The Newtown bee., 1905-12-15
CIRCULATION
600
445O
Ten Pages.
OUR NEIGHBORS.
SOUTHBURY,

Rev David Pierce, Tor many years
the pastor Of the Congregational
church in Southbury Street, went vi
olently insane on Thursday last, and
it was with great difficulty he was pre-
vented from injuring the members of
his household. His wife and daugh-
ter have lived with him and for a
while during the rawlings Of the clergy
man their lives were in imminent
peril. Unfortunately, part of the
furnishings of Mr. Pierce'S residence
are i'll suited to such condition of af-
fairs as was presented, last week,
when the reverend gentleman took it
into his head to attack somebody.
For the most part of his adult life Mr.
Pierce has collected from all parts of
the world various implements used in
battle and personal combats. He has
pistols, rifles, carbines, shot-guns,
blunderbuSses and ancient fowling
pieces galore. Bows and arrows, such
as the aborigines used, such as Will
liam Tell used, and such as were used
by the Royal archers of old, decorate
the walls of his museum room. Then
in conspicuous places were war clubs,
and tomahawks, javelins and spears,
the bolo of the Filipino, and the boom
erang Of the bushwhacker; the bowie
knife of Texas and the stiletto of Sic
lily, the cutlass of the sea and the
sword of the field. These and many
other implements Of destruction, an
cient and modern, Mr. Pierce had to
choose from when he started out to
begin the attack that this insane man
told him to make. He selected a re-
volver from his collection and dis
charged it once. The shots aroused
ter ran up stairs to see what it was all
about. He responded to their curios-
ity by saying he would kill them and
with sword and spear he chased
them around the house and it was
only by dexterous lodging that they
avoided harm. In momentary spell
of cOmpoSure which overcame the in
sane man, the women managed to eS-
cape to the street and they soon en-
listed the assistance of several men
among the neighbors. Henry Garfield,
G. B. Pierce, Samuel Fierce and Ezra
Pierce went into the house and for a
time they feared that they had met
more than their match. Mr. Pierce is
a man IS yvars old and of powerful
physique, which age has not seemed
to weaken much. He was armed with
club with which he was prepared to
meet the men who advanced against
nim. AS they approached him eau
tiously he made sudden dash and
with his left hand clutched Henry
Garfield by the long hair on his head
The hold was one of steel and Garfield
couldn't break away from it. The
clergyman's right hand held the club
and with this he began to belabor poor
| Garfield over the shoulders. The 9TH
er men didn't stop to deliberate, but
rushed in to save their comrade. They
surrounded the clergyman and after a
hard struggle succeeded in overpower.
ing him. Then they kept him in a
vise-like grip until he had quieted
down somewhat. DR. Augustin Crane
| of Waterbury, who is the family ply
sician, was summoned and he advised
| that the clergyman be removed to the
asylum, and later he was taken
TO the Hartford Retreat. Rev
Mr. Pierce's aftliction has aroused gen.
eral sympathy in the neighborhood as
he is very highly thought Of. He has
been the beloved pastor of the church
at Southbu-y for great many years
and has always been close student.
He supplied at this church up to Au-
gust last, when he was forced to give
up by ill health. The last time he
ot1iciated in public was at the funeral
of George Hickok, son of Henry Hic-
kok. He had been moody for week
past but Thursday was the first time
he showed violence. One Of his sons,
Frederick Erastus Pierce, is in New
Haven, an instructor at Yale univer-
sity. This son graduated from Yale a
The other members of his family con-
siSt of wife and two other children.
On Friday morning DR. Crane, Freder-
lex E. Pierce and Henry Garfield took
him to the Hartford Retreat The
attack is said to be due to clogging
Of the arteries which supply the brain
The S. N. E. Telephone Co. are put
ting new line from the sand corner
on the South Britain road up Georges
Hill as far as Cyrus Gray's. Mr. Gray,
Frank Seeley and Willis Fowler are to
have phones in their homes.
Mr. and Mrs Harry Wilson had a lit
tie daughter arrive at their home,
Sunday, December 3.
SOUTH BRITAIN.
'THEY FLEW DE COOP"