Evening star., 1896-07-29
The Slayer Of Miss Drown Arrested
in This City.
HIS HORRIBLE CONFESSION
Charges Which Are Not Borne Out
by Facts.
G R E A T NATION

| Seat Pleasant, Prince Georges county,
| Nd, only five miles from the city, was the
| scene Of a horrible outrage and murder
| about o'clock Yesterday afternoon the
| victim being Miss Marguerite Drown. an
| accomplished young woman. while her
slayer Vas a colored hend named James
| Smith. The affair has greatly excited the
people OF the county. and had the man
| been captured last night there might have
| been trouble. Although known as Miss
| Drown. the young lady's real name is
Alexander, but she has lived with her
aunt. Mrs. Sarah Drown, most OF her life.
and that is why she is generally known as
Miss Drown.
| Arrested Today.
! james T. Smith. the slayer OF Miss
| Drown, was arrested this morning at O
house on East Capitol street. He is held
at the ninth precinct station. awaiting
| requistion papers from the Maryland au-
| thorities.
| Smith has made a complete confession,
| and according to his own story the crime
| was a most beastly one. Parts OF II are
| SO horrible that it is impossible to give
| them credence. The murderer has not ex-
pressed the slightest regret for his act, and
speaks Of it with air of bravado. as
though he had done nothing Of which he
| should be ashamed.
| When word received in this city last
| night that a murder had been committed
| at Seat Plea SAINT the different precincts
we're notified to look out for the suspected
man, as it was admitted that he would
most probably make his way direct to
Washington, where he had formerly work.
ed and where he knew he had friends
Lieut.. Heffner of the ninth precinct
| knew something of Smith, and at once
surmised that If he came to town he would
| likely go to a house on East Capitol street
where he had formerly been employed as a
waiter. knowing that he could get shelter
| there for the night, as the landlady would
| not have heard of his crime.
| The lieutenant at once detailed some OF
| his men to watch the house, No. $40 East
Capitol street, and surveillance was kept
up during the night. This morning Sergt.
| Bryan and Policeman Hayden were in doc-
| tors house next door, whence they could
| watch the front of 80, while two other
| policemen were in the rear. About $40
| o'clock word brought to them by Q
| servant that the man they wanted was In
| the house end could be had for the taking.
Sergt. Bryan started to go down the base
| ment steps, when he met a colored man just
| coming out of the door. The colored man
| was at once put under arrest.
| The suspicious of the police were proved
| to have been we'll founded, for the man
| admitted without hesitation that he was
| the man they were after, and he made no
| effort to deny his crime. On his way to
| the station house and in the cell Smith
| made a sweeping confession. He almost
seemed to glory in his offense and as
cool and unconcerned as could be.
| His Confessfon.
According to Smiths first story as he told
| il to the police, he had been on terms Of
| criminal intimacy with the murdered girl
| for some time. and when this found
| out the girls foster mother discharged him
| and had a sharp quarrel with the girl. Re-
Gently Smith was taken back, all this ac-
cording to his own statement, on his prom
Use that he would have nothing more to say
| or do with the girl. Miss Drown made a
| similar promise.
Smith says that yesterday afternoon,
when there was nobody upstairs but Miss
Drown, he went up to her room and sought
to renew the relations that had formerly
existed between them. She grew angry
| with him and ordered him out of her room.
Disappointed and incensed at her treat
ment of him. Smith jumped toward her,
| and. catching her by the neck, choked her
| severely.
| Then. leaving her lying on the floor, the
man descended to the kitchen and picked
up a knife. 1t was sharp kitchen knife
| that had been used for pairing potatoes ami
! had a very keen edge. With this he re-
| turned to Miss browns room.
when you went upstairs" Smith was
asked this morning, was ii your intention
| to commit murder"
YES meant to kill her." was his reply.
| The girl made me mad because she
.3,-t Ii, i tod and I u-aS
| termined that no other man should ever
| have anything to do with her.
Smith told the police what disposition he
made of the knife after he hal murdered
Miss Drown, and described the horrible af-
| fair in the greatest detail and without
| sign of regret. One of the policemen at the
| station said afterward that it was the most
complete and at the same time the most
| cold -blooded confession he had ever listen
ed to.
| According TO Smiths confession, he left
| Seat Pleasant at o'clock last evening,
shortly after the murder, and came
straight to this city. He went 10 the house
| on Capitol Hin during the evening and
stayed there all night, as no one there had
the slightest suspicion that he was a GRIM
| inal.
Second Confession.
|
fession to the detectives. He told a story this
| time differing somewhat from the one he
| told at the station house. He said that
| he had not had relations with Miss Drown,
| but TINT several days ago he tried to kiss
her and put his arms around her. She told
4 Mrs. Drown about IL at the time.
Smith said that when he choked the
| young woman he rendered her unconscious,
1 and that she was still in that condition
| when he returned to the room ard killed
| her. He insisted that he made no attempt
| to outrage her. either before or after he
| caught her by the throat.
Fear of Lynching.
| States Attorney Bells of Prince Georges
| county and Deputy Sheriff Waring called
| at the ninth precinct station and saw the
| prisoner 1t was decided TO keep him locked
| up in this city to await the arrival of requi-
stion papers. The deputy sheriff said that
| he would probably have them by Saturday,
and would then take Smith to Baltimore.
He knew that il the prisoner was taken to
l Marlboro he would probably be strung nm