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John Smith, a United States pensioner, aged about 65 years, and Mrs. Mary Aungst, are in jail at Bellville charged jointly with the murder of Daniel Aungst who was the husband of the woman.

Readers of the NEWS will remember that May 23 last there appeared in these columns announcement of the sudden death, on that date, of Daniel Aungst, a well-known farmer residing one mile north of Bellville on the Mansfield and Bellville road.

It was supposed at the time that the death of Aungst was due to apoplexy or heart disease and the finding of the inquest of Coroner Baughman was that death was due to heart trouble, some confused wounds appearing on the head of the dead man being attributed to bruises he sustained by falling in a death struggle.

But Dame Rumor was not idle.  The intimate relations existing between Mary, the wife of Daniel Aungst, and John Smith, the aged pensioner, who then resided near Fredericktown (OH), had been a subject of comment and gossip.  Circumstantial evidence began to develop showing that trouble had existed between Aungst and his wife in regard to Smith and that the latter and Aungst had been on bad terms for some time on account of the relations between Smith and Aungst's wife.

The authorities began to give attention to the case.  Link by link a chain of circumstantial evidence was forged.  It is said that on the very morning of the day Aungst's dead body was found on the back porch of his home he and Smith had a quarrel and that the latter had promised he would leave the vicinity and go to Caledonia, Marion County (OH), where he has a farm.

Following the death of Aungst from natural causes, as was supposed, Smith did go to Caledonia and Mrs. Aungst followed him there, where they were living at the time of the arrest of both on the charge of murdering Daniel Aungst.

The arrest was made by Arthur Sells, marshal of Bellville, and Deputy Marshal John Gatton, who brought the prisoners to Bellville Saturday for preliminary hearing before Mayor Andrew Stevenson.  The time for the hearing has not yet been set, but it will doubtless be within a day or two -- possibly Monday.

John Smith, one of the accused, is a widower, who is well known in the vicinity of Bellville and Fredericktown.  Mrs. Aungst is about 45 years of age and was raised in the vicinity of Bellville.  She has a daughter ten years of age, who was brought with her from Caledonia to Bellville.  Mrs. Aungst made a great ado over her arrest and proclaiming her innocence.

The village has not been so stirred up since the murder of John Fox some fifteen years ago and the outcome of the case will be watched with absorbing interest.  The state claims to have abundant evidence upon which to justify the charge and the arrest and to be able to produce convicting evidence at the trial of the accused.

Daniel Aungst, who, as the state expects to be able to prove was murdered, was well-known throughout the county and especially in the section in which he lived.  He was well-to-do, connected with family the name of which is most family.  It is stated that his will was so drawn as to debar his wife from more than legal dower in his estate should she remarry, which would explain why the marriage of Smith and the widow did not follow, though both had removed from Bellville to Caledonia. 

It is reported that Smith and Mrs. Aungst were quite recently at her old home where they secured some personal effects, but did not go into the village of Bellville.

*Further articles about this incident can be found in the August 7th., 8th., 9th. and 11th. (1899) issue of the Mansfield News.

Sunday, April 22, 2012