The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-08-08 00:00:00

THE MURDER OF A TRAVELLING
SALESMAN.

At the aesizee held at SlireWshllry, George Harris
was indicted for the wilful murder of Bernard Zusman,
at Stirehley, on the 15th of November lint.

It appeared that the deceased, Iternard Zusrnan, was
traveller to a dealer in jewellery, named Cobell. who carried
Mlida biodliess at Birmingham. He travelled mainly till tout,
carrying is bon. On the 4th ot November last he I, oh up his
quarters at the t• Crown Inn," honbridge, and renminmi
there till the oth. On the oth he returned to litrukingham to
account to his employer about his transactions. On the loth
of November Cohen inspected his box and saw that tie had
thirty watches and eighteen chains in it. On Tuesday, the
11th of November, ZUSIIIBII returned with lnl box and its
contents, of the value of about £5OO. to the " Crown Inn."
tin the two following days lie went his notchs an usual. On
Fri 'ay, the Clii of November, he started ilk the morning
between nine anti ten o'clock with his box, so Mg that he
should return as tonal, and that he should go to Fingerlane,
hawley-green, and Horsehay. The prisoner was a chain.
maker, who some live years ago had COlne into the possession
of a considerahle sum of money, and had a house in Finger.
sue and a shop in, Southall. On the oth id November
Zusknan sold a gold hunthig.watch of the value of .4:27 its.
to the prisoner, who paid 100. down, and was to pay
a month till the anaemia was paid if.. tin the 15th of
November Zusman went to the prisoner's shop in Southall
and inquired for the prisoner. 'I he prisoner was not in,
and lag workman, named Watkins, started with Zusman to
',AA for him, when a man named tart came tip and skiiil he
wanted Znsman, and the} went away together and joined
Hanis about 100 yards from the shop, A footpath leads
from Southall through Stirchley to Homer. The prisoner
and Martian were leen l.y two women nam,ll Maiden anti
Yates, who were working at the Southall Pit, proceeding
along this path. and the prisoner spoke to Maiden, and said
that he was going to show Zusinan the way to Mr. Willianis',
of Stirchley, to sell a watch. The prisoner was next seen
604.11 after twelve o'clock in a place called the Hem Coppice,
on the further side of Homer from Smithall Pit, standing
under a fir tree with another man, sheltering from rain. The
prisoner Isla Ngaill seen after oho o'clock by Alaiden at
the Southall Pit. Ile was then alone, and told her that
there had been some sharpish rain while lie had been
away, awl that lie had been sheltering at Mark Cookson's
piddled...use, the .• Rose and Crown,- at Stirchtey. ZUSIIIaII
was never again seen.alive.

iVitnesnes were s-ailed to show that neither Zusman nor
Harris had been to Stirchley-hall on that day, but their testi-
mony S. as not conclusive. It wasalso attempted lobe shown
that the prisoner did not take abetter in the ROW and
Crown," in the early lent of that do), but the evidence left
this in uncertainty. It was said that between four and
five o'clock in the afternoon of the 15th it November the
primmer was at the "Rose and Crown," at Sth
drinking ale with other persons, and left for about twenty
minutes, and returned in a sweat, explaining that he
had been to Homer and back, a distance it was suggested,
of a mule and a half there, but it appeared that a mile
and a half there and back was about the distance. The
i.ay when this ocmirrence happened WAS also somewhat un-
certain, inasmuch as the evidence seemed rather to point to
ll.e lath than the 15th. Zusman being thus missing, Cohen,
his employer, began hi inquire after him on the 17th of
November, but no trace of him Wll3 discovered till the 20th
of November, on that Ilay a Mr. Cbrk, who was staying at
Stirchley-hall, was ,aut shooting in some ileitis shout a quarter
of a mile tnun the house, when he saw in a ditch of two or
three feet in depth ahat appeared to he the shirt-front of a
man lying in it, anti he then trend out the form of a man's
body, covered with watch grass, leaves, anti soil. Assist-
ance was procured, and the body was taken out, when it
turned ont to be that of ZU3IIIBII. Ills waistcoat was thrown
open, his necktie twisted round his reek, his pockets were
cut out, and nothing was found npon him but ionic keys. In
the same field, some 200 or 300 yards off, Mr. Clark found a
pick and hammer. Zusman's box was found afterwards inn
ditch covered over, like the body, about 150 yards off. On
the MO of November, a boy had picked up a hat and seen
some blood on the ground close to a stile which Wan about
fifteen yards halal the spot where the body was found. lid:
place was said to be 385 yards from the nearest cottage, near
which was the rectory of Stlreldey. These houses were
situated on an eminence, and the stile ores visible from them.
On the :30th of Novenmer, after the body had been hand,
but behire the coroner's inquest, and while, as it was alleged
by the prosecution, the general opinion was that &Ismail
had lieen tilled with the pick, the prisoner had a conversation
with a woman mimed Garbett, who said to him that the report
was that Zusman had been killed with a hammer, to which the
prisoner replied that that toes not no, int that he was shot as he
was getting over the stile, and a man had hold of him lay the
neck.

