Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1867-06-21
LOCAL NEWS.
FRIDAY EVENING, JUNE 81.

o'clock yesterday afternoon. the citizens OF til
| Fourth Ward, residing. in the vicinity OF Slxtl
4 and X streets, we're startled at the sounds o
: pistoI-shots in house No 223 Sixth street west
next to the corner OF X north a lew mo
ments after q man, attirea in u dlab' suit, wa
observed to leave the house, aud proceed
! rapidly down Sixth street toward the avenue
Cries Of murder were heard, and, upon enter
/ ing the house. the neighbors were shocked te
see lying on the floor OF a room in the seconu
story the body OF Thomas S. Smoot, win tue
blood and gore oozng from two p's'o'-Siio'
wounds in the head Inquiry led 10 Inc
| development of the following facts
| Henry johnson, butcher, about lorly-tour
Years Of age. whose place of business and resi-
dance i in Georgetown, learning that his vile
! was in the habit of stopping at house on
S;yth street. had for some time past suspected
| On ;mnronpr intimacy on her part with Mr..
Tbnmas Smoot, who vas formerly in his en-
nov He watched the premises, and yestcr-
div afternoon, knowing the room, and that
Smoot and his wife were there together, enter
cd the house and went TO their room, where he
found Smoot lying in the bed, his wife sitting
on the edge of the bed and holding Smooi' $
hand. Without moments warning, he
deliberately fired three pistol shots at Smoot,
two OF which took effect in his head, and death
eusued about twenty minutes after.
Mr.. johnson left the house and proceeded
to the Central Guard house, where he delivered
himself up, and also gave up the revolver, stat
ing to the officer that he had shot man whom
he had found in bed with his wife.
The neighborhood Of the tragedy was at once
alarmed, and physicians were sent Tor, and u
messenger ran to the Seventh Precinct Station
and informed Lieutenant Ecklof that i man
had been murdered in house on Sixth street.
This officer proceeded to Che premises, aud
found Snoot lying upon the floor, with his
pants and shirt on, and The blood gushing
from the wounds received. Drs. Bowen
Behrend and Duhamel were in attendance, and
wounds inflicted, but Smoot lived but twenty
minutes alter the shots were fired.
The room where this shocking tragedy took
place is about seven feet in width and as many
in length and was over the hall entrance to the
building. When Johnson entered the room
Smo0t raised himself up from the bed, when
the shots were fired, one taking effect just over
the right corner OF the right eye, and the other
on the left side OF the lower jaw.
Coroner Woodward was summoned to hold
an inquest. Various witnesses were examined
before the jury who testified that Smoot I'M
der the name Of Johnson, and passing as the
husband OF Mrs j. had been occupying room
in the house where the killing took place for
five or six months that Mrs ]. herself always
represented Smoot as her husband, saying that
she had been married before, but she had left
her first husband on account of i'll treatment,
&c, The jury returned the following verdict:
THAT the said Thomas Smoot came to his
death, in the city of Washington, on the Goth
day OF June, 1867, by means of pistol-shot
discharged by Henry Johnson.
Henry Johnson's statement at the station
house is substantially rs follows
That Thomas Smo0t had been in his employ
as butcher for some time, and that he had
assisted him in various ways 10 business; that
the intimacy between Smoot and his wife had
often attracted his attention, but he never had
suspected anything criminal in their aeqnnin-
lance until recently. He had accidentally dis
covered their place of meeting at the house on
Sixth street, and that yesterday he was satisfied
that his more recent suspicious were correct
from evidence which he saw while watching the
window
He knew that Smont was in the room, and
shortly after two clock he saw his wife enter
the house, and then saw her in the same room
where Smoot was. There being no hndrance
to his entering theshouse, he passed up stars
and on opening the door found his wife sitting
on the edge of the bed, and Smoot had been
lying down, but arose st the surprise, and
reached toward the bureau, when he hrcd the
fatal shots.
Mr. Smoot, our reporter was informed, was
thirty-fve years of age, and his vile and four
l., a. 4 10 az q
sergeant in the 18th Virginia infantry, Con-
federate army. His brother arrived here last
evening, and at the conclusion Of the Coroner .
inquest took charge of the body, which was
taken to Alexandria for intcrment.
Mrs. johnson left the house as soon as
Smoot was shot, aud las not since been heard
from 1t does not appear that her husband
offered her any violence, or that he ever spoke
to her from the time that he entered the room
until they separated at the door Of the house.
She is reported to be large woman, with
coarse features, large nose, and black hair.
She has three children-a daughter married,
who is widow, and two boys aged nine and
eleven years Henry johnson is mild pleas
ant-looking man, with sandy complexion and
light blue eyes, and shows but little OF the res
olution in his features that has marked tins
premeditated homicide.
The affair created great excitement through
out the cty.-Nat. Int. @
Mr. Smotts body was brought to this CITY
on the eight O'Clock boat this morning, con-
veycd in hearse to the residence OF his vile,
on the corner Of Wilkes and Pitt streets, and
will be buried tomorrow.
REGISrRATIo N.--Y esterday evening, when
| the registration oFvotera in the Sd Ward, which
has been in progress for the last Jour days, was
| concluded, there were enrolled upon the books
the names OF four hundred and fifteen white,
and three hundred and ninety one colored peo-
pie. On what is called the challenged list
there we're inscribed the names Of sixty sever
white people, in addition to those upon tho
regular books. ~
| Registration will commence in the First ano
Fourth Wards on Monday next, COL Lee act
| ~ ~, - Redistribution BOARD N