A Rhodes tragedy.

Wife and two children murdered

The Husband commits suicide

Not in all the records of Middletons criminal history, If

such were compiled, could be found anything equal to or
even anything approaching the unearthly and diabolical
scenes which formed the forefront of a domestic tragedy
at Rhodes on Thursday morning. Wherin Louis Smethurst
of 9 Hilton Street, in that village, murdered his wife and
two children, and afterwards commited suicide.

Pen cannot describe the varied feelings with which the

story of this terrible tragedy was received, how it was
wafted from ear to ear, growing in intensity and in more
harrowing detail the faster it travelled. But not the most
liberal dissemination gave the story one touch of
exaggeration which could be deducted from the sum total
of the atrocity. Wether in Middleton or Rhodes, it was the
same story one heard succinctly told, that a man had
murdered his wife and family, and afterwards destroyed
himself, and then turning naturally to the question of
motive, that it was jealousy in its most sordid and terrible
form that was at the bottom of the mischief.

Bathed in a flood of sunshine that seemed but mockery,

writes a reporter. I saw before me the house wherein a
whole family had been exterminated. It is a tiny cottage,
well elevated and healthily situated. This would be about
eleven o’clock on Thursday morning, and round about
were knots of women and men who discussed the pros
and cons of the case in whispers. There was horror at the
crime certainly but people seemed to be too staggered to
talk rationally. How terrible a thing this was for the village
of Rhodes; such was prominent in their minds. To think
that here in this self-contained village, with its hard
working folk, and its churches and chapels and
institutions. All the restfulness of their village lives should
be broken in upon by a dire calamity such as this!
Thoughts like these were freely expressed. Indignation
was an absent quantity – there was more of the gentle
spirit of sympathy. Downstairs in the front room a white
blind hid the view from the curious populous, but they
new that it was not here the police were investigating the
horrors of the tragedy. The bedroom upstairs with window
sash drawn aside was the scene of ghastliness and death.

The first story

I will try to gather the facts I gleaned. Here there lived
man and wife –Louis Smethurst, aged 30 and eliza Ann
Smethurst, aged 27 with their little children John (aged 4)
and Hannah (aged 6). It was matter of common
knowledge that they were not on good terms, that
husband and wife enjoyed none of that felicity to be
looked for in married life, But friends and neighbours
looked upon it as no more than one of those misalliances
which alas are far too common. That violence was a
possibility might have been anticipated, but that murder
was an eventuality was never even dreamt of.

I learned the first part of the story from William walker,

who lives in Thorpe Street, and is the professional
cricketer at Rhodes. Walker rendered yeoman service in
the matter. This man was coming up Chapel Street about
9.35 a.m. and was attracted to Hilton street by hearing
screams. Drawn to the spot he saw the unusual spectacle
of a ladder drawn upto the window of No. 9 and a woman
looking through the front bedroom window. He mounted
the ladder and peering in at the window. Had the
horrifying spectacle presented to him of a whole family
murdered and saturated in blood. He was naturally much
unnerved and instinctively his thoughts turned to the
police. He was not long in securing the services of P.C.
francis, who made an entry. The real nature of the tragedy
had been previously been discovered by Mrs. Henshall
and Mrs. Ogden, who thought there was something wrong
by reason of the house remaining locked up and there
being no signs of animation about.
When Francis entered the bedroom. I he was to be met by
a spectacle he hopes never to see again. In the bed
nearest the window lay the child John, lying on his back,
his throat cut and saturated in blood. Like all the other
members of the family, the poor child was quite dead. On
the bed, nearest the wall Lay Mrs Smethurst, who had
suffered a like fate. The attack on this poor woman had
been of the most violent and murderous character, there
were too fearful wounds in her throat, as well as several
wounds on her arms. Next to the mother, on its right side,
lay the child Hannah, also terribly mutilated. As for the
author of this tragedy, he lay on his back on the floor,
having killed himself in a manner similar to that of the
three victims. One shudders in writing all the horrible
details of this gruesome affair, but there remains to be
told how that the room was one pool of blood, and that
the walls and skirting board were splashed with Gore, and
how that the bedroom resembled more a butcher's shop
than the domicile of an Englishman.

Screams awoke, Mrs Henshall, who lives next door, about

5:45 a.m., and she got up and knocked at the door. She
had no response. From this time, everything was quiet,
from which we may gather that the tragedy took place
between 5 and 6 a.m.. Later in the morning, as we have
shown Mrs Henshall suspicions that something was wrong
ripened, with the result already stated. Smethurst
committed The fell deeds with an old army razor he had
evidently purchased somewhere. This was found
underneath his right thigh.

