The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1857-11-04

a bill against the prisoner. The evil
dence of his guilt, if guilty, might be
small. More information might be OBJ.
tanned. Should lie be acquitted he
could not be molested again, whatever
testimony should rise up against him.
The grand jury, however, did find bill
but by majority of only one.
At length the time of trial arrived
Smith was brought into court and placed
at the bar. A great crowd thronged the
room, eager and anxious to see the pris-
oner, and to hear the trial. He himself
appeared firm and collected. Nothing
in his manner or appearance indicated
guilt; and, when the question was put
to him by the clerk, care you guilty or
not guilty ?" he answered with an un-
faltering tongue, and with countenance
perfectly unchanged, mot guilty"
The counsel for the prosecution now
opened the case. But it was now appa-
rent that he had little expectation of
being able to prove the prisoner guilty.
He stated to the jury, that the case was
in great mystery. The man was of re-
spectability and of property. The de-
ceased was supposed to have had about
him gold and jewels to large amount !;
but the prisoner was not so much in
want of funds as to be under strong
temptation to commit murder. And
besides, if the prisoner had obtained the
property, he had effectually concealed it.
Net trace of it could be found.
Why, then, was the prisoner suspect
ed p? The deceased, Henry Thompson,
was jeweler, res; ding in London, and
a man of wealth. He had left London
for the purpose of meeting trader at
Hull, cf whom he expected to make a
large purchase. The trader he did meet;
and after the departure of the latter,
Mr.. Thompson was kncwn to have in
his possession jewels and gold to large
amount.
With these in his possession, he left
Hull on his return to London. It was
not known that he stepped until lie
reached Smiths, and the next morning
was discovered dead in his bed. He
died, then, in Smiths house and if it
could be shown that he came to his death
in an unnatural way, it would increase
the suspicion that the prisoner was in
some way connected with the murder.
Now, then, continued the counsel, it
will be proved beyond the possibility of
doubt that the deceased died by poi
son. What vas that poison? 1t was
recent discovery of some German chem
lists, said to be produced from distilling
the seed of the wild cherry tree. 1t was
a poison more powerful than any other
known, and deprived of life SO immedi-
atcly as to leave no marks of suffering
and no contortion of the features.
But then the question, when and by
whom was it administered Oae cir
cumstance, small one indeed, and yet
upon it might hang horrid tale, was,
that the stopper Of Il small bottle of a
very singulard escli. ton had been found
in the prisoners house. The stopper
had been examined, aud said by medical
men to have belonged to German Vi
al, containing the k,cd of poison he had
described. But, then, was that poison
administered by Smith, or at his insti
CATION? Who were tie prisoners fam
lily? 1t consisted only OF himself, a
housekeeper aud one man servant. The
man servant slept in an outhouse ad-
joining the stable, and did SO on the
night of Thompson's death. The pris-
oner slept in one end of the house, the
housekeeper at the other, and the de-
ceased had beeu put in room adjoining
the housekeeper's.
It could be proven that about three
hours after midnight, en- the night of
Thompson's death, a light had been seen
moving about the house, and that a
figure holding the light was seen to go
from the room in which the prisoner
slept to the housekeeper's room; the
light now disappeared for minute when
two persons were seen, but whether
they went into Thompson's room the
witness could not swear but shortly
after they were observed to pass quite
through the entry of Smiths room, in
which they entered, and in about five
minutes the light was extinguished.
The witness would further state, that
after the person had returned with the
light into Smiths room, and before it
was extinguished he had twice perceived
some dark object to intervene between
the light and the window, almost as
large as the surface of the window itself,
and which he described by saying it ap-
peared as if door had been placed be-
fore the light. Now, in Smiths room,
there was nothing that could account
for this appearance, and there was neith-
er cupboard nor press in the room, which,
but for the bed, was entirely empty; the
room in which he dressed being dis
tance beyond it:
The counsel for the prosecution here
concluded what he had to say. During
his address, Smith in no wise appeared |
to be agitated or rdistressed-and equally |