SMITH, Elmina HUBBARD 1815 - 1886

SMITH, HARRISON, SNIDER

Posted By: Joey Stark
Date: 5/25/2021 at 20:23:28

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"The Fairfield Ledger"
Wednesday, August 4, 1886
Page 3, Columns 5 and 6

MURDERED WITH AN AXE.
The Terrible Deed of an Insane Husband.

One of the most revolting murders which will ever be chronicled in the history of Jefferson county was perpetrated in Polk township Thursday morning. The victim was Elmina SMITH. The first intelligence of the crime brought to this city was a telegram demanding the presence of Coroner Evans, and requesting that shackles be brought along with which to secure the murderer, then a raving maniac.

A "Ledger" reporter accompanied Sheriff Westenhaver and the coroner on their journey. The scene of the crime was a small farm house in Polk township, about 2½ miles northwest of Abingdon and probably 15 miles in the same direction from this city. It is surrounded by a small grove, with the usual outbuildings of a farm close at hand, and is situated in the midst of a beautiful farming country. Long before the place of destination was reached its location was apparent by the unusual number of people passing to and fro, for upon the announcement of the shocking affair, in the busy harvest season as it was, work seemed to have been suspended throughout that portion of the township, and everybody hurried to the scene of the dreadful crime--some to gratify an idle curiosity, others to render what assistance or comfort they could the grief stricken family. It was nearly 2 o'clock when the officers arrived(.) The narrow lane in front of the house, as well as similar places adjacent, was crowded with teams, and a hundred or more persons were gathered about the house and grounds(.) The moans and sobs of the children and relatives could be heard above the hushed whisper of the strangers as they told of the dreadful occurrence. The victim of the terrible crime lay on a platform in the largest room of the house, neatly dressed, a white cloth covering her face and hiding the ugly wound which had caused her death. Under the trees at there rear of the house, half reclining on a pallet of straw, nervously glancing about, but scarcely deigning to speak except in monosyllables, was the aged husband whose hands were stained with the blood of his wife of nearly 50 years.

Immediately upon his arrival Coroner Evans summoned his jury, Messrs. John W. McLean, J. N. Black and Charles M. Junkin, and placed in the hands of the sheriff the subpœnas for the witnesses necessary for his investigation. The jury first viewed the body of Mrs. SMITH as it lay in the room where the inquest was held. It was that of a woman of medium height and who had apparently been in good health at the time of her death(.) On her body, the good women who were watching by her said, there were no marks of violence, excepting one or two slight bruises on the arm or shoulder. On the face were several small abrasions of the skin, but aside from this there was nothing to indicate the horrible manner in which death came upon her, and the features were like those of one who had passed quietly away. When the clothes with which the head was wrapped were removed, however, a ghastly wound was revealed. It began at the crown of the head and extended low down upon the forehead, probably five or six inches in length, clean cut as with a sharp knife in a soft substance except at its lower extremity on the forehead, where a broken corner of the axe had crushed and splintered the bone. At the suggestion of friends Dr. Jones had taken several stitches in the scalp and closed the gaping wound before the coroner arrived, but his testimony showed that the deadly instrument had penetrated almost to the base of the brain and had cleft the head nearly in twain.

The first witness examined who threw any light on the tragic affair was Mrs. Mary A. SMITH, wife of Sullivan J SMITH, at whose home it had occurred(.) She is a woman a little above the medium height, rather sparely built and weighing probably 140 pounds. Her evidence was given in a straightforward manner, and she indicated very slightly the terrible struggle she had gone through a few hours before. She said that Nathan SMITH and his wife, the slayer and his victim, came to her home the evening previous about dark with her husband for a visit of a few days. The family retired shortly after their arrival, and all arose about daylight Thursday morning. After breakfast was eaten and the milking done, at which the father-in-law assisted, the men started for the threshing machine about 40 rods away, leaving her with the old folks. When the suggestion was made that they also go away for the day, the old man replied that that depended upon what his wife said, and she decided that they should go. The old folks then offered to do the churning while the daughter-in-law finished up the morning's work. At the suggestion of the old man the cream was put in the churn, which was standing on the porch near the kitchen door, and she stepped into the house, the door closing behind her. Mrs. SMITH had scarcely crossed the small room when she heard a noise as of someone falling. She ran hurriedly to the door. A horrible sight met her eyes. There on the ground lay the old mother, a gaping wound in her head, her clothing covered with blood, a stream of which had already flowed two or more feet from her body(.) Bending over her prostrate form stood the maniac husband, his gray hair floating in the air, his eyes glaring like those of an infuriated animal, his hands firmly grasped on the handle of the axe which he had already raised to strike another blow.-- There was no time to think over what was best to do, no time to give an alarm. But the brave woman did not need this. She sprang at the maniac and struggled with him for the possession of his weapon. Her excitement lent her strength, but it was scarcely sufficient to cope with that of the insane creature. Around the yard they struggled, Mrs. SMITH cannot tell for how long, the old man's strength being sufficient at times to life her entirely off the ground. Finally, in answer to her screams for help, Perry C. HARRISON, a brother-in-law who was on his way to help the threshers, rode up to the house. He took in the situation and ran to her aid, and soon the two were able to wrest away the axe.-- HARRISON then ran to the field, leaving the woman again with the insane man(.) His absence was only momentary, but it gave the old man another opportunity for a struggle with the woman. He managed to get a small knife from his pocket, and with the exclamation, "I might as well finish her," again attempted to attack his wife. But Mrs. SMITH grappled him again. Pinioning his arms from behind with her own she firmly held him(.) With the knife he still held he cut small gashes in her hands in several places, but she retained the mastery over him until her husband and others came from the field. Then the old man was seized and bound. Not until that time did he appear to realize what he had done, and when told, in answer to his own questions, he said, "It was not me, but the devil, that did it." He plead that his bonds might be loosened, that his sons should hang him, said he would kill himself if they would only give him the opportunity. For an hour or more he raved like the madman that he was, but finally quieted down, and from that time on seemed utterly oblivious of the terrible crime that he had committed, and neither the story of his deed, the distressing cries of his children, nor the surroundings which plainly told of the murder could arouse him to an appreciation of the situation(.)

