"Crime Passionel" at Maidstone:
Ex-Officer of Dragoons Seowls at Judge Who Acquits Him of Murdering an Old Friend: Extravagant Scenes Frox Our Own London, Dee. 2, This week we have had at Maidstone, what the French call a real "crime passiond." "About 11,30 fon August 12, John Adam Derham was shot through. the body with a revolver at a house "called Stella Maris." With this arresting sentence, Mr. Roland Oliver, xK.c., lending counsel for the Crown, opened at Kent Assizes the case for murder against Alphonso Franeis Smith, an ex-Army Officer who it was submitted by counsel killed his one time friend out of jealousy. Derham was an International hockey laye¥ and an Etonian. Smith aid to be an Etonian but this is denied by the school authorities. Both were well off—almost the idle rich in fact, Mrs, Smith was admittedly a beautiful young women—all agree on that and the husband verted that Derham, a married man, was her lover, Yet as Mrs. Smith wag never called and Smith' himself when giving evidence was not very positive, it is impossible to be precise, "Any way Smith was 80 mentally troubled that it almost unbalanced him; he was undorbtedly attached to his wife and his pastionate love letters induced ore of the two women jurors to go into hhysteries in the box (the Court temporarily adjourned) while at a Inter stage she nearly fainted.
The evidence was that Smith summoned Derham down to Stella Maris, Whitstable by telegram, one evening, using his wife's name. The two and the wife were in the arowing room when Dorham shot through the body—aecidentally said the defence, who contended that Smith really wanted to commit suielde—with murderous intent to Kill, said the prosecution. Very ably defended by Sir Marshall Hall, Smith was found not guilty of murder but vas santeneed to 12 months' hard Inbour for carrying a revolver with intent to endanger lifes He was surprised and scowled at the Judge. In his summing up, Mr, Justice Avery reminded the jury that they had to try Smith by the Inw of the country and that the so-called "unwritten Law" was no law at all. Tt was merely a reversion to barbarism. Alphonso Francis Smith, who is Canadian born, has crowded his 87 years of life with expericnec, Here is his record to dute:—
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.