The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1885-08-18
BLOOD'SCRY.
1t is Heard of Men in the
Smith Case.
The Horrible Mystery Par
TALLY Solved.
Mans Perfidy and a Woman's
Revenge Reveal It.
Kansas City's Latest and Darkest
Sensation.

o6uSdtlCus
The confession of a criminal now in jai
at Topeka, charged with higsmy, furnishes
a key to the most blood curdlIng mystery
ever known in the history Of crime In Kan
sas City. The circumstances attending th,
sudden and violent d ath of ]. NJ. Smith
cashier of the bank Of Kansas City, ar,
still fresh In remembrance, says the Kan
sas City Times. As ii now transpires, ht
was robbed, ssndbagged and thru-t ovsr 3
high wall on Bluff sire I, one OF the mos
frequented thorougbfares In the city, st
o'clock in the evening, January 5, 1881
On account of his high standing in the So
cial and business community, the cas-:
created an INN nse sensation and was hsn-
died thorough by the shrewdes. aetec
tives in the country. Ali their efforts we're
of no avail and the mystery was finally
dismissed as imp ssible of solution. Mr.
Smith was found in dyirg co2ditIen al
the foot OF the Bluff street wall His
crushed skull su g-sted sandbag, and
people living In the vicinity had heard q
struggle on the sleety sidewalk.
CRIES OF DISTRESS
and the sounds Of burrying footsteps had
reached their ears. That was all. Rumor
after rumo- was run down, but the mystery
only deepened and il was at length conclu
ded that q the dead banker had been muir
dered il was one case Of murder that wouI id
not 'fout"
Prosecuting Attorney Weodson recently
learned that the Topeka Jail held a hard
ened criminal who was IN possession of the
secret of Mr.. Smiths dea.h This person
is Chssteen Hughes, a printer, who is at
present charged with bigspy. Major
Woodson's Investigation has at East solv, d
the mystery, even if the conviction of the
Bluff street murderers do s not follow.
Ii turns out that Hughes told TO his vie
the story of the killing of NJ. Smith, and
that she In turn gave il away. There are
points In the confession that are so correG
10 detail that the authorities are inclined
to accept it as the true version of the affair.
Kansas Law has its clutches upon Hughes
and he will be held TO await the action of
the jackson county grand jury.
THE MURDER MYsCERY.
1t was wild night on January 5, 1851.
The wind blew and great sheets OF rain and
sleet poured down. Mr.. AID Mrs. Smith
were expecting the latter's niece from
Warrensburg on the evening Missouri Pa
cifc train. intending TO meet her at the
depot, Mr. Smith did not 60 home to sup
per that night. Shortly after o'clock be
proceeded to the Grand avenue depot and
when the tr ain arrived boa-ied il 10 look
for his friend.
During the progress of the train to the
union depot he hunted through the cars.
but did not find his expected guest. At the
union depot be got of and went to the
door OF the ladies' waiting room, where he
was last seen scanning the crowd as If in
search of some one. His movements after
this time are not positively known, but il
is supposed the conveyapces had all gone
up town ard he started home afoot. by way
ct Union avenue and Bluff street.
Along the loot of the Bluff street wall a
ew rods distant from the bridge. there are
some cubby holes, which are places OF ref |
lge fer railroad W .tchmen during the cold |
weather.. In one of these, aboul $50 O'Clock |
In the night in question, there were three
Satchmen. There was no work for them |
II that moment, and they were csnversing
VI. each other when they heard above The |
oar of the Storm
DULL THUD
IS of some one falling from Bluff street
yer the wall. A wa Gilman, lantern in
and, fastened TO the spot from whence the
ound came, and saw q man living upon
be ground, arpsrently struggling 10 rise
o his iest. Calling his comrades the
7atchEan tried to raise the Injured man.
ut he was bic to stand. Consciou ness
ad no. entirely passed away, as he said
D them, incoherently:
What are you going TO do with me?
Where are you going to take me? Take
he home ?'
With these words he sank into uncon-
,iousn ass, from which be never rallied.
Meanwhile quite a crowd had gathered
q the Bluff street sidewalk thirty or forv
ct above and were peering ever the wall.
he Watchman asked tn m TO call the ,
olIce and an officer arriving the wounded !
IAN was conveyed TO the Tn on depot, 100 4
ards distant. There some one who knew ,
i'm identified him as Mr.. /. VI. Smith, ,
Lshier OF the bank of Kansas City. The {
Of a surgeon show. d that the
,ull had been rushed two inches behind |
Id below the right ear and tive ribs had ,
zen broken.
Wounded and dying, Mr.. Smith was -,
$3.50 IL q NoA4A' sluO NllsSE 70 dis
llatial home, where the news was broken $
gently as p ssible to bis wife. The rext S
ening he died, remaipiug in a coma:ose I
ndition during the entire time.
FASCINATED BY HIS CRIME.
For several days after the murder of Mr..
9th, the weather being bitt cold, the I
dy lay at the family residence at the ;
rner OF Twelfth and Wyandot streets. \
mes Liggett was the marshal of the :,
unity and was busily engaged in investi- g
ting the mystery. Before The burial he :
is visited by a man with dark hair and >
es and about FIVE feet ten inches in Z
light, who begged him to give him au- Il
Ority to look at the remsins Of the dead :.
nker. G
Marshal Liggett was suspicious about h
: dark haired man and when he went to :,
= Smith mansion Liggett thought it =
nth while TO shadow him. II is well
own fact among those who deal with