South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1881-07-01
THE SECRET CLOSET
A DETECTIVES STORY.

Wllltul murder of Henry Thomson.
The case was one of n most extraordi-
nary nature, and the interest excited
by 1t was almost unparalleled. The
accused was Il gentleman of consider
able property, residing upon lis own
estate "A person, supposed to be an
entire stranger to him, had, late i'm n
summers day, requested and obtain
ed shelter and hospitality for the night.
He had, 1t was supposed, after taking
some light refreshment, retired to bed
in perfect health, requesting to be
awakened ut an early hour the follow
ing morning. When the servant APP
pointed to call him entered the room
Tor that purpose, he was found
perfectly dead; and from the appear
ance of the body it was obvious that
he had been so for many hours
There was not the slightest mark of
violence upon his person, and the
countenance retained the same express
sion it had during life.
Days and weeks passed on, and lit
tie further was discovered. In the
meantime rumor had not been idle.
Suspicious were vague indeed and un-
defined, and were at first whispered
and afterward boldly expressed. The
precise object of these suspicious was
not clearly indicated; some implica-
ted one person and some another /;
but they all pointed to Smith, the
master of the house, rs concerned in
the death ofthc stranger; and, in fine.
the magistrates were induced to com.
mt MIR. Smith to Jail to await his trial
for the willi'ul murder of Henry
Thompson. As it WAS deemed essen.
tlal TO the attainment of Justice to
keep secret the examination OF the
witnesses before the magistrates, all
the information of which the public
were III possession before the trial took
place was that which have narrated.
Such was the state of things upon the
morning of the trial.
The counsel for the prosecution
opened his case to the jury in a man.
ner that indicated very little expecta.
ton OF conviction. He began by
implorlng them to divcst their minds
of all that they had heard before com.
ing into the box. He entrcatcd them
to attend to the evidence, and iudre
from that alone.
1t would be proved beyond the pos
slbllity oil doubt that the deceased
died from poison-poison of a most
subtle nature, most active operation,
and possessing the wonderful and
dreadful quality of leaving no extcr-
nal mark by which It's presence could
be detected. The ingredients ofwhich
1t was composed were of so scdate q
nature that instead OF the body on
which it had been used exhibiting any
contortions or marks of suffering, it
left upon the features nothing but the
calm aud placid appearance of rcposc.
The prisoners family consisted on
Iy of himself, a housekccpcr and one
man servant. The man servant slept
i'll an clubhouse adjoining the stable.
and did so on the night of Thompson's
death. The prisoner slept at one end
OF the house and the housekcepcr at
the other, and the deceased had been
put into n room adjoining the house
Keepers.
1t would be proved by person
who happened to be passing by the
house on the night in question, about
three hours after midnight, that he
bad been induced to remain and watch
from having his attention excited by
the circumstance, then very unusual.
of a light moving about the house at
that late hour. The person would
state positively that he could distinct.
~ see a figure, holding Il light, go
from the room in which the prisoner
slept TO the housckccpcr's room; that
two persons then came out of the
housekecPer's room, and the light dis
| appeared for minute. Whether the
two persons went into Thompson's
room he could not see, as the window
of that room looked another way
but IN about minute they returned.
passing quietly along the house to
Smiths room again, and in about FIVE
minutes the light was cXtinguishcd,
and he saw it no more.
| Such was the evidence upon which
| tie magistrate committed Smith and
sngularIy enough, since his comuittal
the housckceper had disappeared, nor
could any trace Of her be discovered.
Within the last week the witness
who saw the light had been more par
/ ticularly examined, and in ordor TO
refresh his memory had been placed Mt
dark in the very spot where hc had
stood that night, and another person
was placed with him The whole
scene, as he had described it, was ac-
ted over again, but it was impossible,
from the cause above mentioned, to
assert, when the light disappeared,
whether the parties had gone into
Thompson's room As it. however,
to throw still deeper mystery over this
| vfr9prdiuory transaction tbo t,4ff,,o-s