Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1877-01-05
The Michigan Horror.

IL Xxx oSO1A OSboON 'AoA
and at the time Of the disaster it was con-
Sidered in perfect condition.
The Michigan Horror.
The sensation Of Northern Michigan is
the terrible murder at Chesaning, near
Saginaw, Michigan. A woman named
Smith loves a young man named Alexans
der. They continue their illicit love for
more than a year. Smith, the husband,
is cross and jealous. They want him out
of the way, ard a plot to murder him is
planned. MRS. Smith has a sisterJust mar
ried to one Cargin, in New York State.
She hates Smith, and So does her young
husband. Correspondence follows the les-
ters are destroyed. They agree to kill the
Jealous husband, and make a journey to
Michigan for the purpose. Alexander is
to stand by with q trunks strap for Cargln
to choke Smith after he has been stunned
with a club. At midnight, while MIS-.
Smith is lying with her husband, Alexan~
der leaves his hotel, enters an open win
dow, 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. The gull
ty 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 gasp
ing throat, she puts her fingers In her ears
and presses the babe to her bosom. Smith
is killed after a frightful struggle. Once
he cries out and means. Blood flows from
with the blood. To remove all traces of
violence 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 pitch a ton OF
hay upon it, then set fire to the barn IN
two places. While they are doing this the
two women scrape the bloody floor and
headboard in the house with a pair OF scls>
sors. Suddenly lurid flames burst from
the root of the barn. wild cries echo on
the midnight air, the %nelghbors hurry
| from their beds only to see the red hot
outlines of the barn sink into a 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 remains of the mattress we're
found and other proofs that could not be
explained away. Then Alexander, the
Don Juan of the tragedy, confessed. Mrs.
Smith corroborated his dreadful story,
and the trial began. Cargin has just been
The evidence against his wife is now be-
fore the jury, after which Mrs. Smith and
her lover, Alexander, will take the
| pris oners' stand.
Cargin declares his innocence also his
Wife'5. She says she is SICK and a bed is
allowed her in p court. The following
is a description of the strange scene, as
given by the Saginaw Courier of Deccm-
Der %:
Yesterday proved to be an interesting
day in the Cargln-Smith murder trial and
considerable progress was made, though
from present appearance it is not proba-
BILE that the case will go to the jury before
Tuesday or Wednesday next. Twelve
witnesses were called and testified on the
part of the people. The crowd of specta-
tors was smaller than common during the
forenoon, but after the noon recess every
available space outside the bar was occu-
upied, both on the floor and in the gal
lery. Deputy Sheriff Rice. had plenty to
do to keep the crowd from pressing for
ward and o%bstructing the view of the la,
dies occupying the seats. The defendant
is becoming generally known as the sleep
ing beauty.
She still occupies her easy chair and re-
clines 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
jury, but only the painted right cheek and
forehead are visible to them. Her eyes are
shut almost continually, so that it is i'm
possible to get a fair look at them, and
during the whole day she did not raise her
band frop, tJ,n ni1loxUY nvonNt nc chm VOC fo
go to her cell. One would naturally Won
der what kind of a nature she must have
to remain so unmoved at the startling and
blf Cd curdling revelations made again. t
her by the witnesses upon the stapd AT
times, When no is known to be observing,
she Can be seen to peep at the witness with
her right eye partially opened, the left be-
ing hidden from sight by the pillow. But
the moment she observes any person look
ing at her the eye is quickly closed and
remains SO until she again thinks herself
unobserved, and at no time as she sits or
r~eclines in her easy way can the eager
throng catch even a glance al her.
After giving tie testimony the reporter
Continues
At this point in the testimony Mrs. Car
gin was seized with one of her frequently
occurring fits, and she began to gasp,
stretch, scream and clutch at empty moth
ingness with her outstretched hands, and
at once VIM. A. Clark, jr., laid his hand
personal---very. Upon hers and whispered
some forclble %utterances in her ear, by
which she Was made to understand that it
wasn't the right tine to put in a fit to the
best effect and advantage, whereupon she
instantly became quiet.
Mrs. Smith al the close of court was
still ON the stand, and will be again this
morning. We could see no perceptible
c. ange in her testimony except as to new
facts, and her demeanor was about the
same as on the former Trial. except that
she testified to her criminal intimacy with
Alexander with a little more nerve than
on the former rial, though yesterday it
was interspersed with an occasional giggle.