The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-06-09
OlGlITTlIEl To BE HANGED!
ryFirirENCE ~ mr. CtSE or JENNIE
SWIM .iND CODERI ~. BENNETT


Toru. EDITOR OF The SrN Sir: Judge
K.,g hi. announced hi4 intention VI sen
A.. Ink Mrs. jennie Smith and Covert ID. Bon
r.tfan Monday AJuy has pronounced them
~, t,.smuricr i'm the first degree. Under tho
I.o-o,N .w Jersey the penalty is death.
T.e,.rltt acain~i ~ Is pair, who wcrc con
t.sal,y guilty " the crime Of illicit love. took
,,pt. . by surprise. Many thought one or
hath guilty: tow believed that tho State had
n.I.out u ct-r against either.
,u examination Of the oral testimony dis
c-.anu Modification for such verdict Mrs.
srth adhered 90 tho story she told ON the
Morning when She gave the alarm. and avcrrcd
n.t.lc had found her husbands dead body ny
l.r.ule ON awaking from a stupor which sho
l..,slto have boon caused by chloroform adj
r.ni-.rr,d u her sleep. The State proved no
material fact inconsistent with this story.
Bennett proved that he entered horse car in
flat fnrt VI Jersey City in which Mrs. smith
lived at o'clock on the night of the murder.
ana wont Ga the ferry. young man. a fellow
meteor. who knew him we'll. saw him about If
o,io.k 40 the Bowcry Theatre. which was on
bis way to his boarding house in Williams
tr.h fellow boarlcr. lady. swore that
saeadmitcd him before midnight. and he went
rhs room. Her story was shaken by sharp
denomination rs the story Of many an
h.ao.t witness unused TO courts has been
shaken before He met other infnares of tn
u-r at breakfast Bennett. learning by the
newspapers that he was suspected OF this foul
murder waited. as he ayers. for several days to
see whether the real murderer should be ar
r-;cd. Then he gave himself up.
This ia all that the oral testimony discloscs Of
importance. The police followed no other clue
Of any consequence. They investigated Ben
ncits acts and belongings most thoroughly
They got his trunk. Dr. Doremus Analysed
every spock on his clothing. but found no blood
None of his clothing was shown to be missing
The murder. it WINS proved. was probably COM
miticd between and 3 o'clock in tho morning.
To reach his home in Williamsburgh 80 rs TO
be there next morning at breakfast. Ben
nett must have traversed over a mile to
reach the Jersey City ferry. and. after cross
ing about another mile to reach tho
Williamsburg ferry. His residence was about
annie and u half distant from the ferry. To
roach u after leaving the scene Of tho murder
be- would therefore have had 10 traverse about
trrre and half miles by lind and two by
watar. He could not have done il in much loss
thnu two hours. which IN July would have made
q daylight before he reyeh"d home. Yet the
identify him is escaping on foot. no harkman
or ierrywnn whp recognized him rs u fare on
BENNETT was not shown To have boon m assoc
eiHfr ui the Idle or the vicious. On the con-
trly. be was sentimental church going
youth of 20 years. fond 81 literary exercises
defamation. and debates which taste led him
t-adopt the stage as a profession.
These briefly. are the facts upon which was
based the public telcf that the State had ~ led
i1 make out cnse against Bennett and MIS-.
smthi J%dsG Kn9pp az, ESgi i in nntshe IN
was the only thing that connected Bennett with
the crime, This was letter tiat benpcu sur
were both in jail. II must Doe read in the light
Of B'unous confession thm they had been
guilty lovers long before the murder.
