The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-02-19
THE MURDER OF Mr.. SMELL
Arrest of Man Who Stood Guard Out
side While Taseott Entered the House.
lie Makes Full Confession of the Story Told
by Tascott. Which Is Supplemented by
Story of Other Contemplated Crimes.

! lasting nearly four hours, was held last evening
in the private Office of Captain Lewis of the
| Desplainesstreet station. 1t was participated
in bv Mayor Roche, County Treasurer Davis,
Alderman Badench. A. J. Stone and W. S. Nc
Crea, the sons-inaw of the late A J. Smell,
CHIEF of Police Hubbard and Inspector Bonfield.
All the clews which had been developed were
| explained at length to the conference. and it
soon resolved 20 offer a reward for William B.
| Tascost, who the mysterious roomer at the
| house of Mira. Wick in West Madison street.
| Among the clews found In the ashes of the
| stove in the room occupied by Tascott were the
| remains of check payable to the order Of A. J.
| Stone for So, 500, and few charred fragments
| of some county orders, all of which were known
| to have been in the possession of Mr.. Shell at
| the time of his murder The police officials
claimed to be in possession of even more damn
| atory evidence against Tascott. but amount
| of persuasion could induce either of them the
other gentlemen of the conference to give it
publicity.
The man who assisted the murderer of mill
/ ionaire Smell by standing watch outside while
| the residence was being robbed Is behind prison
bars The arrest was made to-day, and the
| police have secured full confession from the
| prisoner. It confirms beyond doubt the state
| ment that the murderer is young William B.
| Tascott the son OF Col. j. B. Tascott the
| wealthy manufacturer. The man arrested to-
| day made Tascotts acquaintance this winter in
| the Garden City Billiard Hall, West Madison
street, and for several weeks they have
that Mr. SHELLS house to be
robbed he and Tascott went to the house
together Tascott went inside. leaving his COM
rade on the sidewalk. After the murder
committed Tascott hurried out. grasped his COM
panion by the arm, and together they went TO
Tascotts lodgings. on West Madison street,
where they remained several hours Tascott
told ALL and the other Mortified. and
afraid that he would be charged with the MUIR
dop elf hat nfroYr cd fravya inf
ton to the police. He made a sworn statement
to-day. and satisfied the police that he was tell
ing the truth. The police refused to reveal the
name of the prisoner.
A telegram from Los Angeles, CAL. says: IA
theory is published here to-day that notorious
crook with several aliases, one of which is Clark,
who was lodged in jail here Wednesday and
escaped in few hours by cutting through the
wall, is the man wanted in Chicago for the MUIR
der of A j. SMELL His description tallies with
that given in Associated Press dispatches pub
liShed this morning"
The foregoing dispatch eagerly perused
tonight by Inspector Bonfield, and detectives
Aldrich and Elliott to whom it was shown i'm
mediately being received. Tho de-
tectives exchanged significant chances, and it
plain from their manner that the news
was in line with one of their principal theories
to the direction of the fight of the murderer.
This much was later virtually admitted by de-
tectlve Elliott, who said Tascott known to
have previously been il California and to have
expressed moro than once marked inclination
tn return there at the first oppor tunlty. De-
tective Elliott showed dispatch just received
from the warden of the Kentucky pententiarS,
where Iascots had been inearcerased stating
marked, affording certain means
of Identification. The young fellow
has scar on the right hip where he was shot
when attempting to escape from Frankfort
prison There were also scars, some perhaps
yet unhealed. on the right leg and on the knees,
and both elbows, the result of having to wear a
ball and chain The detective was anxious that
the information should be spread and especially
to California and the Southwest that Tascotts
fuo,z Viii rvA11 1i,,A1
surface of the metal extending along the edge
The filing to be from the interior, but
shows prominently. the upper lip being slightly
drawn back.
Considerable speculation has been INDUCED in
to how the police managed to make sure that
the mysterious ledger at Mrs. Wicks Tas-
colt The point cleared up this evening by
the demi- mondaine. Jennie Clifford who said she
had given the information to the police Tas-
colt had talked in his sleep, and not only had
told his own name ia his mutserings night
auenty made s. reference with ,ne es,hs
of still horrible purpose than the rob-
berry and possible killing of the fated million
saire This was nothing less than attack by
Tescott upon his own father. Miss Clifford
gathered from the disjointed expressions of his !
troubled sleep that Tascott. failing to realize |
sufficient funds from the raid the Smell resi- |
dence, proposed to force Colonel Tascott to give
him $40. 600 cash and an immediate interest in |
the fathers business. and, not succeeding he |
would plumber the family residence, takin: the |
same desperate risks that led to the Staying OF |
Smell.
1t was ascertained. this evening, that young |
Tascott, after leaving his lodgings the morning |
of the murder, boarded a train for Oak Park. a |
suburb on the Chicago g. Northwestern railroad, |
where his brother lives He remained there all |
day. saying nothing to his brother about the |
tragedy, and departing In the evening 1t is |
quite possible that he boarded the Omaha ex- |
press at Oak Park, and made his way direct to |
the Pacific slope. The detectives at headouar-
tiers to night sitting these circumstances aud
computing the time it would have taken him to |
reach California and about what would be the |
utmost distance he could have attained east had |
it been he who concerned in the Los Angeles |
episode aud had taken a back track.
Tascott is not as old as first reported He is |
only twenty.o one, and instead of being five feet |
nine or ten inches high, he is probably not over |
five feet eight and one-haf inches One OF his |
chief traits is his fondness for pool-playing and
his experiences at the game The police o-night |
are preparing additional circulars, laying stress |
on the fact that alihyugh apparently hight
weight and almost eliminate in appearance he |
is in reality athlete, with bodily muscular de-
velopment of unusual degree. He seems to
be born criminal When very small boy |
be exhibited marked ability thief A boy
hood friend of his, talking about him to-
day, said: '.Tascott used to steal things |
out of stores and sell them to make pocket |
money He bright young fellow. won |
derfuly smart in every way He used to 90 to |
Lyon & Healy's and steal flute or fife. or |
some such thing, and sell it. He attended the
Brown school when first knew him. He did |
not like his step-mother. He said she never |
spoke kind word to him IN her NE. and
away from home He always talking |
of going away permanently. About four years
ago he did go away. saw no more of him
until about three months ago. He told me that
he had knocked around good deal, and finally |
got position in a railroad Office in Jacksonville,
Fla. He said he had made up his mind to be
crook, having been driven from homo and being
without honest means of support.
The rumored presence of Tascott in Los An
celes led to the discovery, this evening. that
Young woman with whom he was very intimate
IS probably now in that vicinity and has per-
haps been visited by him. Who she is or what
her appearance is, the police decline to say. and
will only state that she left here for California
some months ago. It is limited that her desti-
nation was San Diego.
A curious assertion is made this evening by |
persons who should be in position to know. It /
is that young Tascott was not, after all, the son