The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-11-09
A SUICIDES CRIME.
A Terrible Murder Followed by
Suicide at Streator.
A JEALOUS MANS HORRID CRIME.
Jos. Smith Found Dead. and Letter
Found In His Pocket Reveals
Murder and the Location of
the Victims Body,
THE STORY As NOW KNOWN.

an unenviable notOriety as the home
OF deperate men.
The crime recorded this morning,
however, is variation of the usual
ronicleS-ditlerent entirely in char
acter from those which have preceded
it; and did not, as usual, grow out of
quarrels brewed 10y brush saloon wills
XIV, which has fired SO many desperate
men there to deeds of shame and yio-
lence and the destruction of human
! life.
This was IA case Of Jealous lover,
who killed the woman he loved. who
apparently contemplated the murder
of other women, failing which he
killed himself, as he had intended,
though with his plans but half carried
out.
Joseph Smith went to Streator some
ten days ago, to meet his cousin, one
Hattie Lee. an orphan, ID years
old, it is claimed, though she was Il
well developed, fine looking young
woman, who would have passed any
where as IA girl of II or Is years of age.
Hattie had recently come into the
possession of some $500, legacy from
England, or the money damages paid
relative who had been killed 10y ac-
cident in that country, To which she
was the only heir. Smith was unsuc-
ceSSful in his efforts to obtain the
money: but during the ten days he
was in Streator he succeeded in inten-
styling desperate passion which he
had conceived for his young and pretty
cousin.
Hattie was one of the shop girls or
apprentices in a millinery shop, on
Main street, of Mrs. j. w. Elder.
Smith, seeingh his love was not returned
by Hattie, conceived the notion that
all was not as right as it should be
and tried to induce the girl to leave
the establishment permanently, but
did not succeed. This added fuel to
his jealousy as a letter found on his
person after his death disclosed. The
letter is too indecent for publication,
and libelouS as well, asst lodges charg-
eS against the honor of the women of
the shop as well as that of a number
of well known gentlemen of the city.
He was evidently mentally upset by
his passion, as his actions before the
tragedy, now frequently and clearly re-
called 10y many, indicated. He was
moody, distracted, acted queerly, as
though he did not know always
what he was doing or intended to do.
On Tuesday last, however, he sue
ceeded in inducing the girl to 60
with him out to her uncle'S house
Daniel Bayles. near the Marshall <
Simpkins shaft. east of No. 3. They
went, but Smith alone returned, re-
porting to the shop women that Hat
| tie had found sickness in her uncle'S
| family and had remained there. After
a day or two. the women OF the millin-
cry shop began to be worried and nOti-
fled the police, but they appeared not
to have thought very seriously Of the
matter, and did nothing save to keep
sharp watch for Smith, without see
ing him, and it does not appear that
they hunted for him.
On Sunday night Smith brought the
terrible tragedy to a climax. He en-
tered the millinery shop by cutting
out a pane of glass, crawling through
the opening. From the letters found
on his body. and threats previously
made, it would appear he had gone
into the shop for the purpose of killing
two Of the women against whom he
had conceived an intense hatred, who
belonged there and usually remained
there at night. But they were not in
in the rooms, as he had eXpccted-Onc
occupied her room on the floor above
and in another part OF the building,
while the other had gone, fortunately
for her, to spend the night with her
friends in another part OF the city.
In the morning, when Mrs. Elder,
the proprietor opened the shop, she
found Smiths dead body on the
lounge in the shop. He had removed
his hat. coat and shoes. A pistol was
lying on the floor 10y his side, There
was a bullet hole in the right side Of
the head above the ear, back of the
temple. and the lounge and pillow
were stained with his blood.
The police were at once notified by
Mrs. Elder, and repairing to the room
where the body lay they searched his
pockets, finding the letters alluded to
above. In one he makes outrageous
charges against the women in the
shop, two of whom he had expressed
an intention Of killing. He had also
sent letters to the girls uncle, Baylcs,
and to II. Dicus, threatening their
lives, the latter because he had advis-
ed the girl to let Smith severely alone
and keep away from him, Smith hav-
ing written some very coarse letters
from Bessemer to the girl which were
unfit for her to read. The other let
ter stated that he had killed his cOu
sin Hattie Lee, and that her body
could be found in cOrnfeld east Of
the town on the right hand side Of the
road. A searching party was at once
After two or three hours !
search the party working to the south,
and east, in the brush" district, fail |
ed to find anything: but later, about
one O'Clock in the afternoon, party |
working east Of the city and north Of
Main street, or the road making con
Of that street, were more |
the body being found by |
Dave Baker, one and One-half miles !
east of the city and about 100 yards |
north of the road, within 20 feet Of
where man was husking corn, who
would have found the body in the |
course Of a few minuteS-shOwing |
that Smith was none too soon in the
execution of his plan to cheat the
gallows.
Life had apparently been extinct
from the young wOman's body for
some DAYS No weapon was found,