Omaha daily bee., 1898-06-19
FIND BETSEY SMITH GUILTY
Jurors in the Case Finally Agree Upon
Their Verdict.
FIX PENALTY AT LIFE IMPRISONMENT
When She Hears Her Fate Mrs. Smith
Gives u Few Means and Falls
to the Floor in IL
Eniat.
X PENALTY AT LIFE IMPRISONMENT

DIES MONIES, June 1S.-(Special Tele-
gram.)-After being out eighteen and one
half hours, at 8 o'clock this morning the
jury filed into Judge Conrad's court room
and delivered its, verdict, that they found
Betsey Smith guilty of murder in the first
degree for killing her husband, Michael
Smith, and fixed her punishment at life
imprisonment.
The verdict was not a surprise to the
many people who had watched the progress
Of the case. 1t was the second trial, Mrs.
Smith having been convicted of the same
offense before and given the same SEN
tence. She helped her daughter Cora
poison her blind husband. Michael Smith.
in 1894. She was tried and convicted, but
secured a new trial.
When the verdict was read to the court
today Betsey Smith gave a few means and
cries and fell over in a faint. Her aged
mother and Mrs. Chaplin both assisted her
and with the help of her lawyers she was
soon revived. Attorney Huckstep, for the
defendant, filed a motion for a new trial
as soon as the verdict had been given.
The first ballot taken after the jury retired
to their room at 1928 p. m. yesterday
showed there were eight men for conviction
and four for acquittal. The, eight men
labored with the four men until 5 o'clock
this morning, when the last man changed
his ballot to agree with the others. The
remainder of the time, until the jury re-
ported at 8 o'clock this morning, was con-
sumed in determining whether the sentence
should be death or life Imprisonment. Sew
eral of the jurors held out for the death
sentence.
During the entire trial the attorneys for
the defense endeavored to prove that Ellen
S~coville, a sister of Betsy. was guilty of the
crime. They asked Judge Conrad to pre-
pare two questions for the jury to answer
In bringing in their verdict, one was il Ellen
Scoville had knowledge of the crime while
1t was being done; another was If Ellen
Scoville was not an accomplish in commit
ting the crime. To both these questions
the jury returned the answer, yes" Mrs.
Scoville is now in Salt Lake City and 1t is
likely she will be brought here and tried
as soon as the necessary acquisitions can be
secured.
The Nj. Reigelman wholesale millinery
concern, which failed two weeks ago with
$l73, 900 liabilities and 100000 assets, today
offered to settle with its creditors for 20
cents on the dollar.
The new comes from Chickamauga that
John Smith of this city, who enlisted and
went to the front with the Fifty-second
Iowa, has disappeared and nothing has been
seen of him for several days. He was not
the kind of a man to desert, and his friends
believe he has been foully dealt with.
No Instructions have been received by
the state officers relative to the two bat
teries to which Iowa is entitled under the
presidents second call. Instructions are
expected early the coming week. The work
Of organizing the batteries will be pushed
rapidly as soon as 1t is got under way. 1t
is very likely that the two battery organ
~izations at Burlington and Cedar Rapids
will be selected as the nucleus of the volun-
teer army organizations called for. They
are already equipped, or partially so. The
organizations will be completed, however
in Des Moines, probably. if these two bat
teries are taken as the basis.