The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1868-02-14

TRIAL or JoHasoxl ron THE MURDER OF
SNooT.-Crinfnai Court, JUDGE Ffshtr.-Thc court
opened At afew minutes before eleven O'Clock
The of tho Jurors were called, and all
Sso 70 ss ps and ,Ss jury u III snpsn
! f III Deputy snnhal, Henry johnson, stand
Ths prisoher Arose In ths.dock. M. ,,ss.
The Clerk then road the indictment, charging
Johnson with the murder OF smoot, by shooting.
:, MI e Wns19n, Mss,.tsns district Attorney open
He said thu. offence charged against the pris-
oner was murder-wiiful murder; That the Do.
the prisoner In house on Sixth street one day
last summer-wa as certain as the rising OF that
81 T msn CT I'M eGSy
not saI sun :sitiss Inc scene q he so%i.
three persoas- the prlscner, the Diseased, and
ono other. Ussla thstth.rd person Be produced
to rely upon the admissions Of the prisoner. The
sS sT sna ss Ssls S ss S
By the prisoner, and that, In fact, II had caused
frequent crlminatlons and feeriminations, and
finally an agreement to separate, with division
Under these circumstsn the prisoner learned
from the proprietor OF the house which his wife
natural 'q iasi 10 10 s shs wa. siandmStSsr the
facts OF her connection with smoot at that
hSuse He waited then until the next day, and
OK proceeds 70 kill man. He goes to the house
and there shoots Smooti and coming away, tram
he had done mefitorious deed. " -. :.
The law Of the case wa. VERY clear. III man
came suddenly upon his wife and her paramount
In adulterous intercourse and should kill them,
the law would grant something to the over
powering resentment Of the moment, and declare
not that The slayer was innocent, bat that he was
heard Of the crime, and then siuttcd his revenge
In blood, the law admitted Of no pailiation and
scs so ss sys, e e e s e. q s
OF barbsroas vengeance, for the temple OF justice
MI, Davidge said he would defer opening the
ease for the defence until tho close OF the cvi-
denee for the prosecution.
were then called, as foIiows:
DR.. Charles II. Bowen, Witness Is a praeticins
time Of The homicide. He described the room In
which Smoot lay as being about seven feet
square. smoot wa. lying pfostiate on the door,
right eye. The ball had entered the brain about
three inches and q half and was sufficient opro-
duce death. The hsmo,rhage, was profuse.
made by pistoLball. which witness did not OK:
anime infinitely. SRoot was unconscious and
on he es S' q s%So ne he
wounds witness Inferred that Smoot was either
sitting or lying when he was shot.
ward ana aownw Ard along an ineiined piane' Inc
deeeased had on a white shirt, a knit shirt, black
cloth pants, and, witness thought, drawers, but
was unbuttoned; the second was buttoned.
Witness did not notice the others. Witness
nS Sss res and
or four Feet Wide. The bureau was Of ordlnary
width, eighteen inches at the feet; the washstand
a hnlf or seyen feet long. and came nearly down
10 The door. The spscc between The he'd ana ths
IN this pisce. Witncsu wss not tho iirst personf
In Inc room, MI. Besn WAS in the room when he
~ o.s saw The bcaoiothes loohes a. n theS Ssd
Ssen Istn unnn, noticcd No blood on the he'd
Witncss Jaw no weapon in The room -
s d. sen6ene owan fssrs wa ss sa ths, smse
az bieedinr nsofuseiy from wound above I'M
and another wound in the cheek, probed
eye, 'und With his finger. ~ =
Crosse There wn ss no Blood upon them n0
d. n beam. ne. hyea p SPRoi me ru nS
of the homicide, an behind him 10 the hous y
up street; witnessr. while tho policeman en-
and waited outside TIN there that a mar
was Killed. Witness then w. the man mn sbiie
man asked him to help 10 hola 'icemsn was the
first man who went In, witness foilS "-awers an,
had no shoes on, but had two shirts, q. iowel
not teii the state of his drawers Held Smo.
head until is died. Witness aid examine tn.
bed, ii was a Jingle bed ioor il inches wide, saw
no blood on the bed-ciothes. and aid not notice
whether the bed was rumpied
Cross-cxamIned: Witness saw three ladies' In
the house Wlfness bcIJ Smootis head for ian
or fifteen inin,ites The body Iny with his he adj
to tho door, and on his right side with about a
gallon of blood under and around him. HIS face
was towards the floor and witness lifted his
head to enable him to breathe. Witness was In
the room for about half an hour, The room is
about from to g feet long; the door opened to
the inside, and when opened would strike Ngainst
the foot OF the bedstesd. The head OF the bed
was towards Sixth street, and its foot towards
the door.
room where Thomas Smoot waS shots Witness
W as the frst called In Smoot was living on the
fioor groaning and unconseie,us liz was living
on his right side with his fcSt tow NrSs the door;
could not SEQ the wound mt ii witness turned his
head over Smooth pantx werc nm nround hia
W aist, but witness could NOT sav wSether the NV
was open or NOT, -
10 the Court: Witness saw nothing of a coat
or veal 10 the room. : -" e
! Thos. Sneed. IN, Pr testified that johnson
came into the sfation-house nboui n O'CLOCK on
Thursday, on the goth OF June w illness was at
4 desk Jobnson said UI,vc shot N man y wit
neSs looked nj him with snrnri.s whereupon
Johnson said "Y GU seem to dn,iht n. hero ID a
pistol, (handlng 4 pistoln Won will ~, that two
shots are out. the first shot took effect, but am
who he had shot, where and whvT lie said the
man,s name was 'Smoot,, that ne sbnt M m In A
house on Sixth street because 10 fn"rn .Lm In
I,.d ,,utl, III. ,.,tSa M ~ .ouna -