Notwithstanding the seeming insanity which characterized these works of his in the prison, yet other parts of his performance there indicated the most astonishing genius and invention; perhaps in a manner and degree unequalled in the memory of man. On the 1st of March, on entering his prison in the evening, we found him walking in front of an effigy or likeness of his wife, which he had made and placed before him against the wall as large as life. When the light was thrown upon this scene, which he had prepared and got up in the dark, it not only filled us with amazement, but drew out all the sensibilities of the heart with the magic of a tragedy, not so much imaginary as real. This effigy he intended to represent his wife, visiting his wretched abode, and manifesting signs of disconsolation, anguish and despair, on beholding her wretched husband moving before her in chains and fetters, with dejected mien, and misery and despair depicted in his countenance. The effigy was formed out of his bedding and the clothes and shirt he tore off his body, together with a trough three or four feet in length, which was used in the jail to contain water for his drink. Rough as the materials were, yet he displayed such ingenuity in its formation, and conducted the scene in a manner so affecting, that the effect it produced when viewed with the light of the candles, was really astonishing, and had a kind of magical power in drawing out the sympathies of every one who witnessed it.
He continued noisy and troublesome till the 5th of March, when we took his irons off, and caused him to wash himself and comb his hair, which had not been cut since he was put in jail; neither had his beard been shaved. On receiving a piece of soap for washing, he ate a part, and used the rest. We then gave him a clean shirt, which he put on himself with the rest of his clothing, after which we replaced his irons, which he received in the same manner as an ox would his yoke, or a horse his harness.
CHAPTER VI.
Second Trial Ordered—Smith Continues to Break Chains and Relieved Himself of Fetters Rivetted on by a Blacksmith—Reads Bible and Makes Straw Figures—Feigns Insanity when Placed on Trial—Refused to Plead—Found Guilty and Sentenced to Death.
The term of the Court of Common Pleas was now coming on, which required much of my attention for the necessary preparations; and Mr. Dibble, the jailer, being about to remove to Sussex Vale, to take charge of the Academy there, my situation began to look rather awkward and unpleasant. Accordingly the jailer moved away on the 11th of March, after the sitting of the Court, and from the extraordinary trouble which the prisoner was known to have given, I had little hope of finding any one who would be willing to take the charge. However I prevailed with Mr. James Reid (a man in whom I could confide) to undertake the charge of him; who, with his family moved into the house the day following.
After this, Smith appeared more cheerful, and became rather more quiet, until the 24th of March, when I was called on by the jailer, who informed me that Smith was attempting to break through the partition where the stove-pipe passed through into the debtors’ room. On entering the jail we found him loose from all his irons,—his neck-chain was broken into three pieces; the chain from his neck to his feet into three pieces; the screw handcuffs into four pieces, and all hanging on nails on the partition. His great coat was torn into two parts, through the back, and then rent into small strips, one of which he used as a belt, and supported with it a wooden sword which he had formed out of a lath, and with which he amused himself by going through the “sword exercise,” which he appeared to understand very well. The chains from his legs were disengaged from the staples, and tied together with a strip of the torn coat. His hand, his feet and his clothes, were all bloody; and his whole appearance presented that of an infuriated madman. There were present on this occasion Messrs. Daniel Micheau, Moses Foster, George Raymond, Walker Tisdale, the jailer and some others. I then raised the staple, secured him by the leg chain put on a pair of stiff handcuffs, and added a chain to his neck, stapled to the floor. In this situation we left him until the 28th, when I was again called by the jailer, who said he believed he was loose again, and about some mischief.
On entering the jail, I accordingly found him loose,—the chain from his neck in three parts; he had beaten the lime off the wall with a piece of his chain three feet long. We left him for the purpose of getting his chains repaired; at night we added a new chain from his fetters to his neck, and stapled him to the floor with a chain about four feet long; we secured his handcuffs to the chain between his neck and feet, so that when standing, he could not reach in any direction. In this situation he remained until the 31st, spending the time in singing and hallooing occasionally. I was then again called by the jailer, who, on opening the wicket door, found a piece of chain hanging on the inside. I went immediately to the jail and found that he had separated all his chains, had tied his feet chain to to the staple again, and was lying in his bed as unconcerned as if nothing had happened, having a piece of chain about his neck. We then took his bunk bedstead from him, and removed everything out of his reach; no link in his chains appeared to be twisted, nor were there any broken links to be seen; from this we inferred that he still must have some means of cutting his chains.
At this moment, however, it occurred to us that he might have the broken links concealed in the privy. We accordingly let down a candle, by which we could see the bottom, and with an iron hook prepared for this purpose, we brought up a bunch of broken links which he had tied up in a piece of his shirt, together with a piece of his neck-chain a foot long. This convinced us that he had not destroyed his chains by means of cutting them, but by the application of some unknown mysterious power. I then determined to break the enchantment, if strength of chain would do it, and added to his fetters a large timber chain, which had been used as the bunk-chain of a bob-sled, by which four or five logs were usually hauled to a mill at once. The chains we had previously used were of a size between that of a common ox-chain and a large horse trace-chain.