Later intelligence.
Another of our reporters writes: it appears that Lewis
Smethurst was a labourer, being employed at Messrs
Schwabe and co Rhodes works. For a long time past, the
relations between man and wife have been very unhappy,
and he had been very jealous of her. Between 10 and 11
o'clock on the Wednesday night. They were it to be
quarrelling with one another. At a quarter past six on
Thursday morning, the next-door neighbour, Mrs
Khenshall heard screams coming from the direction of
Smethurst’s house, and she went to the door and
knocked. She got no reply and listened It all went quiet.
As the deceased man did not go to work in the morning.
She became very uneasy, and not hearing anyone
knocking about obtained a ladder and put it up to the
front bedroom window. Mrs Henshalls sister, a Mrs Ogden,
who resides close by, ascended the ladder and looking
through the bedroom window, saw the child John lying on
the bed and covered with blood. Mrs Ogden, immediately
gave information to P.C. Francis at Rhodes, and he went to
the house. He ascended a ladder and obtained entrance
to the house by way of the bedroom window. He
subsequently found Mrs Smethurst lying dead on the bed.
He sent for P.S. Sollit, and they examined the body's.
Lewis Smethurst was lying on his back on the floor
between the beds with nothing on but his shirt. His throat
was severed from just under the left ear to just
underneath the right side of the chin. His windpipe was
completely severed. His left hand was lying on his left
thigh. There was a cut on the knuckles of the fingers of
the left hand. The right-hand extended underneath the
bed. The razor was found to be opened and underneath
his right thigh, covered with blood. And with the letters'.
“M.A.N. 551” on the handle. His head was near the wall.
His body was cold and death appeared to have taken
place some time previously. Eliza Ann Smethurst was on
the bed farthest from the window. She lay on her back,
and on examining the body he found a deep wound
extending from the back of the neck on the right side
immediately under the chin, exposing the bone. The
arteries were completely severed, and on the left side. He
found a large deep wound extending from the left ear,
almost to the right ear. The left hand was underneath the
left hip. Between the thumb on the left hand was a deep
wound, and on the back of the left hand there was a small
wound. On the right forearm. There were two severe
wounds, about 1 inch long. The body was covered with
blood and her sleeping apparel was saturated with blood.
Hannah aged six years, was also quite dead. On
examining the body found a deep wound about 3 inches
long, extending from the back of the left ear to
underneath the chin, also a large wound in the front of the
throat, about 3 1/2 inches long. On the left side of the
chin was a wound about 1 inch long. Death appeared to
have taken place some time ago. The body was dressed
with a nightdress, which was saturated with blood. On the
bed nearest the window, he found John, aged four years.
There was a large jagged wound extending from
underneath the right ear to underneath the chin,
completely severing the windpipe. The body was dressed
in a blue cotton shirt, nightdress, etc, and was quite cold.
The bedding and bed clothes of both beds were saturated
with blood. The part of the floor of where Smethurst lay
was running with blood, and to all appearances a terrible
struggle had taken place.

Everything points to the fact that a desperate struggle

took place between the man and his wife. Before the
family settled down to the night. The neighbours say
there was a disturbance in the house, but this was so
common an occurrence they paid little heed to it. The
walls of these cottages are thin, and conversation would
probably be loud at the moment. What the man had said
was not heard but he had evidently been r reproaching his
wife through the jealous mania that was upon him, for a
neighbour, Mrs Dawson heard the wife say “im surprised
at yo” “I Canna tell what yo’ve getting in thi ead”” before
midnight, peace seemed to reign in the small front
bedroom, where the Smethurst slept. At 5:45 in the
morning screaming took place and a child heard to say
“Oh Dadda dunna”. That makes it evident that the man's
murderous intent was first directed to his wife, and in the
struggle that would ensue. She contracted the wounds on
her arms. Probably she would faint, and then the man's
bloodthirsty task would be lightened. Next came the turn
of the innocent children who were speedied out of this
world in the same brutal manner. By his jealous
disposition, Smethurst had brought this awful condition of
mind on himself. How morose he had grown was palpable
to his workmates who had made remarks thereon. It is
said that on going to his work on Wednesday he had
grown so absent-minded. He was nearly run over by a
tram.

