
tendant circumstances, 1t IS believed the
police in this place did just about the same
as any other like body would under like
circumstances, in places no larger than
this.
Let us give our police the .horal support
| they have right to expect from law low
ing and law abiding citizens rather than
disparage their well meant efforts, though
not as efficient at ell times as some might
desire CITIZEN.