Year: 1878

Pessuadis0 Her to Take Poison Because


Her Parents Opposed Their Marriage.


New York Sun.


Benjamin Smith, of 126 High street, and
his sweetheart, Lilly Lent, of 489 Graham
avenue, Brooklyn, to whom he was engaged,
wandered off into the woods near Calvary
cemetery on Sunday the Goth ult., and took
poison because they could not marry each
other. The poison made Lilly Lent sick,
but not seriously. Smith was indicted for
having attempted to take her life with laud-
anum, and he was put on trial in the court
of sessions yesterday.


He is painter, but could get no steady
employment, when he became twenty one
years of age his father told him that he must
support himself. He proved so idle that,
when his mother heard Of his engagement
to Lilly Lent she tried to break it off for
the girls sake. Her parents we're opposed
to their marriage, because of his idleness.
Smith has blue eyes, frank face, and curly
brown hair.


Lilly Lent is a pretty girl of twenty, and
she wears jaunty blue silk hat and a blue
silk dress. She did not seem at all embar-
rassed in giving her testimony.


~ have known Benjamin Smith" she
said, sjust about six months. He used to
come often to my pas house at 489 Graham
avenue, to see me. On the day we first took
the poison I was in the Union Avenue Bap
tist Sunday school in the afternoon, and
word was sent in to me that lady wanted
to zee ne. I thought that it was my Sunday
school teacher, and went out 1t was Ben
ny Smith. We had been engaged, but my
,k,xr =
the engagement was broken off. I walked
out with him, and he told me that he was
going over to the Jersey swamps to drown
mum, which he was also going to take, but
Il think that he SAID that he was going'to take
that first. He said that he did not want to
live if he could not marry me. /
told him that we had better part,
and to try to live without each other, as my
parents were opposed to our marriage. He
said that he had bought some poison, and he
wanted me to go away with him and take it.
| We kept walking on and on until we were
three or four miles beyond the Calvary Gem
etery. We sat down on board beneath a
| tree, and he said that would be the best place
| to die. He showed me phial of laudanum
which had cost ten cents, and then pulled
out revolver, and gave me choice be-
| tween them. I said that I wanted to take
the laudanum, but did not want to stay out
there all night. told him supposed the
| revolver would be the surest, but he said, 4
don't want to spoil your face' So took
the laudsnum. The phial was not full. We
walked along, as Benny said it would be bet
tel to do that than to stay there and die. He
did not take any laudanum, but [ understood
that he was 10 kill himself with the revolver
when he saw me begin to sink.


she asked how felt. and said that I
| felt slaaky. lie SAID that he hoped that I was
not going to die by inches. We turned
around and walked until we got to this side
of Calvary cemetery. l was tired, and ii
was damp, and [ cried. / did not feel any
of the effects of the dose that I had taken
and when we came to house asked tie
lady to let me rest there. Benny said that
we were married. went to bed and slept.
He sat up in chair. The next morning ]
was much better. Benny was still anxious
that should take the laudanum, but didn't
want to take it, as didn't think he wanted
to die with me. He went out and bought
fifteen cents worth of laudanum, and when
he returned, he said: 4 will give You three
minutes to make up your mind took the
laudanum and became very sick, and re-
mained that way until my father came.''


In a long cross examination, Smiths law
yer proved that the poison was taken in
Queens county, and Justice Moore dismissed
the Indictment for want of jurisdiction.