The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1891-08-06
A Resident Of Clifton Forge Shot
and Killed.

!.
From the Roanoke Times July 24th
The most deliberate and cold bloodet
: murder that has occurred in Roanok,
Tor long time, was committed last night
John Smith, without any provocatior
whatever, shot Peter Aliff down in cold
blood. What makes the tragedy all the
more sad is in the fact that Aliff had Just
returned from Clifton Forge, where he
had been employed recently.
He got in this morning and stopped
!. for several hours with some friends in
Brick Row, and then proceeded to his
house, only to die at the hand of cow
ardly assassin. DIR. Morgan, the physi-
Clan first called in. labored with the
wounded man from the time he was shot
until he breathed his last, but Aliff was
past all human aid. He fingered until
12:45 this morning and then quietly pass
ed away.
John Smith is an employee of the Roa-
noke Machine Works, and lives in
frame house back of Brick Row, at what
is known as the Spring. He has young
/ wife and a three weeks-old babe. He
and his wife had misunderstanding
and little after 10 O'Clock yesterday he
whipped her.
| Mrs. Smith ran across the street and
into the house of Mrs. Aliff, and told her
! what Smith had done and asked her to
| talk with Smith, that she did not want
Smith to leave her. She then left the
nd Iod
and told him what his wife had said.
While they were talking Chas. Hollins,
Smiths brother-in- law, came in and the
men soon got into fight over the mat
ter. At this juncture Peter Aliff ap-
peared and told the men they could not
fight in the house and must get outside.
Smith cursed Aliff and asked him if he
would like to take it up. Smith started
for Aliff and the two men clinched, but
were separated, and Smith left the
house
When outside Smith said, in the pres
ence of Mollie Robinson, his wife Alice
Smith. and several Others that he was
going to get pistol and shoot Aliff. At
ter trying in vain to borrow revolver
from those present, he started for the
city to procure one, accompanied by
Clarence Calvert and negro whose
name could not be ascertained.
When Smith came to the city he went
into the first hardware store he came to
and purchased revolver and some cart
ridges After he had bought the pistol
he remarked that he could now fix the
-" When the clerk heard
this remark he took the revolver away
from him and gave his money back.
Smith then went to another store and
when he got into the street he made the
same remark. This was said in the pres
ence of several witnesses.
In short time Smith returned, and, go
ing up to Aliff's door, called Peter out.
He spoke in a pleasant manner, and
called him several times. Aliff's family
advised him not to go out, as Smith
would do what he threatened him. Pc
ter said he guessed there was no danger
and without pistol, or even a knife in
his pocket, started out to meet his doom.
Smith was was waiting for him right in
front of his house, with his hand in his
hip pocket, grasping the pistol. AS Aliff
approached him he drew the revolver
and shot twice. One ball struck the un-
fortunate man just above the navel on
the right side, passing clear through
him, and lodged beneath the skin on the
right of his spinal column, the location
of the ball being easily seen by small
round lump in his back The other shot
cut his clothes in the back, but did not
strike the body.
Smith claims that night before last he
had some trouble with his wife and she
went to Mrs. Alff's. Yesterday he went
to see her, and while there he claims he
was attacked by crowd, some twenty.
five in number, who threw rocks at him
and beat him until in self-defense, he
drew his pistol and fred. He says he was
so excited that he did not know how
was fired at also by some one in the
crowd
This statement is fatty contradicted
by every one who saw the shooting.
A brother of Aliff told TIMES report
er that Smith was drunk when he did
the shooting.
Everyone who saw the shooting tells
about the same story, and all say that
the two men had not had any previous
difficulty Smith told Dunn that Aliff
and his (Smith's) wife had been crimi
nally intimate with each other and that
is the reason he shot him, but that is
said to be untrue by all in the neighbor-
hood.