Tho lrSi passage which the State cOnstruel
rs an admission oi guilt Is as follows:
BE- true 70 me even IN ever, nousht You cannot suffer
~ re noTf st. g son'. yoa u ygn ai no, ,g,s +,
n.y. YOU Sonve'cd and ID. die rather lhan have GA do
M i i %ss1 he 9pi,rc 10 ne am rssdy a any
urau'cs nv death
letter is. Bennett swore his meaning was that
II she should be convicted. his love for her
Yer ead H. l. not he r"t 70 Ta and
llvr-smittnn youth who has made such IN
ayqwal. Whether his language is moro suscep-
~ ,e = THIS or IN" other Interpretation must Boz
lli-"d hy the succeeding words:
Rat darling, r'tiItro' our lives viii Doe required W.
s %. ,il ,i 4''c il',,r ,. f,'r .,rtii, r,,,,is n
mont ln DE- not al- adv shown MS lie stalking care Of
sri y IT, tnai coming Why should you be-. m,
d. sorvho are nrraycl for you now compared to NJ
few WIN s'tr for Aou ~ nrsi You could not an iii
yrs eul'i thry lc beat
To tclieye, then that this was an admission
~ gut hv n murderer u his iellow-muricrcr
We must believe also that h reminded her thai
God WIS watching over and aiding them IN
ihrr Efforts % escape punishment Tor VIOLATING
~ cummandment, Thou shalt not Kill lie
proceeds:
Ana sg my @s5pi ysa haze ,Dd 1, , s S
MANN r. I'M, tr,. ,re ,oIr ,,h" al Wiz thrr Ia
n1snce a. De Will and ashc Ina. done. lis atyocalinl
b.. al. &C. Sc viii win hundreds for Sou. amt NE
oir'n. are nncaf.caiic Wien directed hV such mai
a., amt he wil MOI .tt anything which may be sai'
iagic, nt never mi dearest /, viii not be believed
h'ya- ulass against you, know your devoted lover vii
Here we have murderer reassuring his Tel
low murderer with the knowledge that she ha'
IN her Mvor the influence Of the Roy. DR.. Rice
though tho whole world should believe he
guilty OF the murder. he. her fellow murderer
How Judge Knapp. after reading this sen
tcnre Ia a letter clandestinely written by tn
paramount Of woman accused OF murder, h
couli have construed the letter rs m admission
Of guilt, and 50 charged strongly against then
customel 20 hear the New Jersey judiciar
HppS n OF in terms OF laudntion.
believe y'l have been true 20 me ever since We hr'
el'e hear viii an.ci my love have been true /
~ ,' VIZ ~, u,, lnl ' i a"i ,',.' r,,n pv ~
tine. aul we will be- true To our Creator and eac
other hereafter letting the tine before met an
pledged our love be as blank.
This passage II consistent with and explain
that first quoted The time that he would hav
made u blank could not refer to the murder
but must have been the occurrence OF the adu
terry. mouths before He had been true 70 he
sine. and plured her to be true 10 him, SO TN
both would he true TO their Creator. And,
Ro back 10 the passage first quoted, God Ia
shown that he WIS taking care OF them. an
would deliver them from earthly punishment
For what crime WIS earthly punishment due
this sentimental youth Of twenty and his par
mourn MHnfcstly the crime Of pedgng h.
love" TO another mans wife. which on III
stand he admitted TO mean that lie had seduce
her.
lie proceeds to quote from letter Of hers:
You spoke Of your thoughts concerning the state Of n
heart You .ay you thought from my actions That ~
love WAS not yours that had tired oi you. that "
sorry IN doing what had, sc &C. was angry, dca
est and di not know my heart my love yours. ~
would SOONER tire 0i my lite. will never NJ YOU y
are my heart Ny heart Is now 90 love Tor YOU
HnN can tire of my hearth While INV heart you la
absolute control ot it asst u was IN Nour own boso
II g1i0s That YOU WAS sorry m doing what YOU had
DO on mean that now that have got You ! am sor
that dii ~ II so you mctn-l LAY Thousand tunes 81
lam not sorry now that have got you hut ! am sor
other manner
Tho State insisted that Bennett meant he
that he should have got her in some mann
other than by murder. Bennett says. and u
context proves, that the wrong he referred