Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-18
SLAIN BY K|hSMEh2
Two Arrests Made in CuIpeper
Murder Case.
BROTHER-IN-LAW'S STORY
Fred Jenkins Says Father-in-Law
Killed William Smith.
FAMILY HATRED THE REASON
Bad Blood Among Relatives Made
Worse by Women-Heavy Bribe
offered for Slaughter.
FAMILY HATRED THE REASON

| u fh, va. SepteiIDtf iS-.AS a
sequel to the atrocous murder of william
| Smith. foreman of large estate near Slate
Mills Va. who was shot to death in the
| yard OF his home Sunday night. William
| Seal. his father-in-law. and Fred Jenkins.
! his br1ther-in-iaw, were locked up In the
| Jail at Culpeper last evening, charged with
| the CRIME. The authorities arrested the
men a the home of the victim back in the
wilds of Cupep-r county. where jury o.
| inquest held both responsible.
Coroner T. II. Lewis. who conducted the
] inquest which inquired into the death of
| William +. Bywaters, who was shot to
| death by James A. and Philip J. Strother,
| declared that Fred Jenkins confessed to the
| jury that he was with his father-!n-Iaw
| when the old man. who is more than fifty
| years old. shot Smith. The story of the
| crime and the motive which prompted 1t
| comprise one of the most remarkable fam
| lily feuds ever known in the history of Vir
| ginia.
Seal denies all knowledge Of everything,
| except that he had strong dislike for
| Smith. but Coroner Lewis declares he has
| the right men. Although not much de-
pcndenCe is placed upon the confession OF
| Jenkins Coroner Lewis declares that blood
| hounds which were brought from Luray.
| Page county, Va. found hot trail at the
scene of the crime. and went over it SO
| closely to cOrrOtOratc the story OF Jen-
| kins. who Is not quite twenty years
| old.
Tempted to Do Murder.
In his confession Jenkins declared his
| rather-in-Iaw tried to get him to shoot
| Smith. offering him his property If he
| would commit the crime. Jenkins said he
| steadfasty refused to XIII his brOther-in-
| law. even though his father-in-law threat
| eued to Kill him If he did not commit the
| crime. Whisky and other temptations were
| offered him. the young man said but he
would not agree to do the shooting. How
| ever. he admitted that he had borrowed the
double-barreled shotgun with which the
crime committed from Mr.. Claude
Norris, neighbor and carried II part or
the way to the scene of the tragedy.
Jenkins said the only thing he promised
was that he would not tell the authorities
that his father-in-law shot Smith but he
also declared that the father-in-law tried TO
get him TO admit that he had done the
shooting. The young man said he had rea-
soned with Seal that he would be hanged
il ne made such a statement.
While there did not appear TO be any
idea of lynching in the minds of the neigh
hors who gathered about the home of the
victim before the prisoners left on their
Journey to Culpeper. fourteen miles away.
every pre- caution possible was taken to
guard against such thing There was only
a demonstration OF curiosity in Culpeper
when the strange procession of buggies
| reached the county jail, and it seemed that
| the only thing desired by the people is that
| the law take its course quickly.
Transfer to Alexandria,
| 1t is just possible that one or both of
| the men may be moved from Cupeper, to
| Alexandria or some other nearby place for
safekee ping. Sheriff Puiliam of Culpeper
| county admitted that the Jail here is not
| very secure and that the best cells In the
place are already occupied. Another point.
| too. which Is being regarded as one in ia
VOr of the removal of at least one of the
| men is that the authorities want to keep
! them from conversing about the case
Up to this time Seal has not heard that
| his son-in-law has made COME ssion. and
tommonwealth's Attorney G. NJ. Waite said
| he would probably not tell the old man
| for while. Strong efforts will be made
| to get a confession from Seal.
The story OF the lives of the people who
| have figured in the family feud is like a
novel. Seal Is the father OF seventeen chill
dren. thirteen of whom are boys One of
his daughters married William K'"s. VINO
lives in the neighborhood o: Slate Mills;
another eloped with the victim and married
him nearly three years ago against the de-
sire of her father, and third, a girl of
thirteen years. married Fred Jenkins last
January.
jenkins child wife has a baby. and on
| tho day that her husband was led away
| from her to Jail under such serious
| charge the little one was exactly d month
/ old. To add to the singular features in
connection with the tragedy. Smiths first
! wife, from whom he was divorced, was on
| The scene. She married Joseph Smith. a
| brother of the victim. after the divorce had
| been granted Her daughter by William
| Smith is grown and married. and is as old
as the young woman who now mourns the
| loss of her husband.
Story of Family Hatred.
The widow is Just twenty-one years old.
One of her children died and a sx-months-
old child survives the father Then the old
mother of the victim. who not 100 old
to play an important part in the tragedy,
at the hearing sat gazing first at one OF the
women and then at the other, as each gave
her testimony.
None OF the members of the family denies
that there was bad blood between the men.
Mrs. Smith realized that her father hated
her husband and tried to keep them from
marrying. She declared his objection
that she was separating man and wife
when she married Smith. divorcee How
ever. the widow said she was not at home
when the victim and his first wife sepa-
rated.
Then. too. Mrs. Smith said, the bad blood
between her brother-in-law, Fred Jenkins
and her husband might have been brought
about by a rumor which was attributed TO
her husband. She declared II was said that
her husband had said Jenkins had neg 70 rel
atives, but she firmly denied that her hus-
band had made such a remark
In his statement to the corouer's jury Seal
said the child wife of Jenkins had told him
Smith was trying to persuade her to leave
her husband. And so. from one branch of
the family to another the bad feeling seems
to have spread yet. yesterday when it al
was brought to u Climax there was d pc
cuIiarly pathetic scene All of the women
sobbed as the teams drove away with the
prisoners; the ch'ld-wife screamed hys,eri-
cally after her young husband, and the two
sisters cried aloud for their father.
In spite of all the bad feeling among the
men there seemed to be little hostility
among the women. who for the most part
were grave and sileat until that moment Of
parting.
Accuses Father-in-Law
1t was not until he had been questioned
twice by the coroner that Jenkins made his
confession. The first time he denied all
knowledge Of the crime, as Seal has done
But after the bioodhounds had been put on
the trail Jenkins was recalled and he gave
his version OF the murder. He said In part:
Mr.. Seal told me to do all this He
came to Mr.. Norris orchard with me. and
sent me to the house to get the gun 1t
was getting dark and Mr.. Norris was milk
| ing. l called him 10 the house and asked
| him to lend me mis- gun. He handed me
| the gun and l went back to the orchard
where Mr.. Seal was. / handed Mr.. Seal
i the gun and he 1 AID ma n kaep II