The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-02-14
MRS. SMITHS SHAKESPEARE.
RECITING FROM HAMLET WHILE DOING
HER HOUSEWORK.



A little woman dressed in black with a
pretty white face only partially showing
through her ample mourning veil. became so
much in her goings and comings between the
Court House and the Jail an object OF rude curl
osity and wonder to the throngs who at morn
ing and evening rushed pe mell upon her
breaking down tho shrubbery in the Jail yard
and buffotting the constables who had her in
charge. that she grew frightened. and yester-
day was led to and from her trial by rear
passage which the mob could not nssail.
At 10 o'clock the court room in Jersey City
was again packed. and Jennie Smith and Covert
Bennett were seated. separated only by n brief
line of lawyers. to listen to another day full Of
drcary testimony. adduced. in the person of
Prosecutor McGill. by tho relentless State.
Flakes OF snow were flying outside the win
dows ms Elizabeth Smith. the mother Of the MUIR
dered police officer. was called Ms n witness.
She had. only the day before. lost an
other son. Isaac the same who had
married the divorced wife to whose
position the pretty prisoner had followed. Isaac
was to have testified for the State yesterday.
The witness was detained only for minute.
and she testified only to two points. One was
that Jennie Smith had said to her a few DAYS
before the murder that she believed her hus-
band was about to die because the night pre-
vious the dog had stood at the head OF his bod
| and cried three times. The other point was
| that Jennie Smith had come TO her on the day
following the murder and asked for some lini-
mont. ,,
| testified that she had asked Jennie Smith IL the
murder had not been done thu ough jealousy
ff Tor me- he Won't ret me Nctte had had re,
peated IN her previously 20 the murder the same
| testified 10 by the foregoing witness. Jennie
| Smith had also said TO her that, she was study.
| books. some parts OF which she had already got
The next witness was Rebecca Nathan who
niece Of tho Jersey City Chief Of Police. aud the
| daughter Of man for whom Richard Smith was
| formerly bartender. She was bright. dark.
| eyed little person. with blue and green plaid
suit. reiieyed by row Of brass buttons. She
tightly across her trim shoulders; and an
| alpine hat rested upon her head. decorated
MIN which fnt SFo Sp dSd %Sn
IDENTIFY In answer to the District Ati9r-
ihs onnE v 1eTsoHb tf ss t9at sRe
| Smith. She knew that husband and wife were
Jealous OF each other. For instance on one
| dow the husband declared that she was flirting
| with somebody. Mrs. Smith said TO witness
| that she didn't love Harry and that she only
| married him Tor home. AZ one time Mrs
| Smith declared that she would Put poison in
her husbands coffee II she dared. As far "a
| theatrical proclivitics were concerned, witness
had seen Mrs. smith dance a litle aud that was
The prisoner affected sat smiling at this last
ns Mr. W.nlrid took tho. with. - out Of tho
HANDS 81 Di,trct Attorney VI q .l for or lss-eN-
balancing pen on his forelngcr. given u-
some oi the shades OF married life. and We vii
now ask concerning some OF the lights Of y,
Did Mr. and Mr.. Smith ever kiss each other ?"
Witness lsmling brGhtlyl-Oh, yes. sir
Mr.. Winheld-And put their arms around the
neeks Of each otherl
| Wtness-Yes sir.
MIR. WinAeii-And went to balls together. and
| Hapnat hsr uI tpL ed turh other
| Nitness-Yes sir. Sometimes they were great
friends. and then. sometimes. they were pick
4 r. Winaeid|ind You heard her sometimes
speak very lovingly of her hpshandY 80, o.,
Witness after due eonsiderationl-Weh'
Mr. winned-You have lived in other fami-
lies. Miss Nathan?
Mr., Winfield Did you. now ever see fam
ily which was happierl
| Winese-Oh. yes. indeed. air.
