The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1888-02-09
MIDNIGHT MURDER.
House Breakers in Search of Money
and Valuables
Murder Amos ]. Smell. a Chicago Mil
lionaire.
An Entrance to His House Effected at
the Kitchen Door.
Valuable Papers PilIaged Before Be-
ing Discovered.

CHICAGO. Feb. S.-Amos j. Smell, a
millionaire, who is the owner OF the
toll road running through jefferson.
was found murdered in his bed this
morning at his residence, 425 Washing
ton Boulevard. at 2 O'Clock this morn
ing servant girl heard noise like a
pistol shot coming from Mr.. SHELLS
room, but paid no attention to 1t.
Later he was fc~nd with bullet hole
in the left breast and .one behind the
left ear. An entrance was effected by
the murderers through a back door,
they having taken out the panel and
sawed out the lock. Chief Of Detec-
tives Henshaw and four detectives
from the Central station are now work
ing up the case. Mr.. Smell was one of
the largest real estate owners in Chi
cago, owing great number OF houses
| which he rented. His business was
transacted in the basement of his own
house, which was fitted up as an office.
| The windows and doors were all barri-
| caded, and there were several large
| safes in the rooms In which the mil
| iionaire's business was done. The
theory in regard to the murder
is that very carefully planned
robbery had been arranged. It was
each month large sums of money, the
proceeds from Mr.. SHELLS houses, were
| kept in the basement of it, and it Is
believed that the burglars effected an
entrance into the house and were at
work at the safe when Mr.. Smell, hear
ing the noise went down to the base
ment and surprised the thieves at
their work. His body was found in the
hall just at the entrance of his off1ce
door.
The burglars who entered Mr.. SHELLS
house made a raid during the night
upon several other houses in the
neighborhood. The tracks in the snow
show that they went from one back
yard to another. Upon reaching Mr..
SMELLS they bored sixteen or seventeen
augur holes through the kitchen door
and finally effected an entrance.
From the kitchen they proceeded to
the office which was in the front of the
house. Here it appears there was
found. The safe and desks
were filled with papers and
after ransacking these they proceeded
. up the stairs to the parlOr floor. The
door at the head of the basement stairs
was skillfully forced and the men
were in the front paTlor, when
: it is supposed that Mr.. Smell,
who slept din ctly above this room,
heard them. HE left his bedroom and,
taking a revolver, went down the front
stairs. The folding doors leading into
7 the parlor were shut, but it is supposed
{ that he heard the noise in the room,
: for he fired shot through the doors.
) The burglars opened the door and
returned the fire, the bullet striking
the woodwork, and rebounding hit
Mr.. Smell in the breast who then ran
+ back towards the rear Of the hall.
p The burglars must have followed him
1 4 aI.<. AIan "a
| was found at the head of the base
1 ment stairs with bullet hole behind
!; the ear. The Smell house is a large
L three story basement structure solidly
built of brick and stone and one of the
most imposing residences in the
. nelghborhood, noted for its fine archi-
:, lecture. But its only occupants last
l.. night were its owner, man sixty-four
q years old, two servant girls and two
little girls, grandchildren of Mr.. Smell
e who were spending few days there.
Mr.. Smell leaves a wife, two married
- daughters and son. Mrs. Smell and
q one of the daughters, Mrs. Frank COT
e waukee. Mr.. Smell was one OF the
wealthiest and best known
residents of the west side
and had been connected with Chicago's
{ history for a great many years. He
,. was born in Little Falls, New York,
IS anu cdUlo NSSb 1ott. oUOpplHR IOI a
N few months in Cincinnati, and then
: came to this city. a little later he
went to Milwaukee, returning here
o in about a year, and opened a
}: hotel at Schaumberg. After a
Il residence of some six years there,
n he removed to Jefferson and there laid
the foundation of the fortune which at
Ii his death amounted to about So ,000, 600
l. A most extraordinary feature of the
3 crime is that although the murder
y was committed about O'Clock and the
8 noise of the shooting was heard by the
e servant girls, at that time they paid ne
IL attention to it. explaining their action
h after the murder had been discovered
II by saying that they thought Mr.. Smell
ID had accidently fired the shot. 1t wal
therefore not until about O'Clock thai
the coachman who slept in the barn
and entered the house to look after tina
ia furnace, discovered the body Of Nr
8. Smell.
nj Later it was discovered that thC
y burglars had taken a check for Ga, 000
made by A. J. Stone, Mr.. Smell s. son
in-law, payable to Mr.. Smell, from the
iron box in the Office. What else the1
secured will probably never be known
as Mr.. Smell himself was the only onl
to whom the contents of the strong boz
was known. It is said by all WHIT
knew him that there was no money o.
negotiable papers in the box, as hi
naYar took sIIch uaDors TO his house.