The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1893-02-09

EPARIs. Tex, Feb Henry Smith,
the negro ravisher of 4-year-old Myrtle
Vante, has explated in part his awful
crime by death at the stake.
Thursday last Smith picked up little
Myrtle Vance, aged 81 years, near her
fathers, Policeman Henry Nance's
residence, and carrying her to a pas
ture near the outskirts of the city.
first viciously assaulted the babe and
after satisfying his fiendish passion,
took one little limb in each hand and
literally tore her in twain. Then
covering the body with leaves and
brush he lay down and slept calmly
through the night by the side of his
victim. Friday morning Smith went
to the house of his wife and forced
her to cook him breakfast. After eat
ing he left town.
The childs remains were found
Friday afternoon and when the news
OF the atrocious crime spread, the
whole town turned out in chase. Rail
roads put up bulletins offering free
transportation to all who would join
III lIlt Stdit L OSStS "tuG OUT III
every direction and not a stone was
left unturned Smith was tracked to
Detroit on foot where he jumped a
freight train and left for his old home
In Arkansas. Yesterday he was cap
tured near Hope, Ark, and was fully
identified. This morning he was
brought through Texarkana where s.
900 people awaited the train anxious
to see the man who should receive the
fate Of Ed. Coy.
When the procession had marched
through the principle streets, it halt
ed IN the open prairie about 800 yards
from the Texas q Pacific dept Here
Smith was placed upon a scaffold six
feet square and ten feet high, secure
ly bound, within view of all beholders.
Here he was tortured for fifty minutes
by red hot iron brands thrust against
his quivering body. Commencing at
his feet, brands were placed against
him inch by inch until they were
| thrust against his face.
This man was dying by slow torture
in the midst of smoke from his own
burning flesh, Every groan from the
wretch, and every contortion of his
body was cheered by the thickly pack
ed crowd of 10000 people
Gen. Butler disliked taking cases he
felt he couldn't win. He was very
Jealous of his success. All the eccen-
tricities he pOssessed-such as chew
ing on the stump of a cigar in open
court, putting and blowing during the
examination Of witnesses, striding I'D
down in front of the jury, wearing
boutonnieres on all occasions aad max
ing a great stew when he entered any
assembly all these were originally
done for effect, but as he aged they
became part of his nature.
Gen. Butler was charitable and at
the same time infxible in the matter
Of trifes. If he liked you he would do
anything for you and fight tenacious
ly for you if other people were trying
to down you. Let anybody get down
on you, then he was your friend, and
once your friend Gf you never deceiv-
ed llm) ne was your friend forever
But if you betrayed him he would
smile grimly and say: There's pot
boiling for. He will regret the
day he became my enemy
Gen. Butler was far from being the
decrepit man he appeared in having
his colored attendant with him all the
time. He was very heavy and one of
his ankles was weak from an old acct
'ient during the war, and he didn't
dare trust himself to do much walking
without an attendant upon whose arm
he could lean in order to take the
weight off that ankle. For man who
had been handled as roughly as he
had, Gen. Butler was of a very vigor-
Gus nature and his mercury of life was
warmed up into a high place in the
glass of time by those almost inaudible
chuckles he would give hundred
times a day, when he would squint
end looE-no one could tell where
but he would, nevertheless. be dead
onto you if you tried to monkey with
him or imagined you could beat the
sleeping lion