Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-03-27
ROADSIDE DEATH.
4 FORMER LEGISLATOR FOUND DEAD
IN HIS TRACKS.
John d. Smith, an Old Settler of Dakota
County, Perisllcs Ignobly--An Intelligent
Life Clouded and Closed by Intemper-
RnCe.

ten miles from st. Paul, on the river road to
Hastings. His ifeless body was discovered, on
his homeward road, early yesterday morning,
about three and a half miles from the Waba-
shaw street bridge. During life, Smith is
represented as having been a man of above the
average intelligence, and to have been endowed
with more than ordinary common sense. So
far, indeed, did he win the confidence of his
fellow-citizens that he was elected to represent
| them in the Legislature. He had, however,
| especially Of late years, an unfortunate addic-
ton to drink.
Last evening Messrs. A. D. Cole and Joseph
Cross, neighbors of the deceased, were in the
! city to procure coffin for the remains. From
them, a GLOBE reporter CLEANED the following
facts 1t was known that the deceased left
Burch's saloon, in West St. Paul, shortly after
Z. o'clock on the previous evening. About
| o'clock yesterday morning the team arrived at
Smiths home driverless. His wife, after call
ing upon neighbor, at once dispatched a mes
senger with the team backward to St. Paul, and
his corpse was found upon the road at the dis
| lance from this city already indicated An
examination of the body disclosed wound in
the region of the right ear, where there
deep cut, and the parts were black and blue.
LII. Barton was summoned, and gave it
as his opinion that death had been
caused by violent blow, from which
the deceased had bled internally upon the
brain, causing death. The body was found
lying upon the road, but little off it, and
| team, which had passed subsequent to Smiths
death, had swerved across the wheel-marks of
Smiths team, which had led to the impression
that the parties driving the second team must
have dragged Smiths body out of the way It
is more probable, however, as the GLOBE re-
porter thinks, that the horses of the second team
had diverged from the track, by reason of the
natural aversion which all horses have of step
ping over approaching human corpse. The
deceased had upon his person, when searched
at home $1.5O. About 5 o'clock of the
previous afternoon, he was seen by Mr..
Schumann, butcher, of West st. Paul, to have
some $8 or $40 in his possession when Smith
bought an ox-yoke from the latter. Smith had
wood rack upon his wagon, upon which was
loaded number of sacks. The sacks were
found to be blood-stained, as were the spokes
of the wheels one side Of the wagon, while
the clothes of the deceased were not similarity
attained. These facts seemed to lead the
GLOBE reporters informants to believe that
Smith had either been killed upon the wagon
he had then rolled off his load or that he had
fallen between the wheels and was
then injured, but with sufficient strength
and consciousness remaining to enable
him to climb once more on his wagon, whence
he had again rolled off in death. The corpse
messenger returned, and found the body, he
saw a light in one of these shanties. man.
resident therein, was found to be out of bed,
and he assisted in loading the corpse on the
wagon, but had nothing to say. Deceased left
a widow without issue. His first wife had died
shortly after the death of an only son, who
persisted in the army. Smith had farm Of
100 acres, valued. in the opinion of Messrs.
Cole and Cross, at Sc, 0OO if it was all clear of
debt. Smith was about IS years of age.
The reporter then sailed across the bridge to
West St. Paul. Mr.. Schumann's house was
Wig ta1 Int bod To 49, 1.,
Druids' lodge on this side of the river. Pene-
trating the darkness, dimly illumined by an oc-
casional oil lamp, the reporter at length at
tanned the saloon of j. N. Burch. Here were
found the proprietor, the hired man of the
place, and four other men, Mrs BurcA subse-
quently entering. All were well acquainted
with Smith, and one of the men had been but
recently employed by him. From this fruit
full source, the reporter gathered the following
PARTICULARS
Burch had seen Smith come in during the
morning with a small load of wood which the
speaker heard of his having subsequently sold.
just after supper, Burch saw Smith coming
down the road. Knowing Smiths propensity
to drink and stay until all hours of the night
and there being one at the time in the sa-
loon, Burch stepped out, in the hope that, find
ing no one present to chat or carouse with,
Smith would make early start homeward.
Returning in about twenty minutes Burch
saw Smith get on to his wagon and drive away
Mrs. Burch said Smith drank one glass of baer
only, for which he paid five CENTS
out. This about 7:15 o'clock, Smith,
said she, ''was perfectly sober, and said to
the hired man, as Smith went away, :" What
wonder it is he is going home early and SO
sober Smith was much in the habit of
travelling the woods in various stages Of in
toxication, at all hours of the night and in all
weathers. 1t was stated that Smith was poor
His land Indifferent in quality
and was heavily mortgaged, although
he was hard working and very intelligent
man, but had drank hard since his sons DEATH
his failure to secure the pension due from the
his Incorporate habits. The sacks upon his
wagon contained oats, flour, groceries, &C., for
which he had paid cash, which might account
for the disappearance of his money. A man
called Jonas, the basket maker" lived in
one of the shanties near where Smiths BODY
was found. He had twice heard, or Thought he
heard, groans during the night. The first time
he got up out of bed went to the door, and
then went back to bed again, as the groans
ceased, and he thought it might be some
drunkard. If Jonas helped to load up the
corpse, it was quite likely he would not speak
as he could not talk English.
Back to this side of the river came the re-
porter and caught Mr.. Schumann as he came
out of the Druid's hall Wabashaw street.
He said his son had sold Smith an ox-yoke
about o'clock in the afternoon. Smith was
quite intoxicated at the time, and had $40
bill after paying for his purchase.
This closed the Globes representatives.
search after the news in the matter, the result
being condensed as above
PERSONAL.
s. B. Sheldon, of the Isanti county Press, is
in the city.
E.B. Winship, of Racine, Wis, is in the