The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1885-09-26
CHIEF SMITHS CASE.
A VERY D4MAelNa DlsoIosuaE.
a significant Eutry in The Police cour. Rec.
ord hFound 70 have Bssu ERASED since
Thursday Nisht--samo Reason. Why
this Might seem to he Desirable.

Thursday Night-Sumo Reasons why
this Might seem to he Desirable.
II anything were lacking to satisfy any
reasonable being Of Porter Smiths
crookedness in the matter Of the fines
assessed against the inmates Of the Hol.
iiday house on September 4, and the
amount Of money retained by him out Of
the $45 given him by Pearl Woods as SO.
curity, it was furnished yesterday
afternoon, when Mayor Grub dis
covered that tho words "to be collected"
which had been written in ink in Capt.
Smiths doCke. in connection with the
fine assessed against the man arrested in
the Holiday house. had been erased.
This entry "ib be collected" was hignih.
cant; its crIsure IL more significant. 1t
was damaging testimony against Saith;
its erasure is sign THAI he or his friends
appreciated it, weight.
II is Capt. Smiths custom when money
is deposited with him 10 secure fine, to
mark the fine paid as soon as the
amount is ascertaiued, This entry Is the
natural one; the fine Is paid, and should
of course be SO marked. The fine Of
S23 10 assessed against Pearl Woods on
tho moruingof the 4th is so marked. Tho
fine OF IS 10 assessed against May James ut
the same time is 50 marked. The money
was in Capt. Smiths hands to pay these
fines. The money was not in his hands to
pay the fine OF s. 10 assessed against the
man, and record Of this fact was made
in the words, ito be collected" This is q
plain proposition which nobody can mis-
understand or explain away.
HE CANNOT sQutRM OUT.
The Importance Of this difference in the
entries, to which attention WAS called by
the INTELLIdENCER yesterday, was evi.
IDENTIFY understood, and yesterday the book
showed plainly that tie words ito be col
lected' had been erased. The eraaure was
Clumsily made, and anybody can see at a
glance what has been done. 1t avais
Capt. Smith nothing, for the words were
seen Thursday evening by Mayor Grpbb,
by an ISTELLEGEScER reporter and by q
Kegisterreporter, who canal testify tothis
fact. The erasurc therefore amounts to
almost 3 COIlebSlOu.
This erasure is not the only evidence,
OF the fact that Capt. Smith made false
statement, when he said, as reported in
yesterdays Register, in a defence OF the
Chief: "There WAS man in the house
that evening, and Pearl Woods said she
would put up for the house. She gave
me iorty.iive dollars, which covered all
those present, the two women and tho
man." ...,... ..s.
The fact that this statement is false is
further shown ..
/. BY the sworn statement Of Pearl
Woods, who says that she explicitly told
Capt. smith that $40 OF the money waI
to cover her own fine, Sl0to cover that OF
May James and $25 to cover . possible
fine against Mics Holiday.
9. By the coToborRtiva evidence Of
May james, who heard the conversation
between Migs Woods and CSp.. Smith,
and who declares that Miss Woods states
it correctly.
8. by the further corroborative evil
dence Of Register reporter, who accom-.
panied Can't Smith to the Holiday
house, and heard the conversation when
the money was given to Ctpt Smith, and
who, in presence Of Mayor Grub and
two IgTKLLlGRSCER reporters, said on
Thursday night that Miss Woods story
was strictly true go far AZ it related to the
depositing OF the money. e..
EXPECTED TO PAY HIS FINE.
4. BY the statement OF the man who was
in the house, who last evening told an In
yELLIGgScER reporter that heBever under
stood that Miss Woods pnt up money as
security for his tine, bus that he has ex-
pected ever since no was fined to be called
upon to pay the SIS 10.
8. Officers West, Wilkie and Dunlap
were in the room when Miss Woods gave
Capt. Smith the SIS, end will doubtless
corroborate her statement, though they
have not been inquired Of by 1NTBELIoEN-
GER reporters.
This array OF proof cannot fail TO satisfy
anybody who has not already made up
his mind to persist in believing Capt.
Smith an abused man.
The man who was fined for lettering in
Madam Holidays house states that he
never had an intimation that his fine had
been taken out OF tho money received by
Capt. Smith from Miss Woods, until Miss
Holiday and Miss Woods called on him
Thursday night to ascertain If this was his
understanding. He did not hear the talk
when the money was deposited, but sup
posed that Capt. Smith, Knowing him, did
not think it necessary to require him 10
furnish security. This is doubtless the
case. "To be collected" tells the story, or
did tell the story until unskjllfully erased
from the tell-taIe page.
TIE POLICE INVESTIGATION.
The Communications Ansnt Burns 20 to the