Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-03-24
SHOT DEAD BY A BURGLAR.
Graphing with The Thief Before
Receiving the Fatal Shot.

The historical village of Valley Forge.
Pa, was thrown into high fever OF ex-
element at an early hour Friday morn
ing. March IS, when it became known
that Mr.. William Clugston, one of the
leading and most respected citizens, had
been murdered by an unknown burglar.
The story of the tragedy is best told by
the eldest son, Samuel ClugsiOn, who
was in the house at the time, and who
says that he took an active part in
the conflict with the burglar. AT
about o'clock Mr.. Clugston was
awakened by noise in his bedroom. He
saw hatless and coatless man moving
about the room with a cat-like tread, and
he at once demanded to know who was
there. The stranger replied, keep
still, old fellow, or you're dead man. /"
Mr., Clugston arose from his bed and
gave the alarm. The thief instantly
grappled with him, and terrible con
f1ict ensued. The aged wife screamed
for her son, who slept in another room.
Thomas Ciugston, aged %, says he at
once responded, but before he had time
to enter the room he heard two shots in
rapid succession. Those shots were fired
by the burglar, who was still graphing
with Mr.. CIugston. The son says:
"Just as | entered the room my father
reeled and fell, and | at once knew that
he had been shot. My mother was near
ly frantic. / saw the strange man as he
was attempting to leave the room, and /
at once attacked him. He was strong
and determined man, and in our violent
struggle we fell to the floor. The door
leading to the head of the stairs was
open, and we tumbled to the bottom of a
steep flight. l retained my hold of him
in the darkness, and called for help. /
managed to get the pistol from him, and
when | thought had mastered him he
mysteriously unbottoned his vest with
out my knowing it and thus slipped out
Of my grasp, ran to the front window,
and escaped as he had entered. fol-
lowed as best l could and fired two shots
after him, but did not hit him."
The man escaped in the darkness, hat
less, coatiess and shoeless, leaving his
apparel behind him. By this time the
neighbors were aroused and began to
assemble, and when they reached the
house they found old Mr.. Clugston lying
at the foot of the stairs in the hallway,
having reached the landing at the head
of the stairs after his son and the burglar
had plunged down headlong, and his
strength deserting him he fell When
found life was extinct, he having lived just
twenty minutes after being shot. Only
one shot took effect, the ball entering the
right side of the neck above the clavicle
and passing direct into the spinal column,
severing in its course the iugular vein
and carotid artery. Death was caused
by internal hemorrhage.
Among the effects left behind by the
burglar was pocketbook containing a
pawn ticket issued by the National Loan
Office of Baltimore, numbered 90 826,
and bearing the name of E. A. Abbot a
card upon which was written, edwin
Fl. Johnson, inquire at Nineteenth and
Poplar streets, 841 Mattock. (Signed) A
Friend;" photograph of little girl,
probably eight or nine years of age;
several hotel cards, three dollars and ten
cents in currency, and ten dollar note
of 1864 issue of the Allegheny County
State Bank. There was only one thief
in the house, but he had an accomplice
outside
When the son and the thief had tum-
bled down stairs, locked in each others
arms, the son says that he held his man
about ten minutes in the dark. The
county officials have the case in hand,
but up to a late hour no arrest had been
reported. Mr.. Clugston was Superin-
tendent and principal owner of the Val.
ley Forge Palm-fbre Paper Company.
He leaves wife and eleven children.