Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-02-15
MOTHER TRIED
TO Sell Girl
WIFE PAINTED BLACK
BY LETTERS READ AT SMELL
WILL TRIAL.

story of how a mother tried to sell
her daughter to millionaire was told.
chapter by chapter, in court room
here yesterday afternoon when the let
tiers were found in the old leather
trunk of Colonel Thomas Smell were
read to the jury
In these letters, written by the wife
of the Rev. E. A. Hamilton, a Metho-
dist minister, expressions of affection
alternated with appeals for money,
and ever dangling before the eyes of
the old man was the yohng girl whose
happiness a mother was ready to sac
rifice for gold.
Attorney E. ]. Sweeney, represent
ing Dick" Smell, who seeks to break
his fathers $2,O00,000 will started to
read the missives in voice so low as
to be inaudlble to all save the court
and jury, but bystanders pressed for
ward in their eagerness to miss no de-
tail of the story until it was necessary
to elevate his voice in order that the
jury might hear.
Suppresses Women's Names.
Only few Of the letters were read
to give an idea of the nature of thu,
correspondence, and by agreement,
the names Of women referred to were
suppressed.
81 will soon have her where you
want her. wrote this mother. after
asking for 500. eff you would give
me home like you did B.. how l
would have loved you for it, Don't
forget to fix that will. Won't you,
won't you sweetheart? Darling, do
give me all the money l want
The reading of the love letters
created sensation. Although it was
known that the letters were of per-
sonal nature yet the expressions COM
ing from the wife Of minister and
intimating that the preacher himself
knew Of the existing state of affairs,
were such as to shock everybody.
The first woman to enter the court
room since the contest has been on
was Mrs. Hannah Smell, the widow of
Thornton Smell She was called for
the purpose of telling Of the life
Colonel Smell led during the five years
he was a resident at her Bloomington
home She was accompanied by two
women friends from Bloomington who
remained with her in the court room
during the two hours she was on the
witness stand.
Colonel Read Letters Many Times.
Mrs. Smell told of the trunk in which
Colonel Smell kept the best of his love
letters and of how he would go to his
den many times during the week to
read perhaps for the hundredth time
his treasured notes from his many
sweethearts. The Colonel would not
have the mail delivered to his home,
but would go to the postoffice himself
several times during the day to re-
cetve his mail, or If the weather was
bad he would send the coachman.
The letters read to the jury to show
the nature O. tAe voluminous CORE
spondence o. Colonel Smell were those
known as the Hamilton letters. Only
portion of them are given. For the
most part the letters were unsigned
and not dated the date being written
on them by Colonel Smell. They fol-
low:
You are my darling, sweet
darling I love you more each
day. l wish you were with me
now. l am wild for you. go
crazy, wild to see you. My Chris
tian duty is to love you; you are
all alone in this world; you need
some one to love you. 1t Is the
close Of another Sabbath day, all
the rest are abed. l am going to
sit up, love, for ten years for you.
1t is a Christian womans duty.
We can take Pet to Chicago. Pet
would mistrust; go slow, write
her nice letters, she soon will do
anything for you. tell her how
you love, her and how much you
want her for your sweetheart.
Write her nice letters You will
soon have her. Darling, go slow.
Her papa tells her. Write her
nice letters. You were going
to send her and me 50 or 100.
will soon have her where you
want her; go slow. Give her
some money.
One year ago we went to We'll
don Springs. My husband said l
could go to Chicago any time
with you. So nice to tell me in
your letter that you will give me
enough money so won't have to
work so hard. If you would give
me home like you did B., how
I would have loved you for it.
Won't you, sweet darling, give
me home right away.
| Reminds Him Of Coat a.
| Darling you said last winter you
would get me coat this winter
| My husband Is willing. When you
write me letters In a. M, 1 get
them In the evening. l could sit
up all night ard write. know
you are able to give me all the
money want. You ought to
| give me all the money I want B
did not do much for you. Don't
you leave them Cor herr one cent
darling. Don't forget to fix that
will. Won't you, won't you,
sweethearta 1t is II o'clock and
I am still writing. Darling, do