His first engagement as Calcraft's assistant was the public execution of James Owen and George Thomas outside Stafford Gaol.
[4] Smith's highest profile hanging was William Palmer, executed on 14 June 1856 after having been found guilty of poisoning John Parsons Cook, but widely believed to have murdered some 14 people including his mother-in-law to fund his gambling debts.
The victim was a man named William Collier, a poacher who had been found guilty of the murder of a local worthy.
[3] Smith was renowned for the long white coat and top hat he wore at public hangings.
Initially, it is said that Smith was hired by the undersheriff of Staffordshire to save the cost of bringing Calcraft up from London.