The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-07-18
KILLED By SANDER
Thus Poor "PoIIy" Smiths
Death Was Composed.
TO ESCAPE EVIL TONGUES
She Fled to Her Doom at the
Hands of Boxers.

have come to Mary Condit Smith, the
pretty Washington girl who, it is now
almost certain, was murdered by Boxers,
/ it was sweet to the living death she was
suffering. The Chinese may have visited
dreadful tortures upon her, yet death in
any form to her was a relief, for Mary
| Condit Smith was martyr to Washing
ton scandal mongers, and was literally
driven to her death by malicious gossip.
Mary Condit Smith died in trying to live
down and forget that she had been ac-
cused of theft. No more innocent, no
purer girl ever lived than she, yet she
was not proof against scandal and gossip,
and, horrors tricken, ashamed, cowed, she
sought to forget by travelIingfrom one
end Of the earth to the other
1t was in Pittsburg that the seed of
scandal that led to Miss Condit Smith,
murder was planted. In Washington she
was known as Polly Smith There she
was loved. Women cared for her because
she was sincere and sensible; men were
fond Of her because she was pretty and
always agreeable. She was laughing
y
From every side came invitations for
Polly" Smith. She was sought at the
white house, at official entertainments, at
private houses. In fact, it may be said
that no girl in Washington society had
more invitations or was more popular
than Miss Polly
When the invitation came for her to at
tend a house party given by her wealthy
friends, the Moorheads, at No. 92S Ridge
avenue, Allegheny City, Last fall, she ac-
copied. Washington was gay enough at
the time, but particular friends of hers
were giving the house party, and she
hated to disaDpoint them.
1t was a gay house party they had in
Pittsburg. Polly Smith was the gayest
of all and when the time came for every
body to go home she was the best liked
of all the guests. No one denied that she
had been the life Of the party, and that
without her things would have fallen fat
1t was after the house party had broken
up that the scandal took root. The host
ess had missed iewelry to the value of
more than $1,000. Her guests were all
persons of the highest standing and of
unimpeachable character. She called In
detectives and told them their names
She at that time suspected no one of
having taken her Jewels who was num-
bered among her guests. But the police
are not respecters of family pride and
family names, so the detectives began to
search for the jewels among the guests
at the house party.
The superintendent Of Pittsburg detec-
tives, John Glenn, undertook the case,
as the stolen jewels had been a wedding
present to his bride from Mr.. Moorhead,
and aside from the intrinsic value, about
$500, were more precious to Mrs Moor
head than any money. The eight eerv-
ants in the family We're, after most care
full investigation, relieved of suspicion.
Many other detectives were employed.
and it was through a New York jeweuer
to whom some unset diamonds were sent
for resetting that the first clue to the
lost gems was received. Whoever stole
the Noorhead diamonds had pried the
jewels out of their setting and then en-
deavored to have them set in new fashion
so that they could never be recognized
Money, then, was not the motive OF the
robbery.
This gave to Washington detectives the
first clue to the 81oorheads' guests, Mr..
and Mrs. Moorhead could not be made to
believe in the guilt of any of them, but a
Washington detective, following descrip-
lions and circumstantial evidence, finally
convinced the Moorheads that the thief
actually was Miss Condit Smith, the ac-
complished and lovely girl whose falent
and popularity made her welcome evry-
where and who had repeatedly enjoyed the
honor Of receiving side by side with Mrs.
Mckinley in the white house. OF course.
the Moorheads refused to make the
Washington detectives story public but,
equally of course, it leaked out in that
exclusive set in which the young girl
moved
The story went from mouth to mouth
from house to house. Pretty Polly
Smith was suspected. In fact. it is said
that some malicious person even went SO
far as TO accuse the girl.
Then there came a change over Polly
Smith. She was no longer the light
hearted girl. She had heard the scandal
She was helpless. She was innocent but
the blow aimed at her had crushed her
Invitations came in fewer numbers and
these that did come were not accepted.
The girl got paler. She was seldom seen
outside her own home. Her cheeks be-
came sunken; her eyes so bright and
laughing. formerly were red from con-
slant weeping; she never smiled and her
sensitive nature made her imagine that
the wohe world suspected her of
crime OF which she was innocent.
Miss Smiths broJher-in-law is Cover
nor General Wood OF Cuba II was
thought that change Of scene and
climate would help the SRI forget the
cruel gossip that had 50 sorely wounded
her. So Miss Smith was sent TO Cuba
to be with her sister. Mrs. Wood. Cuban
climate and the change OF scenes did
not have the beneficial effect expected
The SRI tried bravery to overcome the
constant fear that she was everywhere
pointed at as a thief She tried TO meet
people as she had done before. but It was
no use. She became so weakened in
health and spirits that the every effort
was beyond her strength.
So she settled down 10 a life OF misery.
literally eating her own heart It was
seen by the Woods that the girl would
eventually die unless SEINE pan could
be devised 10 take her mind from the
great wrong that had been done her.
Nearly year passed before the uys-
terry was partially cleared I'd by finding
the settings OF the diamonds in Penn
sylvanla avenue shop in Washington.
where they had been taken undoubtedly
/ by the real thief. No one knows 10 this
1 day e9c'ly how, when or by whom the
I jewels were purioined. The discovery
[ Of them came too late. An irrepsrable