Henry More Smith: The Mysterious StrangerBates, Walter
History
Henry More Smith: The Mysterious Stranger
Bates, Walter
Criminals -- Canada -- Biography; Smith, Henry More, active 1812-1836
In this situation he was left in the evening; and the next morning, when
the keeper came to the door of his prison, he found him walking the room
smoking his pipe, with the chain on his shoulder, and the handcuffs in
his hand, which he presented to the keeper, saying, “you may take these,
they may be of use to you, for they are of no use to me.” The keeper, on
attempting to open the door, found that he had not only drawn the
staple, but had raised the floor also, which was of strong plank firmly
fastened to the sleepers with spikes. The heads of some of the spikes
were drawn through the planks which he had taken up, and with which he
had so barricaded the door that the keeper attempted in vain to enter.
Upon this, he called upon the sheriff, who came and ordered the prisoner
to open the door, to which he replied from within, “My house is my
castle, and none shall enter alive without my leave.” The sheriff then
ordered the two colored boys (who stood trembling with fear) to come and
remove the fastening from the door, but the prisoner told them that
death would be their portion if they attempted it.
The sheriff finding him determined not to open the door, and having
attempted in vain to get in by other means, sent for a mason, and
ordered him to break an opening through the brick partition which
divided the lower room. When the mason commenced operations on the wall,
Newman said to the sheriff, “It is no use to make a hole through the
wall, for I could kill every vagabond as fast as they put their heads
in, but if the sheriff will bring no one in but gentlemen, I will open
the door for him.”
The door was then opened, and the sheriff went in and secured him; and
soon after, more strongly, with additional irons and chains. Finding
himself now overpowered, and another escape rather hopeless, he had
recourse to his old scheme of yelling and screaming like anything but
the human voice, and seemingly in every part of the house. This he kept
up all night, until the whole town was literally alarmed. A special
court was therefore immediately called, and in a few days he was brought
to his trial.
The trial was brought on as a case of burglary, the prisoner having
entered a chamber of Mr. Butler’s, and stole an ear-ring belonging to a
young lady then lodging at the house. Newman obtained counsel to plead
his case; but not being satisfied with the manner in which the trial was
conducted, he pleaded his own case, in which he maintained that the
ear-ring did not belong to the lady, but to his own wife; that very
_like_ was not the same, and that the evidence before the court did not
establish the charge. He was found guilty, however, and sentenced to
three years confinement in the Newgate, Simsbury Mines, which was
considered rather a stretch of power, on account of his infamous and
notorious character. He was consequently sent off next day to the place
of his future confinement and labor, ironed and chained, and in a wagon
under a strong guard.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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