On Sunday night last the house of , who resides about five miles east of this , was visited by two ruffians who sought for money, and threatened the lives of Mr and Mrs Badham if they would not give it to them. They obtained four dollars and fifty cents a gun and a watch, and stabbed in the abdomon. His life was almost dispaired of; but we are informed that he is in a fair way for recovery. The particulars of the outrage, so far as we are informed, are as follows:
Two men called upon about midnight, and told him that they had a letter for him from his neice who resides in . After handing the letter to , they withdrew for a short time, when perceived that the letter was fictitious and of course was led to suspect that his visitors had some evil design. They immediately returned, and wanted to stay with him for the night, but he refused them admittance; they however insisted, and forcibly rushed into the house, wher upon he seized a poker and struck one of them, upon which a scuffle ensued, and being overpowered they tied his hands behind him, and proceeded to search the house for money which they said they had been informed he possessed to a large amount. Having failed in their object they threatened him that if he would not inform them where his money was they would kill him: he still persisted that he had no money, upon which one of the parties led out on the prairie telling him that he had his money hid out on the prairie, and that if he would not discover it he would kill him, the other ruffian, in the mean time stayed with Mrs Badham with a drawn bowie knife threatning to kill her if she made any alarm. After two fruitless attempts to discover his money by leading into the prairie, he was taken to his house. Mrs Badham was then threatened by the villains, that if she would not discover to them their money, they would kill her. She stated however, that all they possessed was four dollars and a half, which she handed to them, whereupon the heartless wretches dasappointed [disappointed] in their expectations struck in the abdomen with a bowie knife, and left him in that situation. The ruffians had their faces disfigured; but Mrs Badham thought she recognized the voice of one of them, as being a stranger who had stayed with them over night a few nights before. They had given the stranger some information concerning their niece, from which it is supposed they had conceived the idea of obtaining an introduction through the medium of a letter from their niece. was immediately sent for, and rendered all the medical assistance that lay in his power. We are happy to say, that there is some prospect of his recovery. There has no clue as yet been given to the discovery of the scoundrels.
Since the above was put in type, we have learned the following particulars from . The ruffians had a bag with a strong cord drawn round the mouth which they attempted to put onto the head of , to prevent his speaking, or giving any alarm, but they failed and tore his shirt from his back in the scuffle, and when one of the villains led him out he shouted to alarm the neighbors and he was then stabbed. He also informed us that one of the men was about twenty or twenty five, and the other was an aged man; that Mrs. Badham supposed that both of them had been at their house before: that the old man came professing to be sick, and that she had made some coffee for him and administered to his wants; that he had made several enquiries relative to their circumstances; but that she was not able fully to recognise them, on account of their faces being blackened. We hope the scoundrels may be detected, and brought to condign punishment. [p. [2]]