Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-28
SLAYER'S SANITY
TEST IS ORDERED
District AIienist to Examine
Smith, Held for Grand
Jury.

Examination as to the sanity of
Franklin Ellsworth Smith, 40. confessed
slayer of his l9-year-old daughter
Bessie, has been ordered by William H.
Collins. assistant District attorney, and
will be made by DR.. Percy Kicking,
District alieniSt Smiths case will be
presented to the grand jury next Tues
day.
jury, called by Coroner j. Ramsay
hewitt, today ordered Smith held for
the grand jury
A confession taken by police of the
homicide squad after hours of grilling
yesterday morning. so revolving in its
details that the inquest room was clear
ed of women during its reading, was
presented to the jury. In his statement
Smith admitted Staying his daughter
with his own hands and twice holding
mirror before her mouth to make sure
she was dead. after an argument We'd
nesday morning in their apartment at
ISL New Jersey avenue.
Blames Home Conditions.
Smith also confessed unnatural rela
tions with his daughter.
Smith blamed in his confession his
unhappy married life for the past ID
years and what he described as am alb
normal physical condition, such as
nervousness. complete loss of sight in
one eye and partial loss of sight in the
al f1s. Il &c hot 1n6 n Hn
Staying OF his daughter.
After the confession had been read
to the jury by John Flaharty. of the
police homicide squad. Smith arose and
verified his statement to the coroner.
Smith also attempted to attack the teS-
timony of John C. Steele, who for two
or three days preceding the tragedy
had been member of the Smith house
hold.
Made Sure of Death.
He told police that he threw her on
the bed and clutched both hands
around her throat. holding So tightly
until his daughter appeared to be dead.
Then he said he got a mirror and held
it before her mouth. Discovering a
spot of moisture about the size of a
quarter on the mirror, he claSped his
hands tightly over her mouth and nose
for a minutes Again he held the mir
ror before her mouth and again the
spot of moisture appeared.
Smith repeated the action of holding
his hands over his daughters nose and
mouth until he was satisfied her life
had been completely snuffed out.
Smith branded statements made by
Steele on the stand as lies. He was
ordered to sit down. and it could not be
learned what statement Smith took eX-
ception to.
On the stand Steele said he was
chauffeur, but had not worked in the
last month. He had known the Smith
family for 10 or II years. He said Smith
told him at IL 80 Wednesday morning
when he called at the house that BeS-
sic was in. but was dead and that he
Immediately notified the police. That
was all the testimony he gave.
A preliminary report from the
Health Department chemists analyz-
ing the contents of the Smith girls
stomach, read at the inquest of DR..
Joseph d. Rogers, showed no trace
of poiSonS Further analyses will be
carried on by the chemists to deter
mine the nature of the entire contents
of the stomach.
The mother of the slain girl. Mrs.
Bessie L. Smith. did not attend the in
quest, but. in mourning. stood outside
the nTorgue. She was almost hySteri-
cal and seemed to be suffering under
the ballucination that her daughter
was alive and inside the building. She
also expressed wonder as to the reason
for the crowd being about the entrance
of the morgue.