The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1877-01-06
AMICHIaAN MURDERESS.

MICHIGAN MURDEREsS.
The Woman Who Held Her Fingers In
Her Ears While Her Husband Was
Choked to Death.
From the New York Herald.1
The sensation of Northern Michigan
is the terrible murder at Chesaning, near
Saginaw, Mich. A woman named
Smith loves q young man named Alex
ander. They continue their love for
more than q year. Smith, the husband,
is cross and jealous. They SVant him
out of the way, and plot to murder
him is planned. Mrs. Smith has 8 sis
ter, just married to one Cargin, in New
York State. She hates Smith, and SO
does her young husband. Correspond
ence follows, the letters are destroyed.
They agree to kill the jealous husband,
and make journey to Michigan for the
purpose. Alexander is to stand by with
a truak-strap for Cargin to choke Smith
after he has been stunned with club.
At midnight, while Mrs. Smith is lying
with her husband, Alexander leaves his
hotel, enters an open window,
meets Cargin and his wife,
who are stopping in Smiths
house. Cargin gets the club and
falls upon the sleeping Smith, who
gives one groan of despair. Theguilty
wife arises softly, goes to her babe in
an adjoining room, and while the blows
continue on her husbands head, and
while the trunk strap is drawn around
his gasping throat, she puts her fingers
in her ears and presses the babe to her
bosom. Smith is killed after fright
full struggle. Once he cries out and
means. Blood flows from his nose and
mouth. The bed is saturated with the
blood. To remove all traces of vio-
lence, Alexander and Cargin cut the
plastering from the wall, put it in the
bed, and carried the still warm body on
the mattress to the barn; they picth q
ton of hay upon it, then set fire to the
barn in two places. While they are do
ing this the two women scrape the
bloody floor and headboard in the house
with q pair of scissors. Suddenly lurid
flames burst from the roof of the barn,
wild cries echo on the midnight air,
the neighbors hurry from their
beds only to see the red-hot outlines of
the barn sink into mass of flame. The
women scream and pull their hair, and
in convulsive sobs inform the appalled,
listeners that poor Mr.. Smith went out
to look after his horses, when a kick
from one of them disabled him, broke
the lantern and set the barn on fire.
On the day following that night of sin
and shame the remnants of the mattress
were found and other proofs that could
not be explained away. Then Alexan-
der, the Don Juan of the tragedy, con-
fessed, Mrs. Smith corIobOrated his
dreadful story, and the trial began.
Caygin has just been convicted of muir
der in the first degree. The evidence
against his wife is now before the jury,
after which Mrs. Smith and her lover,
Alexander, will take the prisoners
stand.
Cargin declares his innocence; also
his wife's. She says she is sick and a
bed is allowed her in open court. The
following is description of the strange
scene, as given by the Saginaw Cour-
Ter of December %:
Yesterday proved to be an interest
ing day in the Cargin-Smith murder
trial and considerable progress was
made, though from present appearance
it is not probable that the case will 90
to the jury before Tuesday or Wednes-
day next. Twelve witnesses were called
and testified on the part OF the people.
The crowd of spectators was smaller
ho dr,r ha hut
after the noon recess every available
space, outside the bar was occupied
both on the floor and in the gallery.
Deputy Sheriff Rice had plenty to do to
keep the crowd from pressing forward
and obstructing the view of the ladies
occupying the seats. The defendant IS
becoming generally known as the Sleep
ing beauty. She still occupies her easy
chair and reclines on her left side with
her feet upon the rounds of another
chair or resting with limbs extended to
full length in the chair itself. She is
turned partially toward the
jnry, but only the pointed right
cheek and forehead are visible to them.
Her eyes are shut almost continually,
SO that it is impossible to get fair look
at them, and during the whole day she
did not raise her head from the pillow
except as she rose to 60 to her cell. One
would naturally wonder what kind of a
nature she must have to remain so I'M
moved at the startling and blood cur
ding revelations made against her by
the witnesses on the stand. At times
when no one is known to her to be OBJ
serving, she can be seen to peep at the
witness with her right eye partially
opened, the left being hidden from sight
by the pillow. But the moment she
observes any person looking at her the
eye is quickly closed and remains so
until she thinks herself unobserved, and
at no time as she sits or reclines in her
easy way can the eager throng catch
even q glance at her."
After giving the testimony the report
er continues:
cat this point in the testimony Mrs.
Cargin was seized with one of her fire.
quently occurring fits. and she began |
to gasp, stretch, squeal and clutch at |
empty nothingness with her outstretch-
ed hands, and at once William A.
Clark, Jr laid his hand personal---very. |
upon hers and whispered some forci-
BILE differences in her ear, by which she |
was made to understand that it wasn't
the right time to puS in q fit to the best
effect and advantage, whereupon she
became quiet. Mrs. Smith at |
the close of the court was still on the
stand, and will be again this morning.