The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1873-01-02
The Secret Closet.


"For murder, though it hath no tongue,
will speak with most miraculous organ"
In the year IS John Smith II USE
fictitious names) was indicted for the
Wiliful murder of Henry Thompson.
The case was one of the most extra
ordinary nature, and the interest eX-
cited by 1t was almost unparalleled.
The accused was a man of considera-
bie property, residing upon his OVID
estate. a person, supposed to be au
entire stranger TO MIN, had, late in
summer Gay, requested and obtained
shelter and hospitality for the night.
He had, it was supposed, after taking
some light Iefreshment, retired to bed
IN perfect health, requested to be
awakened at an early hour the follow
ing morning. When the servant ap-
pointed to call him entered his room
for that purpose, he was found in his
bed perfectly dead; and from the ap-
: peaTance of the body it was obvious
| that he had been so for many hours.
There was not the slightest mark OF
violence upon his person, and the
countenance retained the same eX-
preston it had borne during life.
Days and weeks passed on, and lit
/ tie further was discovered In the
meantime TumOr had not been idle.
Suspicious were vague, indeed, and
underlined, and were at first whis-
( pered, and afteTward boldly expressed.
The precise object of these suspicious
was not clearly indicsted; some im-
I plicated one person, some another;
/ but they all pointed TO Smith, the mas
/ ter of the house, as concerned in the
/ death of the stranger; and in fine, the
magistrates were induced to commit
! Mr.. Smith to jail to take his trial for
I The wlllful murder of Henry ThOmp-
son. AS it was deemed essential to
the att3inment of justice to keep Sc
| cret the eeXamina ion of witnesses who
were produced before the magistrates,
all the information of which the pub
lie were in possession before the trial
| took place was that which ] have
narrated. Such was the state OF
/ things upon the morning of the trial
The counsel for the prosecution Op-
ened his case to the jury in a manner
that indicated very little expectation
of conviction. He began by implor-
I ing them to divest their minds Of all
/ that they had heard before they came
into the box; he entreated them to
attend to the evidence and judge from
/ that alone.
/ 1t would 0e proved beyond the pos
sibility of doubt that the deceased
/ died by Poison-pOisOn of a most sub
/ tie nature, most active in its opera
ton, and possessing the wonderful
and dreadful quality of leaving no eX-
/ ternaI mark or token by which its
| presence could be detected. The in
gradients of which it was composed
were OF so sedative a nature that, in
stead of the body on which it had
been used exhibiting any cOntOrtion
or marks of suffering, is left upon the
features nothing but the calm and
placid quiet of repose.
The prisoners family consisted of
! himself, housekeeper, and one man
/ servant who slept in an clubhouse adj
I Joining tue stable, and did so Oh the
night of ThOmpson's death. The
prisoner slept at one end of the house
and the hOusekeeper at the other, and
| the deceased had been put into room
adjoining the hOusekeeper's.
1t would be proved by person who
happened te be passing by the house
on the night i'll question, about three
hours after midnight, that he had
been induced to remain and watch,
( from having his attention excited by
I the circumstances, then very unusual,
/ Of light moving about the house At
that late hour. That person could
state most positively that he could
/ distinctly see a figure, holding light
20 from the room in which the pris-
! uner slept, to the hOusekeeper's room,
! that two persons then came out of the
! hOusekeeper's room, and the light
/ disappeared for minute. Whether
I the two persons went into Thomp-
sons room he could not see, as the
window of that room looked another
| way; but in about a minute they re-
/ turned, passing quite along the house
/ to Smiths room again; and in about
| five minutes the light was eXtin-
4 guished and he saw no more.
! Such was the evidence upon which
I the magistrate had committed Smith:
and singularly enough, since his com
/ INITIAL the housekeeper had been mis-
sing, nor could any trace of her be
| discovered.
| Within the last week, the witness
who saw the light had been more par
ticuiarly examined, aud IN order 10
refresh his memory had been placed
at dark in the very spot where he had
stood that night, and another person
was placed with him.
The whole scene as he had describ-
ed it, was acted over again, but it was
utterly impossible, from tie cause
abuve mentioned to assert, when the
light disappeared, whether the par
ties had gone into Thompson's room
( As if however, 20 throw still deeper
mystery over this extraordinary trans
action, the witness persisted in ad-
ding a new feature to his former
statemeDt-thata after the persons had
returned with the light into Smiths
room, and before it was eXtinguished,
be had twice perceived some dark OBJ
let fn infRrVena hafwenn the LIGHT