The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-01-24
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Sleeping or Waking w. 1.
CoOmbs Saw Arthur Smith.
Shot and Killed the Boy Last
June.
HE WAS NOT TRIED.
No Jury Could Be Secured at
Liberal.
Deeds His Home to Widowed
Mother of Victim.
HE WAS NOT TRIED.
VIII Go Into Court and Accept
Murder Sentence.

Liberal, Kas, Jan. 24.-After having
been freed by a technicality in the law
from trial on the charge Of the murder
of 1S-year-old Arthur Smith, W. I.
Coombs has become converted at g. re-
vival meeting and has announced his in
tention Of going into open court and
asking sentence for his crime. To the
widowed mother OF the boy he shot last
June he has made over his house and
lot in town and has promised her that
if he is not made to pay the penalty of
his crime he will turn twenty dollars
of his monthly earnings to her for her
support. COombs is a section foreman
on the Rock Island.
The surprise of this new development
In the Smith murder case has set the
people OF Liberal into q frenzy of emo
tional excitement. There is nothing the
town cannot do for Captain Niles, the
Salvation army revfvalist who has se-
cured Coombs' conversion 1t is not be-
heved that CoOmbs viii be placed under
sentence for his crime. Attention need
not be called to the sensational features
Of the affair and it is impossible to pre-
dict what turn may occur in the case
Last June w. 1. Coombs shot and kill
ed Arthur Smith on account OF a quar-
rel between COOmbs son and the two
Smith brothers. The tragedy occurred
on side track where Smith was un-
loading coal from a fiat car. The story
of the crime is about as follows: On
the Coombs place. located about a mile
out of Liberal is a small lake frequent
ed by the town boys as a swimming
hole. Among the boys were the 1T-year-
old son of W. L GOombs and the two
Smith boys, of whom Arthur was the
older The boys quarreled over some
trivial matter and on one occasion the
younger Smith boy was badly used by
young Coombs, who had found him
alone.
At the time Of the next meeting Ar
+, 1,.Il
while the young brother administered to
him a sound thrashing- On the follow
ing day the senior Co0mbs went to the
4 coal car where Arthur Smith was at
work and ordered him never to appear
at the lake again. Smith made some
( taunting reply and threw coal at
! Coombs, who drew his revolver and
] fired three shots. all of them taking ef-
feet in the boys body. Smith died ten
hours later.
The shooting created great excite
ment and talk of lynching, but CoOmbs
was placed in the Liberal Jail for trial
He was bound over for trial without
bond but was subsequently released on
habeas corpus proceedings His bond
| was $4,000. At the term of court when
his trial was called it was found to be
impossible to secure a jury in the coun-
ty and COOmbs was released.
Two weeks ago Salvation Army Cap
tain Niles, accompanied by his son Snd
daughter, arrived at Liberal from
Beaver City, Oklahoma, and opened a
revival. In the course of a week
Coombs announced his conversion and
last Tuesday went with Captain Niles
and others to the Widow Smith and
confessed to the murder of her son. He
stated that the murder was deliberate
" planned and that he had sought the
boy to kill him He promised that so
long as he earned money he would give
her $40 out of his monthly wages and
that he would turn over to her his town
property as a partial recompense for
the death of the boy.
Coombs says he is constantly haunt
ed day and night by the sight of the
dead boy.