Burlington, Des Moines, County, Iowa

Burlington Hawk Eye

July 12, 1877

Thursday

Page 3

H.J. Smalley shot and killed his brother Andrew at McPherson, Nebraska, on Saturday. The brothers were traveling over land from Moline, Illinois, to Colorado.

Burlington, Des Moines, County, Iowa

Burlington Hawk Eye

November 15, 1877

Thursday

Page 4

A Pathetic Parting

Nickolls County (Neb) Herald

It appears that H.J. Smalley, the prisoner, and head of a family, and his brother, a beardless youth of perhaps nineteen years, had started together, taking with them the prisoner’s family. About the time they reached North Platte they had some trouble and the prisoner wanted his brother to leave and go by himself. But the boy did not intend to go without money, and took, during the night, from the prisoner’s pocketbook, which contained about sixty dollars, the sum of seven dollars and fifty cents, and left. In the morning, when the taking of the money was discovered, the prisoner went after the boy, and caught him about then miles from camp and brought him back. When they reached camp they had more trouble and the prisoner shot the boy with an old musket which had in it a heavy charge of buckshot, blowing the boy’s head to fragments.

Smalley is a simple, in offensive looking man, and must have been in an awful passion to commit such a deed. The sheriff from North Platte, from whom we learned the facts, stated that if his wife and children had not staid him faithfully he would have been hung. It seems that on their account his counsel was able to work upon the sympathies of the jury to such an extent as to cause them to bring in murder in the second degree, which places a man in a living grave for the balance of his days. Although he had committed the most horrible deed in the catalogue of crimes, it was impossible to look unmoved on the scene. A man taking final leave of his family in such a case is indeed an effecting sight. As the train neared the station he took his children each in turn, from the oldest, a girl of ten, to the baby in his arms, and with tears streaming down his face, gave each a farewell caress, and held them to his bosom for the lat time.

  Then handing the baby to his little girl, he took his wife, who had been faithful till this worse than death, in his arms, as a fond lover might his lady. With her head pillowed on his shoulder, they neared the station, where they must part forever. Such is the faithfulness of a true woman, whose marriage vows are to her something more than a form of words that will give her a home. In the face of the facts, who dare say that a woman is false or fickle?

Transcribed and donated by a generous contributor