Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-08-18

/ 'lt had peen destroyed, hut Il proved 10 be un-
injured II Is said that after getting TO Plerce's
he put his hand in his mouth pulled out handful
OF teeth and threw them on the floor The upper
right and the lower left jaw is broken, and the
right cheek was pretty much laid open. The ply
sicians have extracted grea, number u shot,
and II Is believed that there are several more stil
inside his mouth On Sunday morning one Of the
wads came out Of his mouth, having entered with
the shot. He will bear the marks OF the AT II TO
his grave, let him live ever 30 long.
Tie shooting took place Mt about haf-past twelve
o'clock Mrs Dodge returned to the house, re-
loaded the pistol with charge Of the same size rs
oelore-about four fingers placed It ON the light
stand made herself cup Of tea. and waited TIL
Constable Vail came from Worcester and arrested
her. She slipped the handouts oil as soon a.
they were put on, and the experiment OF Stacking
her was not repeated After some talk sh,
showed Mr. Vail where the pistol was, and he dis.
charged it, getting good kick for his reward
lie has II now in his possession. She was taken
to jail that same afternoon by Sheriff Meader, of
Calais, and Sheriff Smith, Of Berlin
An INTERVIEW VIM THE RESPONDENT
The reporter Of the wArcHNAs had an inter
view with Mrs. Dodge soon after her arrival in
the jail during which she gave him her version Of
The affair, II differs In many important respects
from the story told by Gould and Gibbons. and II
true, makes out a strong case Of .cii-defencc
Nn Dodge Is tall, straight, muscular woman Of
hfty-four year.. She Is Eve feet ten 10 height
Of large frame, broad hips and shoulders. and
walks and talks with masculine decision Her
hair il iron-gray In color, and is gathered up be-
hind in small pug Her eyes are gray and very
large. and her mouth and chin give indication Of
the resolute character within. She asked how
Joel WIS, and shed tear when informed that his
condition WIS critical She says that joel ha.
often threatened her with bodily harm and once,
on the 18th Of last May, he raised an axe 10 strike
her, remarking You Cd d--n b-h, I will kill
| You" ON the day Of the shooting, soon after
their ARRIVAL, Dennis Gibbons went 10 the window
Of the house and made the most insulting pro-
| poSals TO her. When she heard their proposition
TO dig the potatoes she felt that they meant mis-
chief, and, remembering her husbands injunction
to protect herself, she went 10 salt-box in the
store-room, where the pistol was kept got it.
cooked It, aud put 1t under her apron When she
went out and forbade them digging the potatoes.
joel said to Dennis, Go ever to Pierce's and get
the ropes and we will bind the miserable b-h.
aud leave her on the grass till her husband
comes home" This Dennis refused 10 do alleging
that he was not at work for joel by the month,
and after like request 10 Gould, the project was
given up And In regard to this rope business,
both "Shack" and Mrs Dodge claim that they
can prove 10y Alexander Coffey, of Wnght's Mills
and others, that joel had rope or ropes in the
team, when he was going up to Bear Swamp on
Friday morning, which he stated he was going TO
use TO tie Mrs. Dodge with. Gould, on the other
hand, In conversation with the WArcnMAN re-
porter, denied this, and said that there was no
rope In the team. Mrs. Dodge says that she did
not throw the stones at Joel but merely tossed
two small stones at him. the first of which missed
and the second struck him a little below the hin
on the right thigh, and not in the bowels But
her most important contradiction Is In regard to
the manner Of Joels approach. She says that he
advanced TO her quickly, with the hoe raised over
his shoulder, and the blade turned towards her.
as il TO strike and that she firmly believed he
meant to iniure, II not to kill her Acting under
This belief she drew her pistol, and so rapidly did
he advance that when she fired he was close to
her, so that the mnzzle almost touched him she
took no aim and had no idea where the charge
would strike Moreover, she says that before
" Go and get your Cd d-n pistol; we have come
up here to have some fun" These are the chief
points Of variance between her story and that of
Joel's men, aud as Could Gibbons, Joel and Mrs
Dodge were the only witnesses Of the affair, the
truth must be ELECTED from their narratives 1t Is
due to Mrs. Dodge to say that she tells her story
with great apparent candor and truthfulness, and
with no apparent desire to conceal anytl Ing
The symmthies and opinion Of most OF the resi-
dents Of the northwest part Of Middlesex and Of
wright's Mills. includin. such men AS C. C. Put
nam and Medal Wright, are on the side Of her
aud her husband Shack 4" feels her imprison-
ment deeply, and says whatever the people may
say about her, she has been good and true wife
10 him.
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY
Mrs Dodge has had an eyentful history, and
Joel isn't the first man who has witnessed the re-
suits Of her proficiency in firearms Her maiden
name was Daphne Elyira Stoddard, and she is
the daughter Of Jasper Stoddard, who was sup
posed to be the strongest man Washington county
ever produced, and is still living in Worcester, at
m advanced age, but in vigorous health When
young girl, she went to live with Elias Wake
field, who kept.a notorious tavern on the old
county road in East Montpelier, where the widow
Morse now resides, aud who afterwards removed
To the Horn Of the Moon" where he kept a
still wore place, ifpossibe, the resort of all the
bad characters in the vicinity and the scene Of
as much hard drinking, gambling aud fighting,
as any place in the county. After Mrs. Wake
fields death, Elvin remained as the mistress Of
the establishment, and In time claimed to be
married to Wakefield, though this has always
knat I.,..l 81 l..s
her fathers strength and 1t is said that she
was able to handle any man that ever came
into wakefeds house. and like the man
Mark Twain tells about, always quelled an
inciplent row by knocking down all the rioters
beforehand. One OF her feats in those days was
to lift barrel Of cider, by the chimes and to hold
II in mid-air. About nineteen years ago she shot
man named Freeman Smith with u shotgun
and took the scalp pretty much off his head
Smith was rough, burly man, who used to dri nix
and gamble good deal and work n little, and at
that time his headquarters were at Wakefeld's
place, in the " Horn OF the Moon" The party
were playing cards, and, some dispute arising be-
tween Elyira and Smith, she told him she would
kill him. The dispute occurred in the kitchen.
Running through the front entry aud stting-room
to bedroom, she got the gun and started back.
Smith, apprchensiye OF mischief followed her,
and they met face to face, in the front entry. She
put the nuzzle close to his heart and In another
instant Smith would have been dead il Wake
field had not jumped just In time to knock the
muEzle up so the charge hit the top Of his head.
She was arrested; but so afraid were Wakefield
and the others present OF her. that ON the examin-
alton before the magistrate they contradcted
the story they told on the night Of the affair,
and made out clear case OF self-defence for her
She was married to Shack" about ten years
ago, and having sowel her wild oats, >" has APP
parently made him good and faithful wife.
THE EXAMINATION.
The examination Of Mrs. Dodge will take place
in this village, before Justice Huse, week from
tomorrow.
HARDwIcK.-C. S. Weeks for several years
past resident OF this town. is now an inmate Of
the county boarding -house," at St Johnsbury.
We understand he was arrested somewhere ia
New Hampshire, at the instance Of Mr. Cutler, Of
Barton. for smbezzling funds entrusted TO him
with which to purchase hemlock bark 1t seems
evident 10 us that Cutters perceptions could