The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-02-18
TIE KILLING OF A. J. SMELL
Important Developments in Connection
with the Murder of the Millionaire.
Belief that the Crime Was Committed BY
William B. Tascott. Son of WeIl-Known
Chicago Man-Reward for His Arrest.

element by numbering Amos J. Shell, the West
side millionaire, about o'clock. Wednesday
morning, Feb s, has been discovered. but the
burglar himself is still njoyng his freedom. Dur-
ing the latter part of Janusry blonde young man
of about nineteen twenty years rented q
room of Mrs Wick, who keeps boarding
house in West Madison street He was slight
of build, and about Eve feet eight inches tall.
His complexion was light, eyes blue or gray,
and quite large and round. He had q small
brown mustache. and wore a sealskin cap. a
brown plaid cape overcoat, wide cut striped
trousers of grayish color, and was altogether OF
stylish appearance. The young man said his
name was Scott 1.-THE day after his arrival, "
said Mrs. Wick yesterday, "Scott got I'D and
went out, wearing silk hat and dark sack
overcoat. Before going he told me that he
did not wish to make anybodys &C.
quaintance in the house; that his business
required him to be out all night, and he
could not be social / took notice afterward
that he tried to avoid meeting any of the rest of
my dodgers. He usually arose late in the after
noon, sat in his room, playing a mandolin. and
about 10 o'clock, or some times as late as H.
when he was sure srybody had retired for the
night, he would go down stairs cautiously and
out l noticed that many times he was dressed
in different clothes when he went His
hour for comm e in during the three weeks he
was here was anywhere between and A. NJ
He usually slept till or o'clock. When he
went out he invariably locked his door, and
gave me the key. Often, when he went out
! saw him carrying mysterious packages. but
never could find any of them in his room when
I went to clean it up. the closet he always
kept locked, carrying the key in his pocket"
On the morning of the Smell murder, between
and O'Clock, Mrs. Wick heard. her ledger.
up the stairs and go to his room. She
thought she heard another man with him. The
ledger turned the light out in the hall. Between
8 and o'clock he came out of his room, dressed
as if for a Journey Another man, whom the
woman described as being elder and genteel in
dress. was with him. This kept his
turned so she could not see it. Scott had
SLOUGH hat, which she had never seen him wear
before pulled down over his face. He said to
her:
well, I am going out on the road to-day"
''Are you going to-dayW
''Ye s; this is my employer here with me-"
"Will you be back again. she asked.
Eyes; may come back in two weeks, and it
may be two months. While am gone, 1 want
you to take care of my ahings. I will want the
room when come back"
Then he picked up his satchel, and the two
men went down the stairs as if afraid of meeting
somebody. and disappeared. Mrs. Wick
them no more. AS soon as they were gone.
Mrs. Wck's curiosity aroused to such
pitch that she began an examination of the room
just vacated. She found the closet door locked
and the KEY gone She picked the lock with a
piece of wire. Inside strange sight met her
eyes. the closet filled with evidences of
found quantity of silverwars, two coils of
fuse, the thickness of ead-pencil, broad
cloth overcoat, which she had never seen him
wear, several old chisels and handles of chisels
and bits, book machinists' tools, lot OF
silver knives, and forks, and spoons, a mandolin,
a pair of ladies' kid gloves a pair of wooden
mittens and pair of low-cut shoes. Mrs. Wick
also discovered in a small drawer pair of burg
lars felt slippers and three sperm candles, one
of which was half burned. Now come some of
the links in the chain that will probably convict
Nv Ovrh ~not T1 fa hn
VIM. Gereht, one of the most dangerous and
accomplished craftsmen in the country. jennie
Clifford the proprietress of disreputabla- re-
sort on the West Side. has given the police val
liable information regarding BILLY" Geright.
who, the night before the murder called at her
house and stayed a short time. On that occasion
it was showing and he wore seal cap, other
wise he was dressed just as Mrs. Wick describes
him. Miss Clifford expected him back
Wednesday night, but he came not. She has
not him since. Friday or Saturday after
the murder she began TO think over the queer
remarks he made when her house, and re-
membered that he carried with him when there
a mahogany just like the found at
Smells house, filled with his tools. She notified
the police, and said she was willing to aid the
police as far possible. Afterward she identified
tho mahogany case as the same she had seen in
Gerght's possession. The police have discover
ed that Geright is the son of a respectable
family living the North Side. They have
have agreed to assist in the search for him.
The estate of Mr.. Smell was administered in
the Probate Court this afternoon. Mr. Smell
left will. The total value of his estate is
estimated at s4,050.oOO. but of this SO. 600, 900
was conveyed by Mr.. Smell to his wife four years
ago. which left only ST. 05O 600 to be adjudicated.
Mrs. Smell and her daughter, Mrs Coffin, both
heavily veisd. appeared in court in person with
petition to have letters of administration
issued to Mrs Shell and A. j. Stone.
her son-in-law. The petition was promptly
granted. All of the estate is in realty
except $50, 900, nearly all of household effects
The heirs f'ihe dead millionaire are the widow,
a son, Albert j. Smell. and Mrs. Grace Coffin
Mrs. Mary Stone and Mrs Alice McCrea,
daughters. By the law. one-third Of the ST.
O50. 900 goes to the widow, and the remainder
falls equally to the four children, share and
share alike.