Among other witnesses examined by the coroner's jury were Perry C. HARRISON, Sullivan J. and Oliver C SMITH, son-in-law and sons of the deceased.-- Their testimony simply corroborated that of Mrs. SMITH. The sons came from the field only to find their mother dead and their father a madman. The dead woman spoke but once after the fatal blow was struck, saying, "Let me alone." After the sons reached her she moved one foot slightly, and they thought she attempted to speak. It seems impossible that she could have shown any indication of life five minutes after the axe had penetrated her brain(.) The sons also testified that for two or three weeks past the father had not been himself. Instead of being bright and cheerful and fond of company, as had been his habit, he grew melancholy, wanted to be along and would talk only in reply to questions. He had said to one friend that his mind was wavering. Religious matters appeared to trouble him most, and, though a constant attendant upon church services since boyhood, recently he had refused to go to church. Several times he had been seen to seek a secluded place in the field and heard to offer up fervent prayers, meanwhile nervously moving about, rolling around on the ground and tearing up the grass in great handfuls. Still he had been so mild and his life had been so good that he was not feared -- He had lived a temperate and happy life, and even during the few weeks past that his mind appeared to be failing had made threats against no one. They recognized the fact that he was insane, but disliked to see him sent to an asylum. And this was their great mistake.

The coroner's jury rendered a verdict in accordance with the evidence and the facts in the case, that "Mrs. Elmina SMITH had come to her death by a blow from an axe in the hands of her husband Nathan SMITH." The coroner then filed an information charging the old man with murder before Justice Russell of this city, and on Friday the prisoner was brought here for a preliminary examination, but the examination was continued without bond. The commissioners of insanity examined SMITH the same day, taking such evidence as they thought necessary and making a searching investigation. It was their conclusion that he was insane, and he was accordingly taken to the Mt. Pleasant asylum the same night. There he will remain, at least until the grand jury investigates the case.

Nathan SMITH, the author of this terrible crime, is 73 years of age, his victim 71. They came to Iowa from Indiana a third of a century ago, and settled in Polk township, the murder being committed on the farm which was their home the greater portion of that time(.) They reared seven children, we believe, all of whom are now married, and most of them living in that vicinity. During all those years Mr. SMITH has been an excellent citizen, one whose example has been cited as worthy following by the rising generation, and in all our conversation with people who have known him intimately we heard not one word against him. Hence it was that the crime was so unusually shocking to the community. For a week or more past it had been known in the neighborhood that he was not in his right mind, and the words of sympathy which always went out to his family were accompanied by a wish for his early recovery. We heard not a single doubt expressed of his insanity, and considering that there could have been no motive for the crime, that he had always lived happily with his wife, and all surrounding circumstances, it looks as if there could be no doubt. The family was aware of his illness, but sought to cure him by keeping him visiting among the various children. It also appears that there has been insanity in the family. A sister, Mrs. Rebecca SNIDER, now living at Abingdon, is violently insane, and her son, Rev. Thomas SNIDER, after being released from the Mt. Pleasant asylum, killed himself at Springfield, Keokuk county, last spring by swallowing concentrated lye(.) It is very probably that both these affairs had their influence on the old man's mind.

The funeral of Mrs. SMITH occurred Friday afternoon, her remains being interred in the cemetery near her home (sic - Abingdon Cemetery)(.) An unusually large number of friends and neighbors assisted in paying the last sad rites to their dead sister and in laying her remains in their last resting place(.)

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*Transcribed for genealogy purposes; I have no relation to the person(s) mentioned.