Mr.. Wimbledon were IL years old when y'tn
lived with "a" smiths. were you not Yes we'll.
observer ~ human nature az that time
Witness tnodsstly. Tut with certain mash OF
the. eyel Well suppose thatsfor YOU to Judge
aud not for me.
The witness went on. under the lead ling o; the
defenduntf lawyer. and trstihed that Mr.. Swiul
called ter husband Buh' and that he called
p her sis" occasionally. bg! not frequently.
Zephuniah Conkug. an East River hoaman
vas called. a young man with hronzed face and
| an exceedingly limited vocabulary. He testified
tia ho had lived with Smith for a long time
S on ono occasion he passed into the yard an,
-aw bennett and Mrs Smith standing together
Al the gate. H., went about his work. and pres
= | entity Mrs. Smith came 10 him and said; ID,
{ you know who that was That WAS the mar
Harry ordered out OF the house. ! am sorry
pd be- tI vow III n nk ne Is good ooklns Wines
5 replied that BE seemed too much, Of a boy
r whereupon Mrs. Smith answered, Hos
, darling" The witness went on 10 say III.
y Smith had found fault with his wife for spout
% ing SAakespo are al breakfast. .
How do you know It was Shakespeare
I SAID ihe District Attorney
Well It sounded like H."
why lid il sound Ike itP'
, because there was SO much spouting int
Mr.. Wakeman. one Of the counsel for the de
! strokedhi- forehead, and regarded tho wtnes
n with silent interest. II soon became eviden
mind OF Xr. Gonkling. Mr.. Winfield set "A pal
Il OF eyeglasses athwart his nose. and inquired;
H. routing Shakespeare at breakfast"
~ Wtncss-Well, he didn't seem to ike it,
l., remcmbcr one thing he said. was: For tn
~ Lords sake. Jennie. stop thnt.'
h Mr.. Mnn.ld-Was Mr.. Smith = objection nor
\. to tina manner or to the matter OF Mrs. smith
MiqSfi. G9 the TqnnG 9,, nor how or,n,
N be- done, or what was his criticism upon h
- VIM Well he used TO object to it. Il
M used 10 say, Give us rest. Jennie or som'
n Mr. winfield Was it atracedy tina, she quote
N from Shako prlre. or comedy
" WItnrss-Oh, It was trlgedy. 1t used TO 60
Far beyond the seas Of or something like tina
Mr. Winneld-Was it the tragedy of the " Nj,
summer NIGHTS Dream ~
N Mtnoss-No, sir. | don't think twas that.
don't exactly know what tragedy it WAS.
Mr. Winueld-lut he criticised her manner
e. | rendering IL very sharplyf
IA Witness Yes SIR He used 20 say: " Com
~ on Jennie: nobody is laughing mt you"
he Mr. Ninhsd-Dld sho use 10 spout AZ 9TH
n times than ~ hre0kiastt
h.. Witness-Oh yes. sir She used to spo
'' when she was cooking.
ai Nj. Wnhed-And when she was sweeping
A. Witne-- Yes. sir.
IN Martin j. Cummings testified that he was ri
I'm ing ON the car which gors through Pacific av
nv | nue. on the night Of July 81. aud thata your
- man got on the car. TO whom ne gave "a liz
IN. from his cigar. He was attracted To tho your
ar | man by his Intelligent LOOK. The young mn
nj | wore blue flannel sack coat and Derby he
~. Subsequently, tho witness went to the IA
a. | where he wns shown Bennett. and he W
he | pretty sure that Bennett and tho young mi
r. 10 whom he had given the light were one ~
m the same. The witness was cross examined
-. Judge Hoffman the lawyer Tor Bennett, Ms
nm MS memory Of others vino wore near him
liz The car The witness brlstled at once in
te bolligerency Two men had stood on the re-
ed platform. smoking in addition To himself al
, n The young man who he thought WIS Benne
". judi 20 Hoffman asked the witness 10 desert