The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-04-27
FATHER COULDN'T BE
LOCATED LAST NIGHT
Mrs. Smith Declines to Make
Statement in His .Ab-
set1ce.
EIGHB0'Rs TELL 20 OF LADS
FREQUENT CRIES OF PAIN

lf1g---lhe NJ other re- 531s5
serves the Utmost
Calm. #si i
Mrs. Shepherd X. Smith was arrested
last night in Manchester, suspected OF h
the murder OF her son, five and 8 balf
tyears old. II Vi f3 .,. s;;tSi21 III
Nevor in the history OF Manohestsr has \
there been committed a deed SO horri-s
bile, so absolutely cruel and seemingly 80
completely without Justification.
mother, young, intelligent and Wit TIL every
Indication Of responsibility. apparently
stripped her child naked and beat him TO-
death with o razor strop. 81 When she 1
found that the boy was dead, she called
a neighbor ana asked what she ought
to do. & VI s3Sg
When seen at the station house after
her arrest. she was Is calm ana coll
8lected as though there were no charge
against her. She declined to make any
explanation. Simply saying M 5853s 3
II haven o word to say; not Ia word. .,,''aa
II haven't any idea why or when r
SOlua $lO6l I'LL track OE5 I1Ill0,t
WI She declined u to give her name. her
place of birth or even her. husband 81
name saying that she must sec her; ;hus-sS
band before she said any thin s, sss
When The Times-D Dispat tch man. IN her,
presence. asked a police sergeant sif she
had been crying, she broke irl::ss Il ssss
mo. sir; you see no we eeping OF wall
ling or gnashing of teeth from me- Y "
When asked why the child was nakedis
she said !: x js
ut seems to strike the people hero IS
strange that I should take OFF all the
child's clothes to put him to bed He
sleeps naked always, summer and win
ter III s35S55 "a 81 344
Child Disobed edient, Says She.
She was then asked .sif she had any
explanation to make. She answered.
II whipped him because he was dis
\ $obedient and tad. !. and because he needed
q whipping. What's the use of saying
that + am innocent You would not be-
8love me if I told you I was. All 4 will i
say Is that I am innocent OF all Intent a
Eof wrongdoing. ~ n N n 81 !8s 5Ss sss
The body Of the dead child Ralph
Smith, had been taken to the undertake
ing establishment Of B. H. Morrisette and I!
Sons. where the coroner. DR.. John
5Brondnax, held a post mortema examtna-s
tion. He declined to give out a statement
this morning. He stated however, 5while les
making the examination, in the + pres 4
ence Of witnesses, that d eath h was caused
from "a surgical shock, y which means
that the blows OF the strap kill ed the
lad. IN conversation later. he said |:
1.-THE child had bruises all over his Il
body, even upon his head and neck. IIs8
was literally covered with fscnbs ana 4
bruises =
Mrs Smith resides at No. 80 East Sixth
street. Manchestor. Her husband. Shep-
herd X. Smith. is employed as q horse
clipper by DR.. Fraser "a, Smith, the veter-4i
mary surgeon, In Richmond.
About $3.50 o'clock last evening Mrs.
Turner, who lives next door to the
Smiths, was called by Mrs. Smith, who
said that her little boy was ILL.,
Mr. Turner, who had heard noises ana q
disturbances IN the adjoining house, de-
clined to allow his wife % leave her
home, hut called Mrs, w J. Crostic, ~
5neighbor. who went i OF he Smith house.
Mrs. Crostic' "a cunt.
Mrs Crostic tells this story 4. q,
II went into the front sitting room.
and there was the little boy on the floor
quite naked. looked att,him and saw
that his body was covered with bruls
What are these bruises doing on this
child q said to Mrs. S'nth, She said : "a I
WAS bad, anu i lWIiippeeNtF1l'l WtNt' ~ ''NeS'
Rstrop.' saw bottle of5 5canphor on the
floor by tho childs side. Mrs. Smith
said she had been bathing him with Y.
i also saw a stick on the floor, said
ibid YOU hit him with this? She said:
mo; used a strap, =,
t.she then said Ia his heart beating!,t :
y T nut my hand on hts heart and SAID \
to hcr, .The. Lord hay taken him, She
said: What shall I d!, and 7 told her
to send for the coroner, MY husband, I;
John Crostic. went ioAs him.. 58 3aS5S$ n
Linwood Earl Turner, " small Ibo ", wno 4
lives next door to the Aniths, and VINO
6was {, playmate OF the dead child. sad Y:
sft.I have often heard them heating lhtm;s
iHe didn't CRY very much, because ir iie II
did they would beat him all he moress$
once saw Mr.. Smith knock Ralph down
with nm axe handle, and ] have olten
seen both of them strike HIM. s.
Mrs. Turner said: ,s
,IIe s(lalph) was as good a child Z. as
ever saw in all my life but she tal[s; 'II:
Smith had an awful temper. spe hhu
The highest temper l ever Sc VI SS
n Mother Is Arrested,
Il When John crostlc notified the coroner
2ba ,nhoned the police station, and ssrS
3geant A. g. Wright and Q Oficer W ~ y, !.
NVavmack went at once to the hlnith
rosidencs. They found Mrs. smith a
thn gate. and notified her that she was
9mnder arrest, The woman nearly fainteh,f
and had TO be almost carried into the 4
house She told the officers that sha !!
haa whipped the boy, and gave the strap
to7 Sergeant Wright. sha was taken py
Off,cers Wright and Waymack 10 me
station house, whore she spent the nixht