The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1903-12-29
INDIAN MURDERER
ATTEMPT IS SUICIDE
After a SIeGp|eSS Night he Tries to
Hang Himself in his Cell in
the County Jail

After a night of remorseful brooding
over his awful crime, Jacky Smokalem,
the Indian murderer, attempted to kill
himself in a cell of the county Jail this
morning. He was prevented from robbing
the scaffold of another victim or the peni-
tentiary of another ward by the timely
arrival of the jailer and the frailness of
his improvised rope.
Since killing his wife on Saturday night
Indian Jack has been taciturn and
gloomy. No sooner had the effects of
the white man S whisky left him than he
was sorry for what he had done.
For "a hours he sat by the side of his
dead victim taking neither food nor
sleep, after he had committed the murder.
Since his arrest and incarceration in the
county Jail he has been very solemn and
has said but little The weight of his
crime kept him depressed. Yesterday he
said that he wanted to die for his crime,
but before doing so would like to see that
his children were well cared for,
Ali last night the Indian rolled and
tossed in his bunk in the tank at the
county jail. He could not sleep. He
said this morning that the figure OF his
dead wife was always before him. lie
could not get her out Of his sight, no mat
ter how he tried. Sleep was out of the
question with the crime haunting him.
At 2 O'Clock this morning he got out
of his bunk and prepared to end it all
then and forever. He was half crazed
Al, ~ nd 1uac tY,ra-
pared for anything. All that he wanted
was to die, and by the quickest way he
could use under the circumstances.
One arm of his heavy shirt he tied about
the bars at the top of the cell. The other
sleeve he tied about his neck. The knot
about his neck was tied in slip moose
SO that it would tighten and choke him
to death
After he had tied the rope as tight as
he could he let all of his weight rest
on it, raising his feet from the floor. he
tried his best to strangle himself to death,
but before the work was accomplished the
shirt gave way and allowed his now semi
conscious form to drop to the floor.
The jailer heard the fall and rushed into
the cell to find the old Indian murderer
breathing what appeared to be his last
breath. ri
AS quickly as possible the jailer loosen
ed the rope from about his neck and al
lowed the breath to pass into his lungs
again. 1t was nearly an hour before the
Indian was resuscitated. He said after
he had been brought back to conscious
ness that he wanted to die, and that the
best way he knew was to hang himself lie
told the other prisoners that there was
nothing for him to live for after he had
killed his wife and would have to serve
a long term in prison for the terrible
crime, suffering all the time from the
presence of the hated specter that last
night kept him sleepless.
To answer the charge of numbering his
wife Jack Smokalem was brought before
Judge Smell yesterday afternoon. Through
his interpreter, Tommy Santiago Howard,
also charged with murder, he pleaded gull
ty to murder in the second degree. When
asked whether he would carry out his
original intention of pleading guilty to
murder in the first degree, he said that
he would not He said his wife was dead
and that he preferred death now to any
thing else, but that he wanted to see his
children provided for first. In the CON
yersation following this statement he was
told that by pleading guilty ample time
would be given him to arrange affairs Tor
the benefit of his children. After the
different degrees were explained to him nc
announced himself ready TO plead guilty
of murder in the second degree.
Since the effect of the whisky has worr
off Smokalem has brooded considerably
over the killing of his wife Saturday aft