Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1888-02-15
SLAIN In HIS OWN HOME.
Amos Smell, the Chicago Millionaire,
Murdered in Cold Blood.

CHICAGO, ILL.,, Feb. S.-Amos J. Smell,
the millionaire real estate man and own
er of the toll-road running through JEFF
ferson, was this morning found muir
dered in his home on the West Side.
About o'clock this morning a servant
girl heard a noise like pistol shot COM
ing from Mr.. SHELLS room, but paid no
attention to it. Later he was found with
bullet hole in the left breast and one
behind the left ear. Entrance was ef-
fected by the murderers through back
door, they having taken out the panel
and sawed out the lock.
Mr.. Smell was a heavy real-estate
owner, possessing a great number of
houses which he rented, all his business
being transacted in the basement of his
own house which was fitted up as an
office. The windows and doors were
heavily barricaded, and there were sew
eral large safes in the rooms in which
the miliionaire's business was done.
The theory in regard to the murder is
that carefully planned robbery had
been arranged. 1t was known that dur
ing the first part of each month large
sums of mOney-the proceeds from Mr..
SHELLS houses-were kept in the base
ment 1t is believed that the burglars
effected an entrance in the house and
were at work at the safe, when Mr..
Smell, hearing the noise went down to
the basement and surprised the thieves
at their work. His body was found in
the hall, just at the entrance of his Office
door.
The burglars who entered Mr.. SHELLS
house made a raid during the night on
several houses in the neighborhood the
tracks In the snow showing that they
went from one back yard to another.
Upon reaching Mr.. SMELLS they bored
sixteen or seventeen auger holes
through the kitchen door and finally eff
fected an entrance. From the kitchen
they proceeded to the office which was
in the front of the house.
Here it appears there was nothing
of any value to them to be found. The
safe and desks were filled with papers,
and after ransacking these they proceed
ed up the stairs to the parlor floor. The
door at the head of the stairs was skill
fully forced, and the men were III the
front parlor, when it is supposed that
Mr.. Smell, who sleeps directly above
this room, heard them. He left his
bedroom and taking a revolver went
down the front stairs. The folding
doors leading to the parlor were
shut, but it is supposed that
he heard the noise in the room; for he
fired a shot through the door. The
burglars opened the door and returned
the fire, the bullet striking the wood
work and rebounding hit Mr.. Smell in
the breast who then ran back toward
the rear OF the hall The burglars must
have followed him and shot again for
the murdered man was found at the
head of the basement stairs with bullet
hole just behind his ear.
The Smell house is a large three story
basement structure, solidly built o brick
and stone. Its only occupants last night
were its owner, two servant girls, and
two little girls, grandchildren of Mr.
Smell, who were spending few days
there. There is as yet no clue whatever
to the burglars.
A most extraordinary feature of the
crime is the fact that although the MUIR
der was committed about 2 o'clock and
the noise Of the shooting heard by the
servant girls, at that time, they paid no
attention to it, explaining their action
after the murder had been discovered
by saying that they thought Mr.. Smell
had accidentally fired the shot 1t was,
therefore, not until about o'clock that
the coachman who slept in the barn and
entered the house to look after the fur
mace, discovered the body of Mr. Shell
Later it was discovered that the
burglars had taken check for $4,000
made by A. j. Stone, Mr.. SHELLS son-in-
law. payable to Mr.. Smell, from the iron
box in the office. What else they Sc
cured will probably never be known as
Mr.. Smell himself was the only one to
whom the contents OF his strong box was
known. 1t is said by all vino knew him
that there was no money or negotiable
papers in the box, as he never took
S11ch napars fo his hODSa
The murder creates profound sensa-
ton. Mr.. Smell was over go years old
and immensely wealthy. He lived in
fine mansion on Washington Boulevard,
and he has done more than any man liy-
ing to build up the West Side. He was
the largest property owner in that divis-
ion. 1t is believed this will arouse the po-
lice from their present policy of mastery
inactivity. More burglaries have recently
been committed here than were ever
known before-ranging from thirty to
sixty weekly. Sandbaggers and foot
pads also are numerous. In some sec
tons of the West Side where entire
blocks have been visited, reign of ter
ror prevails, the occupants and domes-
tics being afraid to go to their beds
nights.
Mr.. Smell leaves a wife, two married
daughters and a son. Mrs. Smell and
one of the daughters, Mrs. Frank Coffin
gre at present on visit to Milwaukee
Mrs. Smell is very i'll and the news of her
husbands death will be kept from her
for the present. Mr.. Smell has been con-
nected with Chicago's history for great
many years. He was born in
Little Falls, N. Y, and came West in
1874, stopping for few months in Gin
cinnati and then coming to this city. A lit
tie later he went to Milwaukee, returning
here in about year and opening ho-
tel at Schaumberg. After residence of
six years there he removed to Jefferson
and there laid the foundation OF the for
tune which at his death amounted to
about So, 600, 900.