New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-07-01
Try Cable 10 Tho Tribune ]

London, June 30.-"The Three Brides
in Bath" case goes TO the jury to-
morrow. To-day both prosecution and
defense made their final addresses,
practically ending the ninth day legal
battle which has been waged around
George Joseph Smith, accused Of
drowning at least three Of HIS wives in
bathtubs. Justice Scrutton will sum
up the case in the morning.
Marshall Hall, for the defendant, to-
day pleaded that his principal, who
appears perfectly sane, could not have
been guilty Of zone Of the most dia-
bolical series of continuous crimes
which ever have been recorded in any
country. You must go back to the
days of the Borgiss for a parallel"
Mr.. Hall added.
"If the prisoner had not been a pau
per-" he continued, "but had possessed
unlimited means like many American
prisoners, he could have procured eX-
perts TO say that the cause Of death
was other than the one given by the
experts for the Crown"
Rivals War in Interest.
Even a war-bewildered London has
found timo to ponder over the case
which comes 10 close in the Old
Bailey tomorrow. Probably no trial
since that of DR.. Crippen has excited
90 much comment. Many speak OF 1t as
the most famous English murder case
Of modern times.
From the evidence it would appear
that the life of George Joseph Smith
has been simply one marriage after
another. In his forty-three years of
existence the big, blond, good-looking
prisoner has welded FIVE times. No
specially spectacular features attended
his first two ventures in matrimony.
The last three were more eventful,
each terminating very shortly after the
ceremony with the bride lying drowned
in a bathtub and the bereaved husband
pocketing the funds which she had
willed TO him on the wedding day
Smiths later marriages took place IN
July, 1912, December, 1913, and Deem
Der, 1914. His only comment on these
phenomenal condolences" rs he terms
his wives deaths. has been that II was
hard luck" The rapid fire widower
has received, in all, more than $4,000
from his late wives, all Of whom were
buried as chesply as possible.
Bride of Day browns.
Evidence presented at the Old
Bailey, classic in the crime annals OF
England for years before Dickens made
II famous, showed that Smith married
his third wife, Beatrice Munday, in
July, 1912. at WestOn-super-Ma Be
fore the wedding he rented small
house at Herne Bay. The cottage was
without plumbing, but the bride
groom be purchased a bath tub,
which was placed in a room having no
latch to the door.
Before the wedding the couple, as a
sign of mutual confidence made wills,
each in the others favor. The bride
had S12,S00 in her own right. Her
husband had little beside the rented
house and the bathtub. The morning
after the ceremony he prepared the
bath for her with his own hands. A
little later he rushed eXcitedly to
neighbors, saying that his wife was
dead in the tub. She was found with
her legs protruding over one end and
her head under water
Much sympathy was extended to the
husband whose honeymoon had closed
so abruptly and tragically. The coro-
ner investigated the case, and decided
that the Mrs. Smith Of twenty-four
hours had died in fit. Smith col