The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1867-06-21


had tho privilege of the parlor and also of tho
kitchen. They cooked in the kitchen every day
when they were hero. Sometimes she was not
| present, and the witness family cooked for them
He might have been In the room with Mrs John
did not remember. Heard Of the shooting
on Sixth street from bis niece who was running
after a policeman. Mr. Willard paid S25 per
month for his board and lodging; slept on the
| sofa when the couple were not at home. Smoot
had been In the house for the last month nearly
every day. Mrs. Dorsey is the name Of my niece,
Her husband lives with Judge Hughes Smoot
and Mrs johnson were together when the room
was rented, Mrs. johnson did tho renting; she
spoke Of law business as making II necessary to
take a room convenient to the court Had heard
Of Mrs. johnson not being married to smoot,
| and questioned hor about some hyo or six weeks
since. md she said she was willing to be qualified
She said she had been living with a man by the
name Of Johnson and that she had left him.
| Detective Kelly sworn. Said that the prisoner
stated In the Central guardhouse that no 70.
ceived information that his wife was living In
certain house with Smoot. lie went there, and
walked up stairs and found the woman and man
IN the room together Smoot was undrossed
and as soon as he (SmooD saw johnson he at.
tempted to open a drawer in the bureau, and
then the prisoner drew pistol from his pocket
and fred one shot. He attempted to Gre again
when his wifo caught him, and tho pistol
snapped.
| Mrs. Eliza Redmon, who lives in Massachu.
sets avenue was sworn, and said that man came
into her place yesterday and asked who lived In
the two story frame house around the corner;
she would not know the man II she saw him again
Have never heard anything about sawycr's
| house. Have no reasons for my own suspicious
Have seen the advertisement Of Madame Aholiab
as a fortuno.t teller, and the number was the same
| as Sawyer's house.
| Mr.. Willard, recalled, said that he never saw
any one In the room with Mrs. johnson but
Smoot. Was never alone with her himself. M o.
Sawyer processes to be a medium, and advertisos
under tho name Of Aholiab-her husbands chris.
tened name.
Mr. John West (coIoredl said ho was the owner
of the property and had notified Sawyer TO leave.
| Here the witness testimony was motioned by q
juror to be irrelevant, and he was dispensed
with.
Mrs. Jane Z. Dorsey was sworn, and said that
Mrs. Sawyer was her aunt, and that she had
lived one year in the house. Tho parties who
occupied the room up stairs were Mr.. and Mrs.
johnson. lie stayed every night but Saturday
night, Ho took his meals always in the house
would come in the evening and stay all night
get his breakfast in the morning and stay away
all day; sometimes would stay home all day
would DO up in his room When they first tool
the room they paid 81 per dny-so Mrs. Sawyer
said. Had understood that Smoot was Mrs
Johnson's husband. She had introduced him Al
| Thomas johnson. She had also said she hat
two husbands.-both by the name of johnson
She bad no friends coming to the house at all
Mr. Sawyer Is poor man; has been out of worl
some tme. Mrs. Sawyer supports the family
coming, as witness Is away very much. Boil
male and female come. Mrs. Johnson never haC
anything to say to them. Was In the room nd
Joining the one where the murder was committed
at the time; was with Mrs Sawyer. Saw
strange man enter the room; heard the report o
pistol. Mrs. johnson came Immediately out
Had on only dross-nO bonnet or shawl. Mrs
johnson spoke to Mr.. Sawyer, and said that |
was her frat husband that he had shot her sec
ond husband She threw up her arms and said
"0h my; hos shot, The witness ran out
when johnson (the prisOner) passed out, and sh,
told 4 man to stop him, as he had shot anothe
one. She then ran back and when she cam
into the house Mrs. johnson was gone. Wa
very much frightened and did not know wha
to do Then ran down the street and met Mr.
Sawyer and informed him.
Mrs. Rebecca Sawyer, who was up In he
room, and unable to como down, was visited
then by the jury and her testimony taken. Sh'
said that her husband had been employed in tn,
folding room of the House of Representatives
lie had been 10 Michigan regiment. She her
self keeps boarders, rents rooms, and Is q clair
Sawyer was out Of work. Mr.. Johnson and tht
deceased came to board last fall at 50 per day
afterward renting the room and cooking 70
themselves. The deceased was introduced b,
Mrs. johnson to witness as her husband. Mrs
johnson was occasionally in Baltimore, wher
she had a lawsuit pending Was aware tina
| Mr.. Sawyer had written n note to the deceased
( did not know its contents. Had understood tina
Mrs. johnson had been married two years. Mad
a living by olairvOyance. Saw tho man VIII
shot the deceased for the hrst time to day. SAY
him going down the stairs after the shootin
with pistol in his hand Witness was told b
her neice that a stranger was coming up stair
smiling, and that the room door Of Mrs Johnso
was closed. She fret heard q noise, and the
Q two or three shots of pistol she could not tie
0 which; The witness ran out Of the room an
saw Mrs johnson, and she said to her, '0h
my, my man Is shot" Tho strange man the
passed out Of the room and went down the stair
. with the pistol in his hand, preceded by Mr.
Johnson. The witness ran down stairs and ra
a out and said to man on the pavement Thu
thers had been man shot but he passed on an
did not take notice. Sho then ran up tho stair
and throw herself on the bed, completely ea
, hausted. Mrs. johnson had told witness tina
the reason she did not live with her mother wa
that she did not like her husband.
Lieutenant Adolphus Eekloff was sworn an
said that his attention was called to the homicid
about twenty minutes to three l visited tn
' house at once, and found two doctors In tn
room; Smoot was alive and moaning but did nc
speak, had his pants on when he saw him lyin
, | on the floor; died short time afterward.
Mollie Ann Day, colored, was sworn, and sal
she had been in the employ Of Mr.. Sawyer abou
one week. Never saw a man or woman go |
, the room; did not know whether anybody occu
0 pied the room or not swept the room out thi
4 morning; did not hear the report Of q pisto
was not in the house at the time little DO
told her; never asked who was killed or any
! thing about 1t.
Tho evidence hero closed, and the room wa
cleared Of all but the coroner and the jury. L
a short time they had prepared their verdict an
rendered it. The verdict was, THAT tho sal
r Thomas Smoot came to his death in the city
Washington, on the goth day of June, 1867, b.
means of a pistol shot, discharged by Henri
o Johnson
al After the rendering of the verdict, the jur
left the house. David Smoot, brother Of th
4 deceased, and, we believe, a lawyer by profe
0 sion, made his appearance at the house after tn
Jury had left, to SEQ the body Of his brother
!. He stated that his brother was u married mar
2 and had u wife and Eve children in Alexandra
: His vito was a daughter of Mr. Grimes, tinnel
I in the same city. Afriend of the Smoot family
k who was present. stated, in conversation with th
!. crowd, that the deceased had served in the LIT
II Virginia regiment (cOntedernte) during the wa
If and was quito religious when no entered th
n army, and had always borne good mora
character,
q Mr.. smOOt was about 80 years Of age, an
b Is son of HeZekiah Smoot, the butcher !
f Alexandria. He has been in business for hin
Il self both in Alexandria and this city. lie WI
q man about five feet eight inches In height, dar