Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-06-05
An Extraordinary Confession.


Perry County, Indiana, was few days
since the scene OF revolving crime. A
fellow named Francis J. Smith, five years
since married a refugee from Georgia. On
the birth of child the mother and infant
were subjected to such cruel treatment that
she obtained a divorce. Recently Smith
wrote his wife that he was'dying, and urg-
ing her to come and see him. She did so,
bringing the child. Smith met her at the
door, denied writing the letter, and refused
her admittance or relief. She wandered
about, dragging out miserable existence
tor some time until last Wednesday, when
she started for the poor house, Smith vol
unteering to aid her in getting admission.
In a ravine he attacked the woman,
pounding her and the child on the head
with large stones until he killed them. He
then stripped the woman of her rings,
placed the bodies side by side under a
shawl, and left them. He then went home
and shot himself through the heart with
musket. He left paper containing long
confession of his crime, from which we ex-
| 1.-THE following extraordinary passages
To all who wish to know it. l have
killed my wife Mary and our Roger. 1t is
pretty generally known over Perry county
| that my wife left me about one year ago !;
applied for divorce; had one granted by
| the court; the most of my property was
given to Mary. The origin of the difficulty
year ago was this: Mary got homesick,
and wished me to sell out and move to
Georgia. / would not do so; when Mary
| found that [ would not move to Georgia,
where her father lived, she began to talk of
| leaving me and going herself, saying that
| she knew would follow her in less than a
month. I always told her that if she went
I would rot follow her, neither would
take her back if she once left me. After
our boy was born she still talked of leav-
ing me and going to Georgia. 1 told her if
| she was determined to go, and liked her
/ people in Georgia better than she did me-.
! would sell enough property to get money
to take her to her father in Georgia; then
then she talked. that she was afraid that
would not let her take the boy; told her
that she might take him, but she would not
believe me, and before she left she threat
ened to have me fixed so that could not
4 follow her and take the boy. tl-a...s
| = -.. -
was troubled about Mary from the day
she left me, knowing some of the charac-
ters of this neighborhood; for myself /
cared nothing. l feared they would swim
her, if possible, then kick her out of the
county. y 80 - -
Her brother thought me and Mary had
better get married again. for he was sure
that we were both to blame land so we
were), and was sorry after l slapped her
that had done so, and l have never had
any hard feeling i'm my heart toward her,
for anything that she did or said against me
since she left me. Well, her brother and me
corresponded with each other, and on the
% of January he wrote to me that if me
and Mary did not get together in the course
of month, that Mary was going to parts
q unknown, and wanted to know i'll was 60
ing to take her or not. l answered him by
telling him the state of my health would
not allow me to marry, if were ever sc
willing to take her, and l did not expect to
live three months. The next thing heard
of them, Mary was at the door.
Poor, dear Mary has been knocked around
for three months past, and if she was lucky
enough to get good place for what she
could earn, her enemies followed her an
started her from it, Yesterday she had tc
leave Mr.. Groves to find place for her
self and sick child; had been down there
to see my sick boy; she came along with
q me, going to the Town Trustee, to try anC
6 get him to help her, or get her a place tc
live. / loved Mary and my boy, therefore
d killed them, and such ahorrid way to Kill
@ any person; poor Mary, after L had knock
q ed her on the head with stone, begged
q me to stop, for she would die at that, anC
V she wanted to have some talk with me.
g did SO. L told her did not kill her or the
q boy through anger, hatred or spite. i
p drove me mad to see her and the boy kick
q ed about as they had been tor the last three
months. She says, God bless you, Frank
E i believe you, let me kiss you: and die
time and again before she died. hope
that me, and Mary and my boy may bt
buried near each other. l hope it will b.
many years hence before another husband
and father will be compelled by such crush
ing misery to do as L have done.
FRANCIS j. SMITH.