The Press., 1884-02-28
At Purchase in Fairfield county

l k ing grain during the day, and on their re- turn to the house there was talk among them of going to sociable in the evening
 Thomas went by himself and his father and William drove to the place somewhat later. Thomas met them at the barn and offered to help unhitch the horses from | their wagon. The father and son jumped 1 from the wagon, and almost immediately l William pulled revolver from his over coat pocket and leyeling it at his brother. pulled the trigger. The ball missed it's l mark, and Thomas sprang upon him and tried to wrest the weapon from him. In the scuffie that ensued William got his arm around Thomass neck, and while holding him in that manner, shot him in tho back, the ball, which was of 32-caliber, entering an inch and a half from the spine, on the right side, and taking downward ground. William, thinking him dead, leveled the pistal at his fathers head and again pulled the trigger, but the cartridge failed toexplode. He then ran away to his fathers home. There seems to be no wis., ible cause for the shooting. The brothers had quarrel about 8 year ago on the oc. casion of Williams marriage, but were now apparently on the best of terms. The morning after the shooting William told some people who came to his house that he had shot his brother and meant to shoot his father. He was not arrested until noon of Friday, having meantime made no attempt at escape or concealment. He is said to have borne bad character, while his brother was highly esteemed. There is little hope of the injured mans recovery.
 A writer in Demorests Magazine gives the following account of an Ashford family and it's development:-
 Years ago, 8 family of four-a father, 8 mother and two sons-dwelt in 8 small house situated in the toughest locality of the then rocky town of Ashford, Conn. The family was very poor. few acres of stony land, dozen sheep and one COW supported the family j; the sheep clothed them, and the COW gave milk and did the work of 8 horse in blowing and narrowing. Corn bread, milk and bean porridge were their fare. The father being laid aside by ill-health the burden of supporting the family rested on the mother. She did her work in the house and helped the boys to do theirs on the farm. Once, in the dead of winter, one of the boys required a new suit of clothes. There was neither money nor wool on hand. The mo her sheared the half grown fleece from the sheep, and in one week the suit was on the boy. The shorn sheep was protected from the cold by a garment made of braid ed straw. The family lived four miles from the meeting house." Yet every Sunday the mother and her two sons walk ed to church. One of these sons became the pastor of the church at Franklin, Conn. to whom he preached for sixty-one years. T1xv0 of ob7 to make the world better The other son also became minister, aud then one of the most successful of college presidents. Hundreds of young men were moulded by him. That heroic christian woman s name was Deborah Nott She was mother of the Rev. Samuel Nott and of Eliphalet Mott, president of the college.
 Rev. Samuel Mott was the third minis ter of West Farms (Franklin) and was or dained March 18th, 1792 His mother was Deborah Sel9en of Lyme. The church then consisted of seventy-two members He died at Franklin, May 2ath, 1852, and was buried in the old burying ground in this town. In sermon preached on the sixtieth anniversary of his ordination, he stated that he had during his pastorate been detained from duties by indisposi- tion only eleven Sundays, and five of these were in consequence of a slight injury up on the right hand. He said: My hand and life were for some time in great dan ger. Rev. William Woodbridge, a class mate and very particular friend, preached for me four Sundays, and on the fifth lay dead 1n my house, being suddenly call+ d to give an account of his steward ship. 7" The church standing on the hill top here, which can be seen for miles around, is still called 'sDr. Nott's meeting house."