A Confession Withdrawn, a Wife Dead: The Smokalem Mystery

Notwithstanding Jack Smokalem's attempt to commit suicide and his confession, he has taken a brighter view of life, withdrawn his plea of guilty and will stand trial for the murder of his wife. During the informal inquiry held yesterday afternoon before Judge Stell, testimony of a very conflicting nature was brought out. Falsehood was plainly indicated. After hearing several witnesses the court decided to continue the case. The Indian withdrew his plea of guilty, which had not been formally accepted by the court. Tommy Santiago Howard acted as interpreter for the Indian at the hearing Monday. Attorney George Williamson appeared for Smokalem.

Mary Smokalem was the first witness called. She testified that her parents made two trips to town on Monday, and that upon their second return home she was there from school. She declared that her mother was lying face downward in the bottom of the wagon, dead, and that there was blood in the wagon. She denied telling her brother that she saw her father deal the fatal blow with an ax, and insisted that she saw nothing of the quarrel. The girl testified to helping remove her mother from the wagon and that she helped carry her to the house. Her mother had all her clothing on at the time, she said, and she did not know when the clothing was removed. She also testified that her father was drunk at the time.

Deputy Coroner Mellinger testified that he found the body naked and no blood in the wagon, but that there were evidences of an attempt to clean up the blood about the shanty. Coroner M. M. Brown testified to finding thirty or forty bruises on the body at the post-mortem examination, also evidence of fingermarks about the neck. He testified to the marks of the blow on the head, which had ruptured a blood vessel. Smokalem contradicted his daughter point-blank. He denied that she was home upon his arrival with the dead woman in the wagon, and said that he had carried his wife into the house alone. Smokalem announced that he had changed his mind regarding his guilt and wished to withdraw his plea. He was questioned by the court, over the protest of his attorney, who declared that the court was taking an unfair advantage of his client.