Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-31

TIME house indicated as mo. 4
John street" was one of foul
houses, each standing detached
i from the other, on the upper
side of John street. It is i'm
portant for what follows to understand
clearly the location of the houses. No
stood first. while No. 2 was just above
it, No. coming next in order and No.
4 being the fourth or last of the group.
The houses were separated by an
interval of about 40 feet between each
between No. and No. 2. 40 feet be-
tween No. and No. and similar
distance. 40 feet. separating No. 8 and
No. 4. It would thus have been possible,
II the windows were open, to hear any,
thing louder than ordinary conversation
from house to house. There is, how
ever, no reason to believe that on the
night in question any of the windows
were open.
All Of the four houses had been built
apparently under one and the same
contract and offered great similarity
in outline. But, owing to the rise in
the ground, No. 2 had one more step
in front of it than No. l, and No. 3
No. 2, while No. 4, where the ground
continued to rise, was higher by one
step than No. (the house immedi-
ately below it,.
X y
The house indicated as No. was
occupied by the family of Mr.. John
Smith, who had lived in it since first
It was built. Smith himself was en-
ployed as stock brokers' confidential
clerk and the family were in COM
Portable, If not aff1uent, circumstances.
There was no reason to believe that
Smith was in any way embarrassed
financially. Nor was there anything
in his past life to suggest any criminal
antecedents or any tendency to be hur-
ried or driven into any rash or des-
perate conduct. He was more or less
regular churchgoer, was well liked in
the neighborhood and was reputed as
rather above the average as a bridge
that as q bridge player he was more
inclined to lead from length than from
strength. 1t should be added that Smith
had no ear for music.
x* X
On the night in question, the night
of the 5th of March Gust preceding the
9Th of March,, the entire Smith house.
hold seems to have been in bed and
asleep well before midnight. For what
follows It Is important to understand
the arrangement of the bedrooms in
the Smith residence. The house was
two-story structure with kitchen ex-
tension, all the bedrooms being on the
upper floor. That of Mr.. and Mrs.
Smith was In the front, looking out over
the street and occupying the entire
front face of the house. There were
two side bedrooms and a bedroom over
the kitchen.
The side bedroom on the right, or
north side, the high side or top side,
that is the side looking sideways up
the side street, was occupied by the
two little girls of the family. Flora and
Dora, aged respectively IL and Is. The
two girls were both at the same school,
though Flora was ahead of Dora IN
geography.
The other side bedroom was occupied
by Willie Smith, aged respectively IL.
Willie also attended school, though on
the 5th of March he had not gone to
school. The reason alleged for this was
that he had been slightly indisposed on
the 4th OF March. All of the children
were Il, every way ordinary children,
none of them having ever shown the
least tendency toward somnambulism,
or nysteria, or locomotor ataxia. Willie,
however, could initiate a dog barking.
The room at the back, the one i'm
fnediately over the kitchen, was occu-
pied by the maid, Frieda Helsenflsh.
Finn, who had newly arrived from
Finland. There seems, however. TO
have been no reason to connect her
with the Finnish revolution.
It is important to note that this room
was connected by back stairway with
the kitchen, and also connected through
a door with the landing on which were
the other bedrooms. It was thus pos
sible. indeed it was easy, to pass from
this room downstairs by either OF two
ways. It was not possible, however, 10
60 both ways at once.
\ y
At midnight. or shortly after the en-