Daily Republican., 1879-11-10

where he stopped at - ---
grocery store where he had some bust
ness to transact. On the way up Frencl
from Third to Twelfth, he noticed tha
three men were following him, but pait
no attention to the fact at the time
other than that he noticed they KEEP
the same distance behind him all tn,
way up. On leaving the grocery stor'
he did not see the men and he supposed
they had gone on out French street
Mr.. Toft then passed up Twelfth stree
tc Delaware avenue and thence on to
wards home without meeting anything
unusual until he reached Clayton stree
and Pennsylvania avenue, when III
heard some one call him by name.
Looking up Clayton street he saw two
men standing alongside the fence
which surrounds the lawn of Mr.. Tay.
lor Cause, whose residence stands al
the intersection Of those streets, one o
them being a tall, dark whiskered
fellow, while the other was somewhat
shorter and very stout. Mr.. Toft hesi
tated moment on the corner when the
tall man again spoke, saying: "Mr.
Toft can see you a moment?" Not
suspecting anything, and thinking that
the man was an acquaintance, Mr.. T.
hesitated no longer but advanced TO-
ward the two men. He had almost
reached the spot where they stood,
when the tallest one suddenly sprang
forward and caught Mr.. Toft by the
collar Of his coat. A tussel then insued
between the two. Mr.. loft divining
they meant robbery, drew his revolver,
but had hardly succeeded in getting it
out of his pocket when the short man
stepped up behind him and struck him
a severe blow on the back of the head
With blunt instrument, telling him
to the pavement. His revolver was
then wrenched from his hand by the
tallest man who Immediately placed
the muzzle against the right temple of
the PROSTATE man, and fired, the ball
entering the right side of the head
about half way between the temple and
the ear.
Mr.. Toft lost consciousness for few
minutes after the shot was fired, and
when he recovered the men had fled,
and when Mr.. 7. found he could not
rise he called for help. Mr.. Ferguson
heard his cries and found him as above
stated. An examination of the wound
ed mans clothing indicated pretty
rough handling, and the torn and emp
ty pockets proved conclusively that the
cause Of the assault was robbery.
In short time DR.. Greenleaf arrived
followed by DR.. Grimshaw, and after
making an examination the physicians
probsd for the ball but although they
could touch it, its position was too dan
gerous for them to attempt to remove
It, and they gave it as their opinion
that while the wound was bad one,
il was not necessarily fatal in its char
acter; they also discovered a confusion
IN the back of Mr.. IT'S head, caused 1t
Is supposed by the first blow received
IS described above.
After placing the wounded man safe
Iy in bed, Mr.. Ferguson and several
others procured a lantern and went
back to the scene of the assault.
Upon searching they found Mr.. T.'s
revolver, a seven shooter, with one
emptied, cloth bag in which
Mr.. T. had about $40 in silver, and a
mall buckskin purse. The cloth bag
vas empticd but the small purse which
lad evidently been dropped by the rob-
,ers had not been opened and contained
bout $40 in notes.
That the assault was a premsditated
me there is hardly any doubt, as in
addition to the facts that Mr.. Toft no.
iced the men following him on French
Itreet, the lamp at Pennsylvania Ave-
1ue and Clayton streets, where the as
,ault occurred, had been extinguishsd
evidently by the robbers. A great deal
If sympathy is expressed for Mr.. Toft
who is spoken Of very highly by those
Who know him. He was for some years
foreman for Mr.. A. s. Jones, and but
, few months since started buAiness for