Smyrna times., 1866-12-05
WHOLE NO. OBS

down stairs to get water at either quarter or
half past eleven. Again went down stairs 10
see If he could find his wife, found the trout
door, which ne had locked when he went tt
bed, ajar, witness asked him. Peterson did
she go away III her night clothes. prisoner said
no and described the clothes she had worn
away. 1t was found from John Thomas. that
his mother must have had 81 or 80. Prisoner
thought she might have given some Of thI, to
get some one to take her away and the balance
to some one to keep quiet her whcreaboutS.--
Witness suggested offering so reward to find
her; and prisoner said he would give so.
The next time he saw prisoner was on Sun
day morning, May 9th, when he got neigh
bors to search premises said to prisoner that
there was strong suspicion that Mrs. \. had
been murdered, and they wished to search the
premises; Armstrong consented.
Searched the house hurriedly and found no.
thing suspicious, were looking tor the body and
not for signs Was back of the house at the
pump getting drink saw on the porch stain
OF blood six inches to IA foot in size, and found
spots of blood on the floor and walls of the
meal room. Made another search that after
noon but found nothing more. On Monday
morning went back to the premises at about 8
o o'clock, a. NJ. \ good many Of the neighbOrS
were standing near the pig pen looking at
hole that had been cleaned ont. Saw few
Jumps of clay near the pig pen, searched car
rage house and found nothing, went 10 stable
and found all the stalls clear Of manure and
straw but one which looked as though horse
had been standing in it for week-there was
from four inches to foot of manure all over
the floor of this stall got fork and commenced
punching around the floor, found it i'll one place
soft and yielding, commenced digging with the
fork. Prisoner came into the stable and said,
Ebenezer, there's no use looking here. |
filled up that hole last week for the benefit Of
my horses" Witness said nothing, but took
the fork again and recommended digging; pri-
sOner again nterfercd and repeated his former
remark; witness again commenced digging and
prisoner interfered again as before; soon after
this third interference, witness, who persisted
In digging, put his fork into something which
did not seem like earth, and raised it up with
the remark, "What in the name Of God is
this = On examination it was found that all
the clothes which the prisoner had said that
his wife had worn away, except the shoes, were
buried IN this hole; witness turned and caught
Armstrong by the collar saying, your wife is
a murdered woman, and you are her murderer;
for your little chlldren's, your own, and my
sake, tell where her body is!' The prisoner
said nothing, but trenbled violently, and hung
his head He took prisoner into the road and
| again charged him with murder; prisoner said
that she had put the clothes there herself to
convict him." witness shook him and said,
you lmpudent puppy. you said in that stable
| that you filled up that hole yourself last week,
and your wife was gone the week before pri-
sOner said nothing, but again hung down lis
head witness then turned him over to the con-
stable. lie further testified in regard to the
bolt found on the premises; that when the I'.-
putty Coroner held the inquest, no bolt was
found; witness after that time saw it lying in
the yard and took it over to the depot he at
terwards went and got it again; identified the
| bolt shown as the one he had seen in the yard.
Mr.. Ayres, aneighbor of fArmstrong' 5, among
other testimony, stated the following:
Armstrong after this took his seat on stile
| from which he could see both stable and pig
pen. Witness sat down beside him and said
this disappearance was sad affair. Prisoner
replied, God knows it grieves me. y Witness
said, "a good many suspicion you" Prisoner
made no reply, but told him about the trouble
with his wife; told him nearly the same story
he had told to Ebenezer EliasOn; said that
when she came out Of the cellar on that Satur-
day, she had run at him with a knife and sea-
ed him by the throat; that he merely pushed
her away and it was then that she ran out into
the road and cried murder He also said that
after she had spoken to him in tie back yard
about following her. he had answered her that
he was afraid she was going away, and that he
was determined that she should not 60 in that.
condition; that if she would go back to bed
and wait until morning, she might go in well
come. Witness asked him, Don't YOU think
it likely that you slapped or kicked your wife
O little harder than you supposed you did, and
that in consequence she has gone off and died?"
lie replied, :" did slap and kick her, Int did
not hurt her. Witness said, If you did not
hurt her, how came blood on the portico and
meal room" he says, what blood2' Witness
says, Come here and will show YOU" Be
fore they got to the corner Of the house, priso-
ner said, Il killed calf some tims ago" lie
went towards meat house, but witness called
him back. When they got on the porch Wit
ness said, THAT is blood, and human blood,
because it is dark, and it looks as If some one
made no reply, and after while said, IL guess
the children had some chickens killed by the
rats some time ago." Prisoner then showed
witness another spot of blood on butter tub
in the back she'd, and went back to the stile
and took his seat Prisoner said his wife was
deranged, that she had been for long time,
that he had noticed it the third day after their
marriage. and that on Saturday she was more
deranged than ever before.
A portion of MINUS III. Coverdaie te~tiIno-
ny was as follows:
He armstrong; said that Cad" had done
wrong; that he Thought she ought to have
signed away her right i'll her property to hu;
that he could then make more Of it by laying
out town on 1t near the depot, und selling
lots. COverdale said he would oppose her
signing away her property. Prisoner at first
seemed sorry that he had Whipped his wife,
but after this remark manifested different
feeling. She came to witness house ON nm
other occasion very much bruised up, but vii.
ness saw prisoner about it. The third time
she came was in December, 1862 She was
very much bruised UP, and she remained there
between FIVE and six months. N''
The property referred to belonged to John
Douglass, and descended oAlrs. Amstropc and
Mrs. Coverdale. Witness and his wifi, deedaJ J
their right in it to the deceased. Mrs Srpu Arm
strong = father died in 1913, aud she was mar
rIed in September, 1859, She was rather %
slightly built; and weighed about 100 pounds;
was not in Mrs. Armstrong; house for six
months before the murder, not being on speak
ing terms with the prisoner
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