From Glory To Gallows
The Extraordinary Life and Tragic End of Charles “Pacer” Smith

​In 1863, John A. Smith purchased Lots 1, 2 and 3 in Chapman's Addition from the Junction Railroad Company.[1] The property formed a large, unusually shaped tract bordering the railroad on the north side of Main Street in Pendleton. Here, Charles N. “Pacer” Smith spent his Pendleton childhood.

Born August 4, 1853, Charles was one of ten children. His father was a Civil War veteran who served in the Eighth Indiana Cavalry.[2] The Smith family lived during an era when Pendleton was still a small town and baseball was only beginning to capture the nation's imagination.

Today, homes occupy much of the former Smith property. The northernmost house on the tract dates to the nineteenth century, although research has not yet determined whether it was the Smith family home. With the old property maps in hand, however, it is still possible to visualize Charles, his siblings and neighborhood friends playing in the large lot bordering the railroad tracks—perhaps throwing a ball or playing an early game of baseball.

There is no record telling us where Pacer Smith first learned to pitch. What we do know is that baseball eventually became his identity.

The “Blond-Moustached Wonder”

By the 1870s and 1880s, Charles Smith had developed into a talented pitcher known almost universally by his nickname, “Pacer.” He played for independent and professional clubs throughout the Midwest and beyond, with baseball stops associated with Indianapolis, Terre Haute, Baltimore, Nashville, Ottawa and Decatur.[2][3]

Later stories frequently connected Smith with the Cincinnati Red Stockings. Although Smith had a connection with Cincinnati baseball, available modern records do not show him appearing in an official major-league regular-season game.[2][3] His real fame was earned on the rougher, less organized baseball diamonds of nineteenth-century America.

In Decatur, Illinois, Pacer became a celebrity. He played with the Decatur White Stockings and was remembered decades later as one of the city's great early baseball heroes.[2][4] A 1938 Decatur retrospective compared the admiration local boys had for Smith to the attention later generations gave stars such as Dizzy Dean.[4]

Pacer apparently looked the part. Newspaper recollections described bold checked suits, red neckties, pink shirts, conspicuous jewelry, peg-leg trousers and a luxuriant handlebar mustache.[4] Decatur businessmen reportedly encouraged Smith to make the city his home because of his baseball ability.

Then came Ottawa.

In June 1890, the Ottawa Free Trader celebrated Smith's pitching and called him the “blond-moustached wonder.” The newspaper credited him with shutting out Monmouth and Ottumwa as Ottawa battled near the top of the standings.[5]

Smith became so popular that a cigar manufacturer reportedly produced a “Pacer Smith” cigar, bearing his portrait in baseball costume on the label.[2][4] No surviving example of the label has yet been located by our researchers.

For a boy born in Pendleton, it had been a remarkable journey. Smith had become a professional pitcher, a newspaper celebrity and even the namesake of a cigar.

But his story was about to turn terribly dark.

A Hero in Decline

Even those who admired Smith's baseball ability acknowledged his reputation for drinking. As his playing career faded, alcohol increasingly dominated his life.[2][4]

Smith married and had a daughter, Louise. Newspaper accounts indicated there had been a time when he was considered a good provider and caring husband, but his drinking grew worse. His marriage collapsed, his wife and daughter left him, and the baseball crowds disappeared.[2][4]

Then came September 1895.

Smith armed himself with a revolver and went to the home where his estranged wife was staying. His wife escaped, but his young daughter, Louise Smith, was shot and mortally wounded. Smith's 18-year-old sister-in-law, Edna Buchert, was also shot and killed.[6]

The Decatur Daily Review described the horror beneath the blunt headline “SMITH'S BLOODY WORK.”[6]

Smith was taken into custody, and the legal proceedings moved with remarkable speed. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to death by hanging.[2][7]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Awaiting His Doom

The newspapers followed nearly every detail of Smith's final weeks. Hundreds of people reportedly visited the jail. Some had known Pacer during his baseball days; others simply wanted to see the condemned man whose story had captivated Illinois.[4][7]

His mother visited him, and newspaper descriptions of their meetings are among the most painful parts of the story. Whatever her son's crimes, she remained his mother and faced the knowledge that the state would soon take his life.[7]

Religion became increasingly important to Smith. He was baptized in November 1895 and received regular visits from Catholic priests.[8] Shortly before his execution, Smith expressed remorse for his crimes and reportedly told a reporter, “I am sincerely sorry for what I have done.”[9]

Whether repentance could balance such a terrible crime was left for others to decide.

