New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-09-05
TIE moral OF A FUNERAL.


The little village of Ansonia, Connecticut,
witnessed on Sunday a remarkable -iuheral
pageant. Remarkable in the great number OF
nersops in attendance, in the character OF the
individual thus honored. and in the circum-
stances under which he met his death III was
n most imposing demonstration. stranger
witnessing such spectacle twenty years ago
would have said Doubtless the body OF some
I" brave boy who fell in battle while figDtlng ioi
his country has been brought home for BURIAL
"and these thousands have gathered 10 10
"honor to his memory" And he might nave
added in view of the great multltudes assisting
in the payment of this last tribute oil respect
{" He must have been some uncommon nero
"someope who, having furnished III his lie the'
"model of exemplary conduct and manly deport-
"ment had still further endeared himself TO the
"hearts of his neighbors and friends 10y his sell
sacrificing patriotism, and had crowned all oy
" meeting a martyrs fate in the performance oil
(" some brilliant act of heroismn But the stranger
would have been wide, very wide, Of the marx
Except that this was the funeral of man who
died by violence as the result of engaging III
acts of violence, there was nothing mere 10
suggest a soldiers life or soldiers burial.
This was the funeral of James Smith, better
known to the people Of the village where he
had spent the larger part of his lie anu 10
which his body had been brought for 0uliai as
"Chipn Smith. He was young man-twehty-
three years old at the time of his death his
life, so far from having been prohtabiy ana
usetully spent, had been worse than wasIeu 81
far from being an example, 1t was iearlui
warning to all his associates. What he was as
a son was illustrated i'll the person OF his tather,
made permanently deaf by blow from ms Daho
| when comparatively boy. In the family ne
WAS brutal and cruel in the nelghborhood III
| which he lived he was feared and avoided 10
| the officers of the law, with whom he was III
| almost constant conflict he was terror; ana
| il was in evidence that for a long period lie hau
euioyed a local notoriety as a fellow OF de-
| nrnved tastes and vicious habits, and, when IN
famed with drink OF the most reckless ana
desnerate temper. Going home intoxicated,
| he 80 abused his mother and sister, threatening
them with n loaded pistol which he carried,
that the frightened women sought the ald oil
the village police. When the policeman under
took 10 arrest him, "Chip" Smith drew his
pistol and shot him in the bowels. The police
man fingered four days in agony and then died.
|
fenced TO death, and, after many delays pro-
cured through the ingenuity oil MS couhSe' ioi
fine prolongation of his life, last Friday he was
hanged. He was buried on Sunday as oeih :
! the day best calculated to bring out large
crowd to assist in the poSthumous hOhois'
| Ten thousand people are SAID I" nave oeeh III
| attendance upon the occasion. Two hundreu
Young men belonging to the MONITOR STAR
4. a..
| light" and Jolly Rover" Clubs, the character
of which is limited i'll their names, marched
| ahead OF the hcarse, and twenty-one hacks ana
one hundred and twenty seven other carriages,
filed principally by young people, followed
| il to the grave. His last days in prison were
soothed 10y the ministratons OF religion ana
| the attendance of faithful and devoted priests
and there was no lack OF floral offerings ana
| other gifts from the class OF women VINO
babitualy ideaize and liOnize the perpetrators
Of great crimes. Upon the casllet at the fune-
| raj were many flowers on pillow surrounded
by Il white dove were the words Thou art
| forgiven" and on a cross the word Hope
| The officiating clergyman took occasion tc
| innress uDOn the great audience in the church
the warning contained in the young man 5
career and its ending. Two hundred young
men. members of social clubs " to one OF
which the deceased belonged, listened rever-
emily, 10 doubt but can there be any question
that they were much more impressed by the
spectacle of these posthumOus honors done to
one of their own number, not in spite Of but
on account Of, his crime than by the solemn
warning of the priest
@Chip" Smith dying i'll his bed, having COM
mitted no murder, would have been quietly and
| overwhelmingly hurled Having committed
murder and died at the hands Of the execu-
toner, be goes to his grave amid great cere-
monv, followed by ten thousand sympathizers.
This is the thought that takes deeper hold OF
the young men than any words of warning
from pulpit OF altar. Is it, then, so admirable
thing to commit murder and be hanged for.it
| THE CHINESE La UNDRY DECISION
The full text of Justice Fields opinion in the
Ouong Woo case which has now come to hand