Connecticut western news., 1877-01-19

Duelling.-The Hartford Times, com menting upon the late Bennett-May duel, makes these very sensible remarks in rela- ton to the so called [. code of honor
 The Bennett-May duel on Monday was the first that has occurred for long time. For the good of society it should be the last. The whole duelling code is mnrder- ous and barbarous. It does not provide the proper redress for insults and wrongs. Under 1t the innocent are abused and may be slain. When one is killed the surYiver usually leads an unhappy life. The blood of his victim {" will not out" It looks red and fresh in his eyes for years. The mon orr of neither is vindicated neither IS more honored for attempting to shed the blood of his fellowman. Relatives and friends are distressed. Society is disturbed 1 by duel. It is never made purer by 1t but is always harmed, for passions are reused among the friends of each, and the young and thoughtless catch the spirit o1 the s.code of honor," which demands hu- man life. Duelling should be discounte- nanced in all good society. In the ''clubs" of Europe and the United States it has been encouraged; for clubs" boast of the gentlemen" that belong to them. and the honor of gentlemen must be vindicated. But shere should be real gentlemen enough in the clubs to frown down every step 1n the direction of a duel. The man who frankly declines challenge should be hon, ored above him who sends 1t. But 1t may be said that the "code" requires the chal- Ienger to shoot at sight, in case he declines to fight. In every case of this kind the se- yerest penalties of the law should be visited upon the sssailant. If he kills his enemy, he should be hanged. There should be no pardons in such cases; while if the assail' ed, in self-defence, kills his assailant. he should be exempt from punishment. A few cases of this kind, in which the as- sailing party is either hanged or killed, would very materially cripple the whole code of duelling; and the honor of no true gentleman would suffer from it's decay. 1 Conn. Western Railxoad.-At the meet ing of ths stockholders of the Connecticut Western Railroad Co.,, in Hartford, last Saturday afternoon, the proposition of the
 bondho,ders, made at their meeting, Dec,
 goth, which proposed the funding of the
 bonds into preferred stock, was unani
 mouslY accepted, the entire vote of all the
 stockholders present, and who represented
 1906 of the 1s, 1886 shares of the road, be-
 ing in favor of 1t. After attending to the
 necessary business auxiliary to the carrying
 into effect the new order of things, tho
 meeting adjourned sine de.
 Below we give in full the proposition O.
 the bendholders, and which has been ac cepted:
 "The bondholders, when new organi
 Zation is perfected, will hold their bond and take, as collateral therefor, tbeir pa 7 value (fat) in preferred stock. Only preferred stockholders entitled t /! all the net earnings, until they shall hay
 received an amount equal to per cent. E 1876, and when such amount is received ], all net earnings in excess shall be credire Q to surplus, and when such surplus shall ez ceed per cent on the amount of the pre- | ferred stock. said excess shall be divided i , even per cent. upon the common stock. f Common stockholders shall have the righ , at any tune between this and A. D. 1900 f purchase and retire as whole the preferre O stock and the bonds, paying therefor at pa = value. and EnY arrears short at z per cent e semi-annusl above. Common stockboldel will a: reasonable times have access to tn books of the company.
 If deemed necessary, preferred stock l. holders shall return certificates and talk g others instead with conditions.
 A further condition is that prefeYre stockholders shall pay the committees sa ayY and expenses, together with the pre' e ept floating debt of the Connecticut Wei n tern railroad, and so much as may renal f unpaid when the present stockholders sha surrender the road and all it's property ! said stockholders"
 8 Canaan Valley Forty Years Ago.-M1 t ED1ToR While thinking of the death c f Uncle Geo. Tobey and John W. Mead. m t thoughts ran back about forty years, ar Q 1 could not help saying to myself: Wher e are the heads of families then living in {
 near Canaan Valley. About 25 rods sout
 of the spot where Bsiley's mill was burned e there was an old house, in which lived Ea t Bancroft and family. North of the mi g site was James Warner and family and a old man named Rorabatcher, who live t still farther north. Next came Harmo 8 and Edward Rockwell and their mother a Then came Uncle Ezra and old Aunt Hal s nah Donalds, living near the school hous. r Going west from the school house, yo :, pass the Quaker, and also the Methods d me citing houses, to John w. Mead's family y living very near to the Methodist churcl d Still farther west, lived John Watson an j. family, and quite near by them, and nes Il the brook, lived Watson's mother and s } ter. About one hundred rods northwe IF lived Daniel Spaulding and his wife, Thanl l. full. Uncle Daniel used to say that his wifi
 was Thankful every day. Old Grandmotl
 CT Benedict lived with them. She wa
 quite aged, and was the mother of Nose
 Benedict. Mrs. John W. Mead, Mrs. Da,
 iel Spaulding, Rev. Timothy Benedict an
 others. Going back to the school hous
 on the hil southeast, lived Uncle Jame
 Partridge and family. Still farther soutl
 east, lived Deacon Sanford Stevens an
 family. Going north from the schot
 house. lived Comfort Crofut and family,
 an old house now gone. On the corne
 about ene-half mile north of the scho.
 house, lived the widow Gleason and he
 daughter Clarissa Barber. On the nortl
 east corner lived Moses Benedict, Esq
 and family. On the northwest corner J,