The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1869-10-20

From The Chicago Tribune
The Indictment of Rev." Isaac b. Smith,
of Turner Junction, by the grand jury of
Kane County, for the alleged murder OF ais
wife, brings before the courts and the public
one OF The most remaskable cases whlcn has
ever arisen in the country. Mr.. Smith has
been ten years in the ministry. five OF which
were spert in New England. Since last No
Vempsf he has preached at Turner Junction
on salary OF eight hundred dollars year
and had just previousl, preached at AloDquin
on salary OF lour hundred. Yet, out OF these
slim resources, he had undertaken TO main
tain an insurance OF his own life tor 80 900.
and on that OF his wife for $4,000, and to
build house worth $4,000, borrowing aud
paving the interest on the entire cost. The
inte.e on the cost of the house being 5000,
aud the premiums necessary 10 MAINTAIN MS
policy ofinsurance being several hundred dol
lars more, the Rev. gentleman seems 10 have
either utterly disregarded his owa prospects as
to solvency or to have had sinoulariy a,c curate
foresight OF his wife's unexpected deaih, ana
OF the sum of $4,000 which IL would place IN
his hands Except IN such contingency, the
reverend gentleman had provided tor an ex-
penditure in interest and premiums on bis
life insurance which would be several hun
dred dollars in excess OF his salary, to say
nothing of his expenses OF supporting and
clothing himself wlle, and two cnildren. On
the other hand, The timely death Of MIS-.
Smith not only pays for his house in full. but
leaves hm $1,000 with which TO furnish it.
Under these circumstances, in the early part
OF June last, Mir. Smith, with his vie, drove
in buggy to ministers meeting at L Gin,
During the evening they set out together, In
like manner to the house OF bis brother-in-
law, Mr.. Benton, about two miles out OF FL
gin. AT halt-past nine that evening, Mr Smith
arrived at Mr.. Benton's house alone, much
excited, asking it his wife had arrived, and
saying that they had been overturned IN
stream and thrown out, and, as he bad not
been able to find his vile afterward, he
thought she might have come on, and reach
ed the house before him, lie followedup this
with several inconsistencies, as that he d. owe
his horse into the stream to drink, though
there was water at the stable be had just left,
and also that to which he was going; that bis
horse was so heajstrobg he could not keep
him from going into the water, and that the
water looked so good, he drove in; that the
horse had dragged him under water and across
the stream vice, the wheel passing over him
and the horse stamping him under foot, but
that these injuries lett no marks whatever on
his person; /; and that he could not find Mrs.
Smith, though those who returned to the
scene of the accident or murder found her ly-
inc in the water within twelve feet of The bug
gy, and the holse quietly standing in the mid
die of the stream, the buggy b. ing turned up
and resting on two Wheels. The most sin2u-
lar discrepancy OF all is that Mrs. Smith could
have drowned without violence in water ouly
seventeen inches deep, and without her bus
band knowing whether she was hurt or not.
Mr. Smith concealed from his rieDos { at
there was any insurance whatever on her lie
until they learned otherwise Of policy OF
SO 900 which was paid by the Northwestern
Lite 10 Mr.. Smith, and then, when asked by