The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-05-23

Farmer named Dcnnison Miller WINS killed
| by an assassin. The deed was perr,etratct
III Miler's own house at place called
Greenfield, NOT far from Detroit. BY the tey
tiinony OF the murdered mans wife the fact,
were as follows Mrs. Miller heard ca
bowling in The diaing-rpom little after
midnight, She rose from her husband,
side and went 10 let the cat out Of The
front door. When she opened the doc,
Tor that purpose man rushed past her from
without and on into the chamber. She heard
quick senflle, 4 cry, and heavy fall
ana then the intruder disappeared. she knew
not whittier. Mrs. Miller found her hus.
band on the floor weltering in his blood
dc was stabbed through the heart, and he
never spoke afierward. The alarm was
given. and every effort was subsequently,
made to trace the murderer He was NOT
found, however. despite the most vigilant
| search and protracted inquiry, and after a
time the case was set down az one of those
| destined to bafle human detection. The
affair was nine days wonder, much talked
| Of by the press and in society, but not the
! fantcst clue was ever Init upon, and finally
the subject appeared to die out and be for
gotten.
Two or three weeks ago, however, events
| fell ont that excited the suspicion Of the
sheriff of the county as to the identity of the
| murderer. Fresh study Of the case revealed
corroboratire evidence of the truth of this
suspicion, and at last the sheriff has been
| able to lay his hand oil the shoulders of the
| secret midnight homicide, and to say,
Thou art the man," The ease is one of tn .
most singular in the annals of crime, and lis
| history powerfully cXempliiies the tirt that
the most ingenious and cold-blOoded devices
Oh Which men are capable do not always
| Stlthce to shield them from the consequences
OF Wlckedness. 1t now transpires that the
| assassin of Miller has never left The
scene Of the murder, that he is well
known TO the ncighborhood, including Mil
ier.s family, and That he has continued on
intimate relations with that family ever since
| tne iasai night Of the stabbing. His nanlt: is
| Wii'lam Smith, and, strange to say, he is but
eighteen years of age. The cunning and de-
liberation with which he prepared to COM
| NIT his bloody decd, and with which he
| Sought 10 cover his tracks subsequently, are
| almost incredible. lie had for some lima
been working for ncighbor of Miller named
Maple. He slept in Naples house, sharing
| 4 bed with his employers son. Some DAYS
| before the murder Smith bought in Detroit :,
small quantity Of chlorofurm. This was 70
narcotiZe young Maple with before Smith
should set out on his bulcful errand-a p,rt
| of the scheme that was successfully carried
out. After dark, but before going UP to bed,
| Smith placed 4 ladder against an adjoining
roof in such Il way that he could pass from
| the window OF his room u the ladder, and
| so make his way to the ground. The house
being locked up, and others sleeping in it
| who might be disturbed 10y Il person going
| through the entries within. the motive for
| this precalltion becomes obvious. On the
night of the assassination Smith waited until
| young Maple was fast asleep, and then
| drugged him with the chloroform. He then
| descended by the ladder, and passed swiftly
| through the fields, under cover of a starles,
| sky, until he reached the house of his in
tended victim. Finding no ready way tC
yet into the house, Smith either initiated the
cry of the cat, or happened to be at the
| front door by chance ut the instant Mrs
Miller opened the door. He then rushed
| hy her and stabbed Miller, as described
the whole scene passing in complete
darkneSs-and made his way home
again Here he went up the ladder, lowered
il gently with Il line, so that il lay by The
side of the building as usual, drew up hi
line. returned to his room by the window
shut it, and Went comfortably to bed. Never
wasa crime more adroitly planned and COOL.
carried out. Nor WAS this all. The fat;i
act was committed with :: dagger. and tn.
Young homicide feared to hide it, drcadn.
L discovery. He therefore hrihcG cerlail
itincrant pcddltr TO take the weapon, to lc
it he seen 10y several persons and then to sci
it to him Smith some days after. Ever
this bold and haZardnu. St'ln.lnr WAS put int
effect The peddlcr went his way from tina
! ,f md lt.u1 I'm IA no
quiet at this point he might have been safe
to this day.
But the singular temptation came upol
him--in fact, induced by previous impunty
no doubt-to 90 TO 4 place called Dearborn
and throw train of cars of the track. Ii
this attempt, when on the very point Of Slc
cess, he was providentially caught. and hi
capture suggested To the sheriff the train o
research that led to the identification O
Smith as Miler's assassin. When asket
what his motives were in seeking the tie
struction of hundreds who had ncve
harmed him, the yomg Scoundrcl calml.
made answer that he only wanted to see tn
cars plunge into the river! The cool diabo
! ism of this reply led the sheriff, by natu
, raj association of ideas, to ponder over TIL
motiyeless cruelty of the killing of Miller, ant
thus led mp to the final result. 1t appear
that Smith has "influential friends" AM
that he was released OH bail in $1,000 for hi
lttempt on the passenger tram; but on tn
very same night, evidently resolved to con
sole himself for this unreasonable Interrupt
ton of his pleasures, he went off to neigh
boring town called .Ecorse, and playtuly Sc
a barn on fire. He was again arrested, AM
this time did not escape from custody unit
the whole list of his crimes had been brough
, home to him. The evidence was purely pre-
sumptiye, but still very strong, when tn
sheriff felt warranted i'll suddenly chargln!
the prisoner poimt-blink to his face witt
Miller,s murder. The result was tina
: Smith broke down-thc excitement OF tn
two arrests on the same day having up
parentIy shaken his ncrrcs-and confessed
all. The youthful murderer is said to beck
tremely handsome, and is pronounced b.
able medical men to be entirely sane. Iii
incentive would appear to have been simpl.
a furious, overwhelming passion for CRIME
and considering his total mScrupuousnc>>
his audacity, and his great cunning, 1t Is
fortunate thing that his career Of guilt IN
been cut rs short as it has, and that only
single life, so fan rs is known, has been sacrl
feed to his lust for crimc.-Net1 l01
Times.
. How A MAINE DEALER EvADEs THE LIQUOR
| citing ON the Opiuiou of a Wel-knOWl