The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-08-02
MURDERED WHILE HE SLEPT
POLICE OFEIChR H. H. SMITH CLUBBED
AND STABBED 10 DEATH.

sd the Count OonhNrH ~ sNhh'eh w INV N's"s
Richard Harrison Smith, or Dick or Harry
smith AS he was vnriously called in the neigh
h,rhood in Jersey City where he lived. WAS APP
non,ed on tho police force H. February last.
.,or having been out OF employment for somo |
rncnths He WIS general fGvorite on the |
,or,c. His brother officers unite with his BROTH
ars and his friends in saying that ho did not |
.eem 10 AVE an enemy in the world.
amor going of duty on Wednesday night no |
..r, ,o his home ut 1872 Pacific avenue and ate |
hs .uppcr. H. told his wife that hs was going |
,..r.ud a meeting of the Police Commission |
.,s. and exchanging his uniform for plain |
.,,ah,s loft the house. He was seen 10y several |
rersons al tho meeting of tho Police Commits |
.ioners. 10 returned TO HIS homo about IL |
o,,loek. according TO his wifc's story. and tho |
McGresors who occupy rooms in the story
above tho Smiths. confirm II. About "A o'clock
IN the morning. Mrs McGregor was awakened
by the ouicry OF Mrs. Smith on the stairs or nj
their ioot. She says:
1.-THE first thing heard was her screaming on
Che stairs. She was calling for my son. She
WIS screaming HISTORICALLY. and didn't know
at first what was the matter. But went to the
gnrret stairs and called my son. who dressed
himself hurricdly and came down. In the
mean time went down stairs to her. She
said. Oh. Mrs. McGregor. Hurry lies there
murdered in the bed | said. Oh. no; can't
believe it, She said " Yes he lies there muir
dercd' | followed her into tho parlor adjon-
ng the bedroom trying TO soo;he her. She
cried and wrung her hands. and tainted in
my arms. l stayed there with her until
he officers came with my son and the doctor.
She lay in n semi-cousrous state for several
hours. She told me that she awoke about two
o'clock. and got up TO get n drink Of water.
Her husband awakening. asked what she was
doing. and she told him. and returned to bed
and slept until morning. She had ap inds-
tnct impression. Ms IL she had dreamed ii. that
she heard blow struck. and that she saw n tall
man with something white over his head.
When she nwoke there was n towel over her
head She stretched out her hand and felt
something cold and wet. Arising she saw the
blood by the dim light OF a little lamp that sat
on the bureau. Then she ran screaming TO the
stairs and called me-
When the doctor and the officers arrived, they
found the murdered man lying partly on his
right side. His arms were raised slightly. rs II
10 avert the blows. His right leg lay partly out
over the bedside. as though he was trying to
leap from the bed when he was knocked insen-
sible. After the pillow which covered his head
was removed two deep fractures were found in
his skull. evidently made by q heavy blunt in
buument. his lace WAS covered Win DlOO1.
No less than fifteen stab wounds were visible
about the region OF tho left nipple. evidently
aimed at his heart. Tho blood oozsd down
through the bedding to the floor beneath A
closet door. near where the murdered man lay
and TO the right OF the bed. was slightly spat-
tered with blood.
A close examination Of the rooms the DOORS
windows, and furniture. failed to disclose any
clue to the entrance of the murderer. There
were no bloody footprints, nor marks Of fingers
anywhere The rear windows and the back
say that they were usually so. A window lead
ing TO the cellar was open. and easy connection
between the cellar and the kitchen. so that there
was nothing to hinder the murderer from en-
tering by the renr.
Kind used for puttingup Lublns extract. eapa;
nearly half full Of chloroiorm. The police took
cinct station. by whom il was carefully senlcd.
The finding Of the chlQroform. coupled with
Mrs. Smiths assertion that she had a towel
over her face when she awoke Indicated at first
that the administration OF chloroform prevent
her. But the phia could not hold One-quarter
enough chloroform to produce insensibility in
officer Banfield and DR.. Case were the first to
reach the house. TIL Coroner and County
Physician. Chief OF Police Nathan. and Capt.
Lennon OF the Fourth Precinct arrived later
and Detective McHorney WAS put in charge.
with orders to keep Mrs. Smith under surveil-
lance. In the mean time she had several fits.
from recurrence Of hysterla. to which she
has been subject for several years past. Be-
tween the attacks she tried 70 tell the story sub
stsniially as already recited. She added to it
that her little black and tan dog jumping upon
Word was sent TO the dead man = IN rec broth
ers. all OF whom reside in Jersey City, and they
Immediately responded; John f.. tho Alder:
man. is a conductor on the Central Railroad OF
New Jersey; James salesman for tho Passaic
zinc Works at their office. IN Liberty street I;
Isaac In the employ OF the Metropolitan Ele-
Richard II. Smith married in 1868. woman
who had been an actress she procured di-
ard II. married Jenny. woolley Of Jersey CITY.
death. Her family were well known in Jersey
City. Her mother was married twice, the sac
ond time to man nqmed Powers. The Smith
family generally were ashamed OF Richard S
AT Eliot's .morgue post-mortem examine
sistcd by Drs. Lampson and Niers They found
1.teen inesed wounds on the leit side Of the
three. TWO were below the left nipple and one
above II. all being about one and a half inches
from the nipple. The, lower ones were one and
hail inches in length. and the upper
one an inch. The non penetrating wounds
were scattered over the breast. There were
Two scalp wounds. one two inches in length IN
the LEFT parlcta. region On opening the thorax
they found large quantity Of conguated blood
IN the thoracic cavity. One Of the ncspd
wpnuds was about the middle of the lower lobe
OF me leit lung. The surface Of tho left VEN
IT,, ,rn OF tho heart was grazcd but not pene-
iheh long penetrated the pulmonary artery Of
tho nthLl' nnd was in itself fatal. An incsed
Wouhu Was Lpuna IN the pareta near the apex
pl UP near also one an inch md half in
lonstn IN tne perNoneum. one in the lower ex-
trenlty OF the upper loh" ~ the left lung and
hnoth1r ~ inc lower lobe Of tho left lung A
notch made by sharp instrument was ionnd on
the lower edge OF the seventh lin and another in
a corresponding position ou Nh iiulrr side Of
the right rib. One Of the email ltestinc IS was
perforated from side tn side. Ga romovirv the
scalp they discoyared tho left Inrietai and inf,
portion of the frontal bone in nr oyteusiv.ly
depressed. At the top 81 tho skuil a lnrgs
quantity Of coaguatad blood WAS 'purb Either
OF the two blows on the head OF the two lnrcr
stahs would ba fatal.
Coroner Roman summoned n jury composed
81 better c.asa than ordinary az follows: A.
J Rapn. W. Matthews. i. +. Welsh, ]. n. Flcken
X. Everett. VIM. Weeks. 4, THAI. Thos
Mcdonald. W. Lehman. j. Mcmahon. John
GARRISON, Clare Birch. They viewed the body
Ehch will be removed to the house Of Alder
pan smith On Pacific avenue, and buried from
here on Saturday.
Lqie Ia tho afternoon the sink in the rear o
hr i'usr WAS searched for the weapons viii
Hhi % the murder had been committed. Al
lbpul o"!prk the quest was rewarded by ind
INK white handled carving knife. which laI
near the surface. II had not penetrated tn,
,oll ~ the bottom. OF the sink further than
would have sunk from having been recently
Ni""n down. Alderman Smith identified IL az