The Washington herald., 1910-06-04
WASHINGTON HERALD BUREAU.


6S King Street.
Alexandria. Va. June S.-"Good-by,
boys: keep on praying" said Henry
Smith. the negro convicted in this city
March 6. 1863. of the murder OF Walter
F. Schultz. at the State penitentiary
this morning, as he walked from his
cell to the death chamber. where he
was put TO death for the murder. On
the way. he was asked by a guard II
Calvin Johnson, Richard Pines, and
eugene Dorsey, negroes, convicted Of the
murder and sentenced TO die Friday
next. were guilty. Smith replied without
hesitancy that they were innocent, and
added that he was also innocent Of the
crime. At 7:30 o'clock he took his seat
in the death chair, ard a few minutes
afterward Henry Smith was no more.
the electrocuuon being successful and
without a hitch.
Smiths body will probably be buried
in the potter's field at that place. as up
TO the present time his relatives have
not claimed IT, Smith is the man who
turned States evidence, and on whose
testimony, principally, the three others
were convicted. His life has been Jug
gled with on several occasions, and the
people here are Of the opinion that Smith,
n all probability, believed this morn
ing. even up 10 the moment that he sat
down in the fatal chair, that he was
being put through a test, with the view
OF getting a confession about the case
and clearing up what has always been
regarded as a mystery TO many people.
1t will be remembered that last time
Smith was to have been executed he went
through practically the same perform
ance and then, as to-day, maintained his
innocence as well as the innocence Of the
three others. At the last minute on that
occasion the respite was handed him.
and, according TO reports received from
Richmond. Smith was so overcome with
emotion that he virtually collapsed. There
10 little doubt IN the minds OF many
citizens that he expected the game per-
Torrance to-day.
In the cases OF Johnson. Pines, and
Dorsey. II IS now believed by many peo-
pie here that all three viii have their
sentences commuted to life Imprisonment
Jefferson Davis Birthday.
Confederate veterans and their friends.
the ladies composing the Seventeenth Vir-
gin!a Regiment Chapter. United Daugh-
ters Of the Confederacy. celebrated to-
night the 102d anniversary of the birthday
Of Jefferson Davis with a literary and
musical programme. An appropriate
speech was made by Representative o.
w. Gillespie OF Texas The musical pro-
gramme was under the direction of Miss
Blanche Rotchford. Following the cere-
monies. Confederate crosses Of honor
were given number of veterans.
The Civic Improvement League will re-
quest the city engineer to have King
street, the main street of the city, swept
every Saturday night at late hour Re-
tail merchants viii be asked 10 cooper
ate by sweeping their stores that night
so that all trash may be gotten away and
the main street made clean the first day
OF the week. The league viii also raise
500 for screening the almshouse, through
Mrs. f. ]. Pan, chairman OF that COM
mittee.
special committee OF the city council
has under consideration plans for extend
ing the oity's limits. Maps and charts
are being looked over. Nothing definite
has yet been done. Efforts on the part
Of the city to do this will doubtless meet
considerable opposition by residents of
Alexandria County.
In the Corporation Court this morning
IN the case OF Michael J. Colbert and
others against the Washington National
Building and Loan Association a decree
was entered authorizing receivers TO ac-
cept the offer Of w. W. Hail. A final de-
cree was given in the case OF o. J. Nu-
gent against Douglas Stuart. trustee. and
others
Mrs. Margaret Roberts. wife OF Frank
R. Roberts, died this morning at the
Alexandria Hospital. Her husband and
two children survive. The deceased was
a daughter Of the late James Woolls.