Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-02-21

every sort Of terrorism their In
genuity could devise in the effort
70 make her divulge the hiding-place
OF tho treasure, but their threats and vio-
lence were alike without avail. Their
thoroughly frightened bat courageous vic
tim brayely persisted IN her denial that
there was any money Whatever IN the
mouse, until finally the infurieted rufnsns
roughly tied gag in her mouth, oound her
and threw her, more dead than alive, into
cupboard beneath the stairway. Pro-
ceedine upstairs during the ransacking OF
the bouse they found little Alice Smell.
and, milling to elicit any Information nom
the child. they boundand gagged her also.
ihe band Of disappointed ROBBERS found
merely handful Of dollars sftor minute
search Of the whole premises. Outthey car
ned od the gold watches belonging to Mr.
Smell and his wife, togotner WITH such
other articles of jewelry aud vaiuabies az
they could lay their hands upon, leaving
their unhappy victims still bound and
gagged behind them
The mother and child. with hands and
feet securely tied. were unable 70 remove
the gags from their mouths. and lay thus
helpless and suffering during the thirty
long and dreadful hours which elapsed be-
fore they were discovered, Tor the house
was ut some distance from any OF the neigh
bors. and there was little hope that any
one would reach them before exhausted
nature should have paid Its final dept.
Their rescue was the result OF the
merest accident. A neigbbor from
whom Mr.. Smell had purchased
some feed for his stock came to
deliver it. Mrs. Smell had by this
time, after long and desperate effort. man
aged to partly free herself and, hearing
somebody como. succeeded in dragging her
exhausted body TO a window: got 1t partly
open, and family called for aid, whereupon1
the visitor got into the house and rescued
her and her little daughter. both OF them
more dead than alive. Indeed. the extra
ordinary pluck and endurance displayed
upon this terrible occasion by the young
grl, now the putative bride OF Mr.. Green,
were perhaps more remarkable than the
nerve and herOism of her mother.
Upon mr. SHELLS return he Immediately
set about the work Of capturing the bur-
glars. Visiting the pawn-broker's o1iiee IN
Chicago he soon found and identified the
stolen watches, nor was it difficult to as
certain the names and whereabouts OF
those who had pawned them. The three
thieves were duly captured, tired, con-
victed, and sent TO the Joliet penItentiary
for a long term Of years; two or them have
il is said, died since their incarcera-
ton, and the remaining convict Is
still serving out his term. In this connec-
ton it may not be amlss TO state that Mrs.
| Smell, the widow of the murdered Million
aire was a lady who rarely, If ever, LETT
her home to visit and remain away over
night. That she should have been visiting
so distant a point as Milwaukee. and re-
NAMED absent from her home for the first
time during many years, during the very
night which was selected by the still un-
punished assassins for the cruel murder Of
her husband is. to say the least of 1t, not a
little significant.
Could there possibly have been any pre-
| determined and prearranged purpose 10 IN
duce her 10 make such visit at that par
| ticular timer However that may be, there
are scores Of people now living in Chicago
who not only firmly believe that Tascott IS
a veritable myth, but also that discoveries
will some day be made in relation to the
/ Snell-murder mystery and its perpetrators
which will astOund the community more
thoroughly than any great crime OF recent
years has done.