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The Last Walk of Pacer Smith

On Friday, November 29, 1895, Charles “Pacer” Smith prepared for his execution. The death warrant was read and priests accompanied him as he left his cell and walked toward the gallows constructed inside the Macon County jail.[9]

Approximately 300 witnesses were reportedly present. Smith's arms and legs were restrained, a black cap was placed over his head and the noose positioned around his neck.

At 11:55 a.m., the trap opened.

Smith fell five feet. His neck was broken, and doctors pronounced him dead minutes later.[9][10]

The “blond-moustached wonder” was 42 years old.

Eighteen Dollars for the Rope

 

Even the rope became part of the spectacle.

The sheriff reportedly paid $5 for the rope used to hang Smith. An account published in the Anderson Weekly Herald reported that a Litchfield druggist purchased it for $18 and intended to display the execution rope in his store window.[11]

It is a disturbing detail, but one that demonstrates the extraordinary public fascination surrounding Smith's fall.

Once, people came to see Pacer pitch. Now they wanted to see the rope that killed him.

 

Thousands Came to His Funeral

Smith's body was taken to his mother's home on South Franklin Street, where a steady stream of visitors passed through to view him.[12]

His funeral was held at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Decatur. Newspaper accounts described an enormous crowd filling the church and spilling into the surrounding streets.[13]

His pallbearers were old baseball friends: Harry Decker, John Dacy, Phonse Conley, Thomas Godfrey, Pat Lynch and John Flynn.[13]

Perhaps they remembered something different from the murder headlines—the pitcher, the teammate and the flamboyant man with the handlebar mustache.

Charles “Pacer” Smith was buried in the Catholic cemetery.[13]

From Pendleton to the Gallows

The story of Pacer Smith refuses to fit neatly into a baseball box. He was born in Pendleton, became a celebrated pitcher, was admired by children and praised by newspapers, and even had a cigar carrying his name and likeness. The Ottawa Free Trader called him the “blond-moustached wonder.”

Then alcohol, personal mental decline and his own horrific actions destroyed everything.

Today, homes occupy much of the large Smith property in Pendleton. At the northern end stands a nineteenth-century house. Whether it is the original Smith family home remains uncertain and is still being researched.

But stand near Main and Taylor streets, look toward the remnants of the old railroad grade, and the historic landscape begins to reveal itself. It is still possible to visualize Charles, his brothers and sisters, and their childhood friends running across the big lot bordering the railroad track, perhaps throwing a ball or playing an early game of baseball.

That was long before the newspapers called him the “blond-moustached wonder,” long before Decatur knew his name, and long before the gallows.

 

Sources

[1] Madison County, Indiana deed records; 1863 conveyance of Lots 1, 2 and 3, Chapman's Addition, Junction Railroad Company to John A. Smith; historic Pendleton property and plat maps.

[2] Society for American Baseball Research, “Pacer Smith”.

[3] Baseball-Reference, Charles “Pacer” Smith record.

[4] Decatur Daily Review, July 17, 1938, retrospective on Charles “Pacer” Smith.

[5] Ottawa Free Trader, June 14, 1890.

[6] Decatur Daily Review, September 29, 1895, “Smith's Bloody Work.”

[7] Decatur Daily Review, October 6 and October 9, 1895, coverage of Smith awaiting execution.

[8] Decatur Daily Review, November 19, 1895; Decatur Evening Bulletin, December 2, 1895.

[9] Decatur Morning Herald and Review, November 30, 1895, execution coverage.

[10] Freeport Weekly Standard, December 6, 1895.

[11] Anderson Weekly Herald, December 6, 1895, account of the Pacer Smith hanging rope.

[12] Decatur Daily Review, December 1, 1895, viewing of Smith's body at his mother's home.

[13] Decatur Daily Review, December 3, 1895, funeral coverage.

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