The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-06-01
SAYS He is TASCOTT
Alleged Murderer of Smell Dies
Miserabiy in Alaska.

VICTORIA, B. c., May 31.-f the
voluntary declaration of a dying man
is to be believed, "finis'' has been writ
ten to the historic Smell tragedy in
Chicago of fifteen years ago and Tas-
colt, the long-sought murderer, self
identified. has paid the penalty of his
crime with penitence and now fills an
unmarked grave in the Alaskan wilder
ness, whittier he had fed for the eff
Placement of his individuality.
Philip Robertson, a strictly reliable
man, prospector and miner, received
the dying mans confession. Robertson
left the Klondike capital, he says, late
last fall in small boat bound for the
new placer grounds at Fairbanks He
reached a point near Dahl river in
desolate and forbidding region when
the wailing of a dog surprised his ears.
He found the dog, a half starved shep-
herd, in much distress. Following this
animal Robertson was brought to
seemingly deserted cabin some 400
yards above the river concealed a
c1ump of spruce. Says Robertson:
l Ventured to the door of the shack
and Knocked, and there was a feeble
Come in" All was darkness inside and
there was no sign of fire. l caught
and then advanced to where a man lay.
With feeble effort he turned and stared
at me and said:
Are you an officer?'
The question amazed me q bit
No" / said, II am miner and IL there
IS anything l can do for you want to
/ soon had fire going and again APP
preached the bed The mans hair was
white as snow. His face had livid
color. 1t looked like death and he had
the most terrified and hopeless express
sion nave ever seen on a human being.
Partner" he said finally rolling over
on his side. and little more than whisper
/ ing, II m leaving d world that I did not
long"
He 1apsed in silence again and what 1
thought was sleep came over him. Two
hours passed and he suddenly wakened
with a Shrek and then sank back in
bed. In few minutes he gave another
wild scream and Strengthened up in bed.
Then IN voice you would think came
from good strong man he said
See mere, boys, my name is Tascott.
LIN Tascott. Do you understand? I'm
Tascott. that they've been hunting like
I'm getting paid for what did. / know
I'm dying and I know where I'll go.
Tell the boys when they come back that
l am Tascott and you can tell the world,
too, for the world has hunted me for a
long time
About 8 in the morning 1 heard a noise
like man expelling all the air from his
lungs; | rushed over to the bed and
felt the mans pulse and heart. He was
dead The next day his partners got
l back and I told them what happened.
ever met in the North. They did not
say who they We're. They did not even
thank me for staying with their dead.
They did not even ask me to join them
at their meal, but they buried the man
and, rolling up their things in a blanket
pack, they started across the country
in the direction of the Koyukux Be
fore going one of them came to me
abruptly: See here" he said. you've
seen and heard what you've heard. You
can't make anything by talking about it.
He's dead and that's all there is to it.
Before could ask him anything he had
struck the trail and that was the last 1
saw of him. have never told about this
until now, but that dead man asked me
to make his story public and so / do so.
1 solemnly believe that he was tortured
to death by thinking of his own life and
the belief that he was always the object
he told the truth in saying he was Tas-
colt. 1t is my opinion that his partners
knew it, too.
CHICAGO, May 31.-Amos J. Smell
was murdered at his home in Wash
ington boulevard on the night of Feb.
s, 1888, and robbery was declared to be
the motive. After many arrests the
police hit upon the Willie Tascott eIew.
Tascott had been an elevator boy at
the Palmer house. 1t was represented
that he had been employed by day
and committed robberies at night.
Heavy rewards were offered for Tas-
colt but eventually Mrs. Smell with
drew them. Civil suits and other
| scandals followed among members of
| the family and today the Smell mil
| lions are supposed to have been dissi-
pated in part and passed into other