Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-08-23

| In the year 1S- John Smith Il use fictitious
| names,) was indicted for the wilful murder of
| Henry Thompson. The case was one of most
extraordinary nature, and the interest excited by
| it was almost unparalleled. The accused was
| gentleman of considerable property, residing
| upon his own estate. A person, supposed to be
| an entire stranger TO him, had late in a sum
| merS day, requested and obtained shelter and
| hospitality for the night He had, it was sup
| posed, after taking some light relreshment re-
tired to bed in perfect health, requesting 10 be
| awakened at an early hour the following morn
| ing. When the servant appointed TO call him
entered his room for that purpose he was found
| in his room perfectly dead, and from the APP
| pearance Of the body it was obvious that he
| mad been SO for many hours. There was not
the slightest mark of violence upon his person,
| and the countenance retained the same expires
| sion it had borne during life.
| Days and weeks passed on, and little further
| was discovered. In the meantime rumOr had
| not been idle. Suspicious were vague, indeed,
| and underlined, and were at first whispered an
| atterward boldly expressed. The precise object
| of these suspicious was not clearly indicated;
some implicated one person, some another; but
they all pointed TO Smith, the master of the
house, as concerned in the death of the stranger;
and in fine, the magistrates were induced 10
commit Mr.. Smith to jail to take his trial for
the wilinl murder Of Henry Thompson. As it
| was deemed essential TO the attainment of ius-
| tice to keep secret the examination of the wit
| nesses who were produced before the magistrates
| all the information of which the public were in
possession before the trail took place was that
which have here narrated. Such was the state
| oil things upon the morning of the trial.
The counsel for the prosecution opened his
| case TO the jury in manner that indicated very
| little expectation of conviction. He began by
implOrng them to divest their minds of all they
had heard before they came into the box; he en-
| treated them to attend to the evidence and Judge
| from that alone.
1t would be proved beyond the possibility of
| doubt that the deceased died by pOison-poison
OF most subtle nature, most active in its oper-
| ations, and possessing the wonderful and dread
| full quality of leaving no external mark or token
| by which its presence could be detected The
| ingredients of which it was composed were of so
Sedative a nature that, instead of the body on
which it had been used exhibiting any contor-
| tons or marks of suffering, it left upon the
features nothing but the calm and placid quiet
of repoSe.
The prisoners family consisted only of him
| self, houSekeeper and one servant. The man
| slept in an clubhouse adjoining the stable, and
| did so on the night of Thompsons death. The
prisoner slept at one end Of the house and the
| housekeeper at the other, and the deceased
| had been put into a room adjoining the house
| keepers.
1t would be proved by person who happened
| TO be passing by the house on the night in ques-
| ton, about three hours after midnight, that he
had been induced to remain and watch, from
having his attention excited by the circumstance
| then very unusual, of a light moving about the
| house at that late hour. That person would
state most positively that he could distinctly see
figure, holding light go from the room in
which the prisoner slept to the hOusekeeper's
room, that two persons then came out OF the
housekeeper's room, and the light disappeared
for a minute Whether the two persons went
into Thompson's room he could not see, as the
window Of that room looked another way; but
~ l,aak ions AI,u,.
along the house TO Smiths room again; and in
| about Ave minutes the light was extinguished
and he saw it no more.
Such was the evidence upon which the mar
istrate had committed Smith; and singuarlv
| enough, since his committal the hOusekeeper
| had been missing, nor could any trace of her
| be discovered.
Within the last week, the witness who saw the
| light had been more particularly examined and
| IN order 20 refresh his memory he had been
| placed at dark, in the very spot where he had
| stood on that night, and another person was
| placed with him. The whole scene, as he
| described it, was acted over again. but il was
utterly impossible, from the cause above men
toned, to assert, when the light disappeared
whether the parties had gone into Thompson's
| room. AS if, however, to throw still deeper
| mystery over this extraordinary transaction, the
| witness persisted in adding new feature to his
| former statement; that after the persons had
returned with the light into Smiths room, and
| before ii was extinguished, he had twice per-
| ceivcd some dark object to intervene between
| the light and the window, almost as large as
the surface of the window itself, and which he
described by saying it appeared as if door had
been placed before the light
Now, in Smiths room there was nothing
which could account for this appearance; his
bed was in different part, and there was neither
| cupboard nor press in the room, which, but for
| the bed was entirely empty, the room in which
he dressed being at a distance beyond.
He would state only one fact more (said the
| learned counse), aud having done his duty il
| would be for the jury to do theirs Within Il
| few days there had been found in the prisoners
| house the stopper Of a small bottle of a very
| singular appearance; il was apparently not of
| English manufacture, and was described by the
| medical men as being used by chemists TO pre-
serve those liquids which are most likely TO lose
Their virtue by exposure to the air. 70 whom il
| belonged, or TO what use they had been applied
| there was no evidence TO show.
Such was the address of the counsel for the
| prosecution; and during its delivery had ear.
| nestly watched the cOuntenance of the prisoner
| who had listened, too, with deep attention
| Twice only did ] perceive that ii produced in
| him the slightest emotion. When the disap-
| pearance Of the housekeeper was mentioned. "A
| smile, as of sc0rn, passed over his lip; and the
| notice Of the discovery OF the stopper obviously
excited an interest," and, ! thought an anprc.
bension but It quickly subsidized. / need not
detail the evidence that was given for the prose.
cution; ID amounted in substance TO that which
the counsel stated, nor was it varied in any par
ticnlar. The stopper was produced and proved
70 be found In the house; but no attempt was