The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1879-07-25
A WOMAy TO HANG.
Tragic event Ib
EayPfte GouUty.
Bonneville Falcon. !

The case of the State vs. Bake
Smith. charged with the murder of her
! husband. Andy Smith, on the plau'a
ton of Mr. W D Thurman, near thi
place. nm the 23rd day of July, 1873
was tried in the Circuit Court Is-f
week. and created considerable com
rhent aud interest. The COURTROOM
during the progress Of the trial was al
the time crowded aud what vas mos
| anu-ual. large number Of ladies', both
married aud single-the elite OF she
town ware among the audience The
rial Of the case occupied two days
aud resulted 10 q verdic; of gniit,
The jurv was composed OF some OF the
:sss,s-s.s.s.1. .i.-ssi-s-~oaasg Tho yerdics
was made after about twelve hour
dcliberation. and a. Il seems, not With
out some reluciapce. There cGc De
20 doubt that il was eonscientiousiS
rendered The conn-el for the defence
Ne.srS Geo Hardin and " A Will
ken. exerted ali &c their ensFgy and
talent In behalf Of the accused, out
the evi ence at guilt was 20 over
wheltniug that their eflr's we're of Al"
avail. Mr. Hardin was particularly
active in the management OF this case.
and displayed au amount Of energ,
and ability that does him much 'redit
As il has heen uesrly twelve mouth
since the occurrence Of this murder
tho :acts "a then reported mag be for
GOTTEN ard ne will again detail them
"a eiicited from the evidence brought
out in he trial:
Aniy aud Baker Smith both color
cd. we're husband and wife, and had
beea separated over a year At the fimr
of the murder They had two chill
dren. Andy lived on Nr w D
Tburman's plantation, near ihi- place,
spd Baker was employed on E-quire
J Crossits plantation near Moscow
R,kor. it seems, kad paramour nam
cd Pleas Maberry. and there are sns-
nicions (uot founded on any proven
facts, however, shat he vas the irsti
GATOR Of the crime The evening be
fore the murder Baker vent TO Mos
oog where che purchased some candy
and thirty grains of strychnine She
then took the train for Willston and
from there proceeded to the house
where Andy resided She was kindly re
ceived aud hospitality entertained that
oight. Next day she prepared shat
,she called "c&ndy water" which va.
,caudy besteu into powder and disolv
led in water She gave this to her chill
Ilren to drink. aud they did 80 without
L,ny hurtful result. She then prepared
mother glass of the same. a. it seemed
"a gave il 20 Andy. He drank il
II in half an hour afterwards died IN
gnvulsions wi'h all the sy,npImos of
6isoning from strychniue. At the
3.ms he FIRST tasted the "candy water"
Lhe complained that il was bitter aud
laid frequeutiy before his death that
there was "some,bing 10 it." that IL
l,>vas killing him " After death, Dr.
&c w Robertson of this place. made
chemical analysis of the cusieuts OF
'he stomach. applying the color test Of
bi carbonate of potas>a and salphuric
acid. and testified that he found siryeh.
nine. Tie only circumstance lacking
in the chain of evidence was the pnt-
ting of the s,rychnine in the glass. no
one say sthat. but the proof going TO
fix the crime 90 the defendant wa
o,herEise compleis.
While there can be M doubt az to the
guilt Of this unfortunate woman. and
the Nervousness OF the ofense is snch
as TO deserve the severest psnalty OF
the law. there is much sympathy ex-
L-L II
her sex The idea Of hanging woman
Is sc shockingly repelIant TO refined
sensibility that i; is hepsd the Govern
or will commute her punishmenr TO i'm
prisonnen; for life. aud thus aver, the
execution Of this awful sentence.