The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-07-27
The Norfolk Mursierer--The Murderer
and his Wife Natives Of Richmond
Further Particulars.


following additional particulars:
A large number ofpersons were present
at the Mayors court yesterday morning.
attracted by curiosity to witness the eS-
animation in the case Of George Smith.
charged with killing Martin Madison. fire
man Of the steamship Niagara, on the pre-
vious night. The prisoner was brought
| into court abont $50 A. NJ, and Messrs.
Martin, Baker 4 Hinton appeared as his
counsel. He SAT in the box in his shirt
sleeves, and was perfectly calm, although
his countenance indicated mental suffer-
ing. He is native of Richmond, Va,
thirty years Of age, is a seaman by profess
sion, and has lived in Norfolk since Feb
ruary last. He is about five feet six
inches in height, has dark brown eyes,
hair and goatee, a prepossessing counte-
nance and quiet manner, and wears the
appearance Of man who has acted con-
scientiously, and whose thoughts were
more deeply engrossed by his own wrongs
than by any act of his.
During the war Smith served in the Con-
federate army, and was all the time a
member of the United Artillery Company
of this city, where he bore an excellent
character, and was reckoned among the
most quiet.and least troublesome men of
the command.
His wife is about his own age, perhaps a
| little older, and is also from Richmond.
They have been married about one year,
and she was widow before her present
marriage.
The deceased was native of Germany,
and about twenty-seven years Of age,
about five feet nine inches high, with
sandy hair and blue eyes.
About half-past IL the wife of the pri-
soner entered the courtroom, and sat on
the witnesses bench, where she divided
the attention Of the increasing number of
lookers-on with her husband. She is a
woman Of ordinary height, with dark hair
and blue eyes, and wore a purple calico,
with black body, and nuns bonnet. She
occasionally glanced towards the prisoner
box, and would then relapse into apparent
indifference, as if overcome by want of
rest and sleep.
Nothing was done for some hours in
court, which awaited the receipt Of the
coroner's inquest. About noon Mrs.
Smith asked to communicate with her hus-
band, and when told that it was permitted,
passed along the line of spectators, en-
tered the prisoners box, and remained
seated beside him in conversation nearly
half an hour, when the prisoner was COM
mitted to Jail, and the witnesses recog-
nized to appear at the court to-day at 10
o'clock, when the case will be brought up.
The knife used by Smith is an old pen
knife about four inches long, with one
small blade, the half of another, and third
about three inches long and one-third of
an inch vide. 1t is much hacked and OK
idized, having on it just now little blood,
dried. Roughly cut on German silver
plate on the side are the letters: CIV.
D., Co. K, n. Y. NJ. R."
1t was shown at the inquest that it was
by this large blade that death was caused,
as the single incision corresponds with it
in size. Only one blow was given, doubt
less when Madison was in the act Of rails
ing his body and turning over, and the
knife entered his heart, passing between
the third and fourth ribs.
THE NORFOLK HoMICIDE-VERDICT OF
THE CoRoNER's JURY.-Aftcr hearing other
testimony the verdict of the coroner's jury
was that +" the deceased, Martin Madison,
came to his death by knife in the hands
of George Smith while he (the deceased)
was in the act of illicit intercourse with
Mrs. Mary Smith, the lawful wife of the
accused, George Smith," Smith was ac-
cordngly imprisoned for further cxamina-
ton befor the Mayor. The coroner took
charge of his effects. Smith is a low man,
some five feet six inches high, iiorid COM
plexion, dark hair and red whiskcrs,
cheek bones very prominent, age about
thirty, and native of Richmond. He
was in the United Artillery during the
war, and since has been sea-faring man.
Madison was a fireman, reported to be a
steady man, and has heretofore borne q
good reputation; but, under temptation,
he yielded to sin, became the destroyer of
the domestic happiness Of his friend, and
has been suddenly sent to his account in
the moment of his transgression, with all
his sins upon his guilty head.-Oay BooE.