A post-mortem examination was made, and It appeared
that Zusman's death hail been caused by a shot wound on the
tack id his ear, for three or four shots had entered the
brain and a number of shots were extracted from the skin.
On the same day the prisoner's house was searched and a six-
barrel revolver found ; but as it appeared out of order the
police did not then take possisssion of It, and the prisoner
subsequently gave it up to them, and it appeared that the
lifting pin hail well put out of position.
The day after the murder the prisoner called the attention of
Garbett to the revolver, saying that it was the one which he
had lost, and he afterwards asked her not to say that she had
seen him with a revolver and made the same reptat to is
woman named Darrell. The evidence against the prisoner,
however. turned chiefly on his possession of watches and
chains after the murder, said to Ire the same watches and
chains as those which Zemmol had belongitig to Cohen, and
the Mr. Mantle, the maker of the chains, ass called to prove,
from the appearance and peculier make, that the chains is
the possession of the police aid traced to the prisoner were
of a novel make and of his Mantle's 'mike. On this point
there was much croas-examination. As to these facts it ap-
peared that the prisoner had pledged the watch which he
',tight of Zilsniali on the Stir if November on the next day
fur .t.s, anil redectemi it ou the 2-411 of January. It was
opened by the prosecution that a handbill was circulated
on the 10th of December describing the hint property, and
mettliiiiiing that the chains could be identified by the swivels
and rings at the end, but In proof it was not rho, it that
they were nested publicly till June. On the Mai of May the
ptimaier left with a man named In belt a chain wairth
from to El 105., spin an advance of 75., which had the
swivel and end rings gone. On the 12th of May he paw lied
with a man named Ketiey a chain without any swivel and
end rings for £2. on the 251 d of slay a woman named
Harriet Wall noticed a guard chain on the primmer without
a swivel, and calling his attention to it he said that it was
broken as he got out of a railway carriage, and that it had
'wronged to his father. in March and April the prisoner
had offered to give s miard chain to each id three persons,
named Hayward, Simh, and Jones. if the watches Zustnan
had with hint one was a gold hunting watch, and there were
a number of English enainelled•face gold watches and some
Geaeva a etches. Iln the 21st of November the prisoner was
seen by a woman named Baugh with two gold hunting
inches, one of which he said was the one which Ire had
bought of Zusinan, and the otaer he Wad had been his
father's, lie also had two enamelled-face gold watches. On.
the 29th of November the prisoner showed • man minted
Watkins, who had been lit his service, Let had been dismissed,
two enamelled face gold watches, to one of which a long
guard-chain was attached, and he offered to sell Watkins a
silver watch. The next day but one he iitiered to give
Watkins the watch if he would say that he had seen Zusdnin
Oil the road with a dark man who had a 'deck parcel
ard straps going towards aladeley. 1111 the Nil of December
' the prisoner stated to a policeman named Ihriaty that he hail
! seen a man of that description goilig with Zusinan in tnat
directiiiii, mei upon being examined bef,e the coroner upon
' the inquisition, aml upon the adjourned inquest on the eth
of Del:ember, lie etateil that he hail seen a man of the some
In seription going with Zusinan on the road towards Madeley.
This road leads dna south from Southall, while the direction
In which the body was found was north-easterly, and anti.
I the inquest he sail to Watkins that he knew who had
done it, but before he "split" he would suffer to have
his heart Ott out On the 23rd of December the
prisoner had another coeversation with Garnett about
the murder, aml she asked him what would !weenie of the
stolen prirnerty, when lie said it was gone to the hot pot at
Birmingham. and explained that that was a place where
there is-as a glass before it and people canto to the glass and
asked whether it was hot or cold, and if the answer was hid
they gave what they liked for it