The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1874-04-02
TRAGEDY At CLARENCE.


| EARLY last Monday morning tele-
lgram from Clarence was received by
w. H. vanNess saying only: aJohn
Schmidt was mysteriously killed here
last night. Send Coroner En-
bracing the offered courtesy, we took
4 seat in buggy with Coroner Will
helm, and within twenty minutes
after the receipt of the telegram,
were On the road. Arriving in
Clarence about the middle Of the
forenoon, We were vt once conducted
to the scene Of the tragedy. where
nothing had been moved or changed
aimee ito discovery at early dawn.
The house was = small, low frame,
situated few rods south of -
wagon shop, in the middle of quite
large and maple shaded yard. Yop
entered through rear door into a
shed or shop, and from thence through
. side door into the rear one Of the
two small rooms which comprised
the house proper. This room was
forbidding enough, being terribly
clu,tered and dirty in appearance
and rank in odor. But : door led
from thence through . partition to
another box of room in front.
Thi,her your guide directed you;
and there you saw . sight which
would leave its horrid impress upon
the stoutest mind and drive back the
timid or over-nervous in dismay.
Old soldiers repeatedly assevcrated
that no experience OF theirs had ever
furnished 80 thoroughly horrible and
revolving spectacle. Upon dirty,
tumbltd bed near one corner Of the
room lay an emaciated form Of man.
His lower extremities, and perhaps
half the body, were provided with
the ordinary cover-an old feather
bed and dry calico quilt. His
enuated arms and bony, bloody
and smoke-begrimed hands lay care
lessly on the top of this covering.
His shoulders rested on the pillow,
and his head-head! did we say?
Some realization of the fearful sight
may be gained when we say that in
stead of q head there was only the
pro,ruding end OF the spine, the upper
vertebre being in plain sight, while
absolutely not square foot Of wall
or ceiling in that room was unspat-
tered By the brains and blood Of the
poor victim. An eye, with bit Of
flesh and skin stuck on the wal in
one place; and without particle of
exageeration, the whole room was
literally covered with bits of skull
bone, clouts of blood or brains and
pieces Of skin or scalp. What little
face there was lclb-being part Of
the nose and below---was SO unsup-
ported that it dropped forward on
the breast leaving the appearance
indicated. But perhaps we have
already been too minute in this de-
scription-it is sufficiently SO at all
events; and we leave it to give
without comment, and without refer
ence to the many horrid suspicious,
strangarumors, &C., &C., with which
the air was filled-the substance OF
the Testimony elected by the inquest
and the verdict Of the coroner's jury.
John Schmidt--or Smith, as it was
made at the inquest was q man up
wards Of 60 years Of age, who came
to Clarence from the east some eight
years ago. His wife, Teresa Smith,
was only few years younger; and
they have one son-a very bright,
good looking lad Of twelve years, to
whom they both have seemed very
much attached. This, although the
neisAhasa sanerally helievs .(withou'
any specific cause) that he is not
their own child. When the Smith
family came to Clarence they seemed
to have plenty Of money, but Mr.. 5.
has been sick with rheumatism for
seven months, during which time
help from the town has been neces-
sary.
The Jury having been empanneled,
and having, in company with DIR.
Yuie, paid an official visit to the
scene OF horror, the witnesses were
examined Ct the Office Of Squire
Hillyer, Mr. Geo. Mcleod taking
down the testimony for the Coroner.
A complete report Of this evidence
is before us, from which we can only
extract briefly.
The widow, Teresa, testified with
demonstrative grief and with true
German volubility, Mr.. H. ?. Grimm
acting as interpreter when she did
not speak in broken English. She
slept in back room. Got up and
made FIRE in other room as requested
between 4 and 5 o'c; and went back
to bed; heard pistol about an hour
la'er. Thought stove, which was a
coal one, had bursted. Called Char
lie 1.-THE boy, who was sleeping with
her) and ran in other room. She
told with fearful pantomine how she
discovered the truth by taking hold
of his head" and repeated the
shrieks and groans with which she
went to call the neighbors. They
had big pistol. She had put it un-
der his bed; and so were big shot
and caps, in tool box, but she knew
Of no powder being in the house,
though Smith had frequently asked
for it to eat. When she built the
fire his hands were under cover; after
the shot they were outside. He had
kind of will made last week. Did
not talk as if he expected to die soon.
Witness didn't think he would kill
himself, "he was so 'fraid to die"
Charlie J. Smith, as he signed
his name to his testimony in clear
plain chirography, said he was the
son of deceased aud Teresa, and was
IL years old in April. Corrobora,ed
his mother about the sleeping ar
rangements and the building FIRE,
waking, calling, &C., in the morning.
The pistol was under bed. Had been
for long time; he put it there. His
father did have some powder about
the bed. He had got him about q
tablespoonful and half, of which
he had taken half and had the rest
in paper about the bed, Father
and mother didn't always live very
peaceable. Have often heard him
threaten to kill himself, but not
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