Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1888-02-16

shot to Death IN His Own Hons.. H., 80
lars Whom He Had discovered Rsnsaes.
the Fremises-No Present Clew tn
:. ShicAGo. Feb. a.-Amos j. Smell. min.
ionalre, who is the owner of the toll.road
ng through Jefferson, was found
auroereo In his bed yesterday morning
o. MS residence, No. AS Washington
pouieVaro. About d. m. a servant girl
nearo NOISE like pistol shot coming
from MI. Snell's room, but paid no atten.
tion to it. Later he was found with a
bullet hele in the left breast and one be.
hlnd the left ear. Entrance was effected
Oy the murderers through back door.
eney having taken out the panel and
sawed out the lock. Chief of Def ectiyes
denshaw and four detectives from the
central Station are now working up the
case.
Mr.. Smell was one of the largest real
estate owners in Chicago, owning a large
number of houses which he rented, and
all his business was transacted in the
basement or his own house, which was
lifted up as an Office. The windows and
doors were heavily barricaded, and there
were several large safes in the room,
IN which the millionaire's bust
ness was done. The theory in regard to
the murder is that a carefully planned
robbery had been arranged. 1t was
known That during the first part of each
month large sums of money-the pro.
ceeds from Mr.. Sneips houses-were Kept
in the hasemant. 1t is believed that he
burglars effected an entrance into the
house and were at work at the safe,
when Mr.. Smell, hearing the noiss Went
down to the has ement and surprised the
thieves at their work. His body waS
found in the hall just at the entrance OF
his office door,
The burgla rs who entered GIr. Snell's
house made a raid during the night on
several houses in the neighbour ood, the
tracks in the snow showing that they
went fir en- one back yard to another.
Upon reaching Mr.. Snell's they bored
sixteen or seventeen auger holes through
the kitchen door and finally effected an
entrance. From the kitchen they pro-
ceeded 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 proceeded up the stairs to the par
Tor floor. The door at the
head of the basement stairs was
skill fully forced and the men were
in the front parlor, when it is supposed
that Mr.. Smell, who sleeps directly above
this room, heard them. He left his he'd
room, and, taking revolver, went down
the front stairs. The folding doors lead.
ing into the parior We're shut, but il 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
woodwork, and, rebounding, hit Mr.. Shell
in the breast, who then ian back toward
the rear of the hall. The burglars must
have fol lowed him and shot again as the
wounded man was found at the head of
the basement stairs with bullet hole be-
hind the ear.
The Smell house is large three-stoty
basement structure, solidly built of |
brick and stone, and one of the most i'm
posing residences in q neighborhood |
noted for its fine architecture. But it's |
only occupants Tuesday night were It's |
owner, a man sixty-four years old, two |
servant girls, and two little girls, grand |
children Ct Mr.. Sn ell, who were spending |
a few days there. There is as yet no clew
to the burglars. ALI during the winter |
Chicago has been overrun with crooks |
and thieves of every description, and |
many daring burglaries have been cotn.
mitted, the police being apparently rn-
able to stop them or discover the crimi-
mails.
AIR. Smell leaves a wife, two married
daughters and son. Mrs. Smell! and one
of the daughters, Mrs. Frank Coffin, are
at present on visit in Milwaukee. Mrs.
Smell is very ill, and the news of her
husbands death will be kept from her for
the present. 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, n.
Y, and came West in 1913, stopping for
a few mont his in Cincinnati and then |
coming to this city. little later he
went to Milwaukee, returning here in
about a year and opening a hotel at
Schaumberg. After residence of six
years there he removed to jefferson, and
there laid the foundation of his fortune,
which at his death am ounted to about
50. 0OO, 900.
A most extraordinary feature of the
crime is the fact that although the MUIR
der was committed at about two O'Clock
and the noise of the shooting was heard
by the servant girls at that time, they
paid no attention to it. explaining their
action after the IN rider had been dis
covered by saying they thought Mr. Smell
Had accidently fired the shot. 1t was,
there fore, not until seven O'Clock that
the coachman, who slept in the barn and
entered the house to look after the furnace,
discovered the body of Mr.. Smell
Later it was discovered that the burg
lars had taken check for s., 900 made by |
A. j. Stone, MIR. Snell's SON. in-law, paya-
BILE to Mr.. Smell, from the iron box in the
office. What else they secured will prob
ably never be known, as Mr.. Smell him
self was the only one to whom the con-
tents of his strong box was known. 1t is
said by all who knew him that there was
no money or negotiable paper in the /
box as he never took such papers to his
house.