Year: 1867

From the BuGdlo Courier


For many years two famiies occupying re-
spectacle position have resided in Evans Centre
one named Dole, the orher Wright. Mr.. Doles
family consists OF himself, an old man; his wife,
two sons, Joseph and Francls, and q young
lady named Elizabeth Carpenter, formerly of
Albion. Mrs Wright is a widow, having two
children, EuniCe and Charles s., the latter a
young man OF eighteen, employed on the Lake
Shore Railroad, aud universally known as a
young man OF laborous and steady habits and
the only support of his widowed mother. Two
years since, Joseph Dole married Eunice
Wright, and from this union has come the
terrible affair OF last night For long time
the pair have been the theme of unfailing
gossip in this vicinity. They seldom lived
together, Dole at times visiting his wife at her
mothers house, and she, now and then, staying
at his fathers house for few DAYS. A little
over a year ago child was born, and since
then the conduct OF Joseph has been considered
by the neighbors to be very singular. He utterly
refused to support his wife and child, and
popular indignation has been widely aroused at
his course. At last il was announced that the
Doles had bought II farm near Warsaw, and
were about to remove tnither. Meanwhile
Joserh's wife, seeing no hope of support from
her husband, and desiring to bring the matter
before legal tribunal, threw herself upon the
Superintendent of the Poor, WHO brought an
action to compel Dole to support her properly.
The trial came off before Justice JOSIAH
Southwlck, when Joseph was ordered to give
bonds to pay 500 for the care of the child
for year. As a bar to the demand of his wife
Dole exhibited a bill of divorce which he had
Just obtained from court in Elkhart county,
Indiana. The announcement filed the friends
OF his wife with astonishment. They had had no
notice of such proceedings, and were indignant
at the course OF Dole, and it is evident that the
people OF the village very generally sympaLhiZe
with them. The moment the trial was over Jo-
Beph Dole and his fathers family started to leave
the court TOom the former being materially as
sisted down stairs, 1t ! said, by Charles Wright;
Dut the parties did not come near enough for
any serious rencOntre, and the Doles speedily
made their way hOmea sort OF impromptu in
dlgnation meeting seems to have been held, for
somewhat later in the night a crowd of thirty
or forty men and boys collected In front OF
Dole's house, with the avowed determination
OF putting him through IN revenge Tor his
treatment OF his wife. They did not gain access
to the house, and separated; but the mischief
did not end there. Towards three o'clock in
the morning party of young men, numbering
perhaps a dozen, with blackened faces and
otherwise disguised, aroused the family, who
with difficulty had at last found sleep. It is
alleged that they threatened to tear down the
house If Joseph was not given up to them.
However this may be, their avowed intention
was to take him out and give him coat of tar
and feathers, or otherwise punish HIM. About
half-past half-a-dozen of them succeeded in
making an entrance by breaking in the door of
an outer room, and made Their way to the
apartment where the offending husband was
supposed to be sleeping. Two of the party
entered an adjoining bedroom, which on
this occasion was occupied by Mr.. Irish,
a lawyer employed on the trial of the pre-
viOus evening, and who had determined to
spend the night at his clients house. A strug-
gle ensued, in which Mr.. Irish's head was thrust
against window with such violence as to
break the sash. in the meantime, old Mr..
Dole had become engaged with three or four
more of the assailants, who in the dark were
unable to find Joseph, he being hid in a closet
of the adjoining room. At this juDcture,
Frank Dole, boy of seventeen, hearing the
cries, seized dou5e.barrelled shotgun and
rushed to the door of the room i'll which his
father was engaged. The weapon, he says,
was instantly wrested from his hand, he can.
not tell by whom. He made his way through
the combatants and up stairs. A moment later
he heard report, and looking out of the win
dow, he saw the party run from the house and
collect at the gate. In about ten minutes, ac-
cording to the story Of Frank, Mr.. Isaac West
the hotel-keeper, entered and asked who was
shot His face was blackened at the time. A
light was procured, and on entering the middle
room, Charles Wright was found lying on the
floor in a dying condition. A physician was
summoned, but the young man was dead with
out having given utterance TO any coherent
expression. He lay there till 6 O'Clock this
morning, when he was taken home the ap.
pearance of his dead body being the first an
nouncement to his heartbroken mother and
sister OF the tragedy. His face and hands were
Elackened, his coat was turned wrong side out
and covered with blood. II was found that the
entire charge q very heavy load of large shot


had entered the back near theRright shoulder
blade, penetrating so far to blow away the
lower part of the lung. The Doles insist that,
however much they might have been justified
in proceeding to eXtremities, none of the family
fired the fatal shot, and claim that some of the
assailng party, either by accident or mistake,
caused the death of their companion. That
some of the young men had been drinking
during the night there can be no doubt-hoW
much and with what result will probably be
made known by the Coroner's investigation.