The Wichita daily eagle., 1897-12-23

Wife and the Husband Coming Home a
Few Minutes Later is Brought Down
by Their BuIIets-Mrs, Lambert Now
swears That She Recognized One of the
Voices as That Belonging to One of His
former Scholars.
Wilton, Conn, Dec. 22.-TNne masked
robbers who last evening visited Old
Academy. chloroformed Mrs. David S.
r. Lambert, ransacked the house and
taen snot down Mr.. Lambert as ne
crossed mis- own threshold, fell just short
of their murderous purpose. All night
and all day he mas lain unconscious. MS
devoted wife and tine doctors watching
at his bedside. hoping against hope that
before the last flicker of life dies out he
may be able to tell VINO it was that sent
him staggering with a bullet in his side
and then. in wanton ferocity or despera-
ate fear of detection, emptied three
more chambers of his revolver into the
falling form
Mrs. Lambert believes she knows the
robbers. Although they were masked,
she heard their voices, and in one Tecog-
nized. she says. the tones OF a young
man who was formerly a pupil OF Mr..
Lambert. His name was Ben" Willis.
He remembered as a bright faced lad,
VINO spent five years under the school
masters care. and then went away, 10
return at intervals, each time little
more seeiy in appearance. little more
harden in feature. Persons speak OF
him now as tramp.
L is the gentle character Of Mr. Lam
bert that makes the crime so dastardly
in the eyes of his neighbors. From MS
birth ne led a quiet, dreamy existence in
the home where his family had been for
generations living peaeeahly with all
men and enjoying their esteem for mis-
kindness. He never had an enemy, they
sqy. and he was OF so Slight a frame that
his assailants could easily nave master
ei him without attempting murder. The
natural deduction is that he recognized
them. and they feared exposure.
The Old Academy as it is popular
" known, is a large. three story struct-
ure in the Colonial style with many
gabied wings and small paned windows.
i stands about fifty feet from the turn
pike. half hidden by a tsgle Of lilac
bushes and bare limbed trees. Rusty
lyon gates guard the path 70 the front
door. The yard, once a garden, is now a
dreary stretch of weeds and dead leaves.
No one knows exactly how old the house
Is. but it was built by Mr.. Lambert's
great-grandfSther more than a hundred
years ago.
The house formerly was used as pri-
vate school, but Of late years pupils
dwindled away gradually, and Mr. and
Mrs. Lambert have conducted a leisurelv
sort Of farming. Mr. Lambert drove
every Friday 70 Sourn Norwa,k with
produce. and returned IN the evening
with supplies for tsle household. Beyond
doubt Jile robbers knew Of this custom.
Mrs. Lambert sat reading some letters
IN the sitting room just before s O'clock
on Friday evening. She heard the back
door open and steps along the ensrv yvsv
and rose - open the door. supaosinr i
was her husband. AS she peere1 inso
the dark passage two men stro5a io-o
the room and seized her roughly. Black
masks coRcealei their faces. ana ho,,
he'd revolvers
The men asked where her husband
was, said something about money. AMI
onen seized MIS- Lambert ana flung her
into a chair. A handkerchief saturated
witn coloroform vas held 10 her face
Until sne Loss consciousness, when aer