The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1879-10-31
Another Tragedy in Vermont.
"A Man Shot In self-defensc by His wife
and Her Father In Williston.

IN Another Tragedy in Vermont. /
A Man shot In seif-defense by His wife
and Her Father In wnliston.
The following is an account of the /,
as near as can be found out,
given by the wounded man, and it is
considered very nearly correct, notwith- I
standing the versions given by the pris- h
oners, which naturally tends to enlist
public sympathy for them:
According to Smiths statement, il
seems that for several months there has |
been a lack of harmony in the Sm'. tn
family, and about ten weeks ago Mrs.
Smith left the house and did not return
until Tuesday last. During her absence,
her father, Joseph d. Woods. who was
living with Smith, induced smith to
give him life-lease of his, landed prop
erty, buildings, ETC., Smith reserving
his personal property and effects. On
Thursday, Smith went to the junction
on business, returning about O'Clock
shortly after his return, he went to the
barn for the purpose of hitching up his
horse to go TO mill. Leading the horse
out OF the stable, he was met by the old
man, Wood, who ordered him to leave
the horse alone. Smith replied that il
was his horse and that he was going to
mill. Wood then drew his revolver on
Smith, threatening to shoot him; Smith
sprang aud caught the revolver and en-
deavored to wrest it from him. In the
struggle he. threw Wood down, upon
which his wife came out with drawn
revolver, also threatening to shoot her
husband. Smith then released his hold
of the old man and caught the revolver
aimed at him by his wife; Wood soon
got up and at once commenced firing
upon Smith, dischargiDg five shots at
him, three of them taking effect; one
grazing the top of his head, one enter
ing the forearm and lodging in the
vicinity of the wrist, and one entering
the side, in the region of the liver be-
tween the ribs and the bowels. When
the old man began firing, Smiths wife
cried out: "Give it to him, father;
give it to him, father!" and freeing her
own weapon from Smiths grasp, she
fired one shot at him, this taking effect
in the lower part OF the neck and lodg-
ing in the vicinity of the lungs. AT
the last shot fired by his wife, Smith
cried out, "You have. killed me-"
They then ceased firing and left him to
obtain assistance as he could. Almost
fainting from the loss of blood pouring
from three fearful wounds, Smith drag
ged bis way to the house of a Mr..
Thompson, about quarter of mile
distant and fell exhausted in the door
yard. Immediately DR.. Ferrin, the
family physician, and the authorities
were sent for, and DIR. Ferrin probed
the wounds, extracting the ball from
the wrist, but not finding the others.
Smith was conscious, and though in
great distress spoke freely of the affair
10 reporters. When addressed con-
corning his condition, he replied that he
supposed be must die; when asked if
: he was ready for the great change that
awaited him, he replied "I am afraid
not. Prayer was offered by DIR. John
son and Samuel Place, Smith Joining.
J Smith has several small children; one
, of them, little girl about three years
, of age, followed him to Thompson's
house by the stream of blood he trailed
along the ground. One of his little
: boys, about five years old, came into
, the room where he was lying, and the
wounded man said to him: "My son,
have tried to care for you and send
D you to school since your mother has
8 been gone, and now your father
must de-" The little one seemed to
take in the awfulness of the situation
and manifested degree of concern and
I feeling that would melt stony heart
8 into tenderness. Mrs. Smith and Mr..
Wood are under arrest and in Jail at
:, Burlington. They seem to betray no
anxiety whatever, and treat the matter
Q as lightly as if only the blood of a
8 dumb beast had been shed by their
f hands. The shooting and the number
of shots they both admit, but say that
: Smith knocked the old man down and
then was fired upon. But how the old
: man Wood happened to be at the stable
Q door, some distance from the house and
a armed with revolver, is matter they
have not yet explained; or why both
of them were armed with revolvers,
0 when Smith had never been known to
Q possess offensive weapons. 1t is also
= stated by reliable authority, that Mrs.
. Smith has been heard to say not long
l since, that she " would kill Smith if she
Q could not get rid of him in any other
a way" The revolver she recently
. bought in Williston. Many of the
! neighbors now say that Smith was q
9 peaceable and law-abidiDg citizen, but
I. that his wife was quarrelsome and I'M
! comfortable person. 1t would seem
that the motive which prompted the
y wife and her father to injure or muir
q der Smith, was a desire to get control
: Of his property. 1t is hardly possible
> that the wounded man can recover.
LATER.-Luman A. Smith of Willis
ton, who was shot by his wife and
= father-in-law, on Thursday, died at 80,
Saturday evening, and an autopsy was
. held Sunday afternoon by DIR. s. w
Thayer, assisted by DIR. Geo. g. Briggs
y of Burlington, and DR.. e. M. Ferrin
e of Essex Junction. The funeral was
: held Monday forenoon, at bis former
residence in Hinesburgh.