The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1915-06-20
MYSTERIOUS Bathtub Murdersof
EQUAL interest with War
News in London.

7. = LONDON June 1s--There.s a
murder trial coming sooo in London
rhar Will hold the attention OF the;
world in spite OF the great war
George Joseph Smith is name
that carries as many saudders IN
England as the most greWsome stor7
les OF the battlefield It IS a name
maj suggests TO every man and wo-
Iran In England the abysma1 depths
n which the human mind can de-
scend.
Public Prosecutor Bodldn arose
in the Bow street police court and
introduced George Joseph Smith to
the world when he said:
This man viii be charged vite
the murder OF three wives.
And then Bodkin told the story.
Story OF the Prosecutor.
This story showed that there was
Just enough humanity in George Jo-
seph Smith to cause his heart strings
to anchor themselves to one woman:
from her side he went into the world
to do unspeakable things, 1t BodlSins
story be true, but he always came
back to her.
Smith sat in the prisoners box. az
Interesting figure. He Is 43 years
old; his father was a life insurance
agent, and from hissearlieSt days he
tails of1nsurance plans. He is tall:
his eyes are rather small and deep
set; his nose is long. and his cheek
bones protrude slightly His chin
is strong and well chiseled. He
wears a dropping mustache-
Looks Like Flooding Citizen
In fact, he is an Englisnman of SO
take him for granted as a steady
going, pIodding average citizen.
It was in 1898 that George Joseph
Smith was first married Why he
cheated Caroline 3. Thornhi1l. in Lei
cester. and told her his name was
George Oliver Love. no one knows.
However, 1t wa. better to be cheated
than to be murdered
Mrs. Caroline Thornhi1l Smith. the
only. woman OF the sex who IS en-
titled to bear the sinister name Of
George Joseph Smith. is now on her
way to London, from Canada and will
testify in the coming trial Ten
years later Smith met Edith Mabel
PegIer IN Bristol He made a whirl-,
wind courtship-
Women always. it seems. gave in
to him; their wills were as nothing.
in his hands The trial will show
that he was always able to make
them say his words and even to think
his thoughts.
within q very short time they
were married. July so. 1898. In
1910 he left Miss Pesler.
1T was the fate of Beatrice Mundy.
daughter OF a bank manager. to
meet Smith in Weymouth She was
living on the interest of $1,000
which had been left her by her
Within three days after their
meeting they were married. as the
woman thought Within a few days
more Smith began to try to get the
$1,000. The relatives fought him
and smith gave up. He took $500 in
gold from the woman and left her.
Her relatives found her pennies
and took her home
When They Met Again
But Smith had not gone out of
her life. The time was coming when
would again succumb to his wo-'
man-compeffng will. forgive him
and die in bathtub:
Straight to the Pesler woman he
vent He paid off a. $500 mortgage
on the house in which the Pegler wo-
man lived and he spent the next Two
years with her In March. 1917.
smith came face to face with Beatrice
MunS1y V3thhis 1nexplicable power
over women he persuaded her to Tor
Immediately smith renewed his ef-
forts to secure the womanS ST.
500. The relatives demurred again.
But. ifEshe made VIII, naming him.
as beneficiary and If. after that. she
died. the-tS12;5oo would be his. He
nare,,aded her to make the Will and
that same day: IN July. he bought
h.+L4,I1,S -
van Finally l.andssthe. $1,000.
Finally July 5. the tub arrived at
the house. July S the will was made
and sealed. July 10 he complained
to a doctor that his Wife had suffered
from a tit. and the doctor gave her
called again The morning OF Jniy
* smith sent a note to the doctor.
..Do come at once. I am afraid my
wife-1s dead" The doctor found her
drowned.
: then he went back to the PeSieT wo-
man. He met Alice Burnham next
She was a nurse and worldly wise
but she became putty IN the names
oF the ordinary-1ooking. Smith
She had $500 at home with her
narentS. money she had saved Smith
w-ote them for 1T They wanted to
know. about Smiths family
Who His Family Was
smith wrote back:
..Sir-In answer to your appllca-
ton regarding my parentage, etc, my
mother was bus horse, my father
a cab driver. my sister rouEh rider
In the. arctic regions and my brother
a sailor on steam roller This IS
the only information can give to
thosaswho are not entitled to ask
snch questions as are contained in
your letter
your Despfsed Son=in-law.
George Smith .
The girls parents sent the money
70 her On the night of December 10