The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1867-06-08
Awful Tragedy in Perry Comfy.


: which occurred 10 Tobin township. Perry
county, on he 23l. The Commercial thus
tells the horrible story:
About five years ago. man named Fran.
cis J. Smith, of Nov A lbany, went 10 Per-
ry county and entered three hundred and
twenty acres u land, adjpinine the farm Or
Richard WcIch, 10 Poison Bottom, abou, six
miles distant from Rome. He then return.
ed @ ihe vicinity o. New Albany, aud IN
'he early part Of the year 1866 (if I mis-.
take no',) married lady refugee from The
state q Georgia. and, accompanied by her,
came back % this county % settle upon his
Llama.
70 ne later psri or the year 1865, his
VIE gave birth % her first child, which In
few months became the object 81 his hatred
and the sufferer 81 the most vile and cruel
trealmrui W which hnnnn could ba guilty.
On ono occasion, sitter most bruiaiy whip
ping his ~ife, hr held this innocent babe
ever blazAg IRE un,il lie seemed almost,
exlin1'. i however, recovered il a few
mouths. ana the wife, thinking il Time 70,
choose between death and separation, de.
cided N favor Of The latter, g1t divorce
nnd with cr child went 10 her brothers., ID
she State of New York, ito husoand re.
mnlning stt tas residence of bis brother ia
Perry county
a iew months passed. aud The health 81.
Haid Smith began % ,4i, aud fearing lhat
csa'li would sycn overiake him, he became
siarm n, and according ID subseguent
statement of The vile, wrote to her that III
abe wanted % see him alive. to hasten in
medisiely 70 The place Of bis confinement
She came, but Was met very codly by
Ssni,h. who denied that be had ever written
-uci letter AZ 'rhe above mentioned," and
expressed Ihe greatest surprise II firdingl
her a. the door, and stnied that she was M
solicited there, she could 20 out Oh the cold
chafitrs Of the community No friendly
hand Was offered her. None 10 epesk
word N consolation. or cas-, ray OF sun
shine over Ter dark and gloomy pathway. .-
she pa-sed from house 10 house, draEeiny
THROUGH a miserable existence until lnsl
Wednesday morning, when she was al The
residence ~ II GfUyes. not lar distant from
Rome, contemplating 4 vsi, 10 Ihs resi-
lraee oi ihe lFnsiec of the township, with
: view " obtaining honie ond shelter forl
herself ard child, and while She was thus
coniemp her husband arrived and tx
pressed biz desire % accompany her to the
rusies's Office. she readily excepted his
fir and the two set off On ne journey
aking thr child with them, the pour mother
iiie thinking uf the ssd fate which her
ird her dear child we're soon 70 meet Nv
They IFayced On through the wooded val.
ely ol Poison, and when arriving near the
arm " Il. WEIGH, dfizzlinr rain set IN
r. under pretence Of fnding shelter under
large rre cf extraordinary foliage, stand Y
" Two % three hundred yards rom the 4
oalside ,up d deep ra,inp, invited the moth
: tiiaer, ond alter arriving al The desig-
ifei spot, hc made known bis bloody in y
Hntons, and there 10 The solitude Of the y
'ilderness, was committed one OF he most p
'ul. vie, bloody and cruel murders tha, =
ger aackened The pages Of crime y
IL seems that ne pelsd the mothcr's ps
rains ont with large stones. aud with one AZ
low on iha head Of The child had scot il 20 Il,
im who ssid .Snffcr t,e children 10 come pt
nto me, for such il the Kingdom" Many la
ones we're lying near the victims, red with ~
leir own blood. After the spirits Of these ih
70 had winged their light % The mansions ~
The blest. Smith took the strings from the be
loes ~ The mother; tied her feet closely
ID then her hands over her Pluselees
'east, laid The child beside her, covered the
70 with light shawl. and then len them q
one in the SOLITARY woods, ITO sleep thai u
eep that knows knows no waking. ce
This murder occurred about tea o'clock "a
~. Smith left his brothers. house, went "
TO The woods and procured forked stick iel
'out eighteen inches in length, when he re- su
rned, took an Enfield rife into The yard, ea
aced the but on the ground and the muz zee
. Immediately under the left breast, touch. 70,
the trigger with said stick, and thus Nc
sseG away one Of the mos, bloody cruel AT
ID blackhearlcd murderers OF the nine.