Another account
Something about the family

Another Guardian reporter writing last night, gives the

following account of the tragedy.
Such a ghastly tragedy cannot be remembered to have
occurred in the district, not by even the oldest
inhabitants. Quite a sensation existed in the localities
where the News of the horrible murder became circulated.
Hundreds of people rushed to the scene, only to find that
the rumour was to well founded. The murderers motive is
not directly known for committing the crime, but
apparently had been overcome by a fit of rage and
jealousy, and it seems feasible that he could be capable of
committing the tragic deed, while suffering under these
symptoms. It's a well-known fact among the neighbours
that quarrels had frequently occurred between the parties.
On many occasions, they had to interfere with what were
considered to be matrimonial differences. These were
never expected to assume such a serious aspect as they
have, but the crisis came on Thursday morning, ending
not only in the murdering of the young wife and her
innocent offsprings, but also the suicide of the murderer.
The neighbour Mrs Henshall, who had happened to hear
the heart rendering shrieks of the victims, listened at the
door, but soon the screens died away. The crime must of
been committed then. Everything points to their having
been a deadly struggle between the murderer and the
wife. The walls were splashed with blood, and the
bedclothes and the little wearing apparel l of the dead
bodies of the victims was saturated. One police officer
described the scene has been more like a butcher's
slaughterhouse than anything else. Not noticing the man
proceeding to his work, as was usually the case, Mrs
Henshall became strangely curious and proceeded to
make investigations. Meanwhile, a Mrs Ogden, obtaining
a ladder placed this at the front of the house near the
bedroom window. Mounting this, she looked into the
bedroom, where a ghastly spectacle, met her gaze, she
giving vent to a cry of horror she immediately informed
P.C . Francis, who proceeded to the scene and effected an
entrance by getting up the ladder, and through the
bedroom window. There he saw the grim work of the
madman. The constable's eyes first fell on the poor little
lad John, whose body was lying on the bed, a terrible gash
having been inflicted on the throat. It is thought that
there little four-year-old lad had been sleeping with his
father that night, whilst the mother must have occupied
the other bed in company with the little girl. The piteous
appeal and cries of anguish of the victims must have been
heart rendering as one by one he performed the ghastly
tragedy. After carrying out this work of slaughter, he
turned his attention to himself with a razor that had done
the work only too well. He gashed his own throat , so
vigorously and determinedly that he had expired when
found. All the bodies were discovered to be on the bed
with the exception of the murderer, who was stretched out
on his back on the floor, lying in a pool of blood. The beds
in which the victims lay were saturated with blood. The
walls were besmittered with the lifeblood of the innocent
ones. Indeed so much blood has been lost that the floor
was covered with it, and Sergeant Sollit, and P.C .Francis,
who examined the bodies, explained that it was
exceedingly difficult to prevent themselves from falling
consequent on the slippery nature of the bedroom floor,
brought about by the blood having found its way all over
the place.
Hundreds of people have visited the scene of the tragedy
from many of the surrounding districts. Much excitement
, naturally prevails and plenty of gossiping is to be heard.
There is evidence of the determination of the murderer to
carry out the fearful deed. Yet frequently been urgent
threat in his wife's life, and is previously stated. Jealousy
appears to be at the bottom of the grim affair. The
deceased woman was industrious, clean, and highly
respected by all with whom she was acquainted, she bore
an unimpeachable character.
In her early life, long before she made the unfortunate
acquaintance of her husband, she was connected with the
Wesleyan community at Middleton, her heart and soul
being centred in religious work. She attended the sacred
edifice for many years. In fact, she was scarcely known to
miss an attendance at the the Sunday school or chapel
until she married. At this period she, with her husband,
took up their abode at the present house at Rhodes.
Joining the primitive Methodists, she has frequently
attended their place of worship at Rhodes, and on special
occasions such as the anniversary services, choir
sermons, etc was quite enthusiastic. Her motherly love
was very conspicuous, so industrious, was she that she
added onto the household duties the self-imposed task of
taking in washing that she might add to the family
income. She came of a well-known and highly respected
family in Middleton, for whom the profoundest sympathy
is expressed. She sent her little ones to the Sunday
School of the primitive Methodist chapel at Rhodes,
regulary. She was the daughter of William Whitehead,
Parkfield, Middleton.
Louis Smethurst is stated to be an individual possessing
an excitable and jealous nature, being inclined to be
passionate. His threats to injure his wife were frequent.
He was also noticed to be rather peculiar at times, and
often is fellow workmen have regarded him with
astonishment. On the morning of the day before the
murder, it is stated that he was almost knocked down by a
tram can, escaping only narrowly consequent on a timely
effort on the part of the driver. At Rhodes Works. He was
employed as a labourer, and it was not often be absented
himself from his employment. Born at Rhodes, in 1873 he
received a good education, but he had perforce to seek
for work in his early teens, In consequence of his mother
having been left a widow 19 years ago. He gained
employment at Messrs Schwabes Rhodes works and had
been connected with that well-known firm until this
dreadful incident. It was not often that he attended a
place of worship, although he at one time, frequented All
Saints Church, Rhodes. His acquaintances, states that he
was of a genial disposition, and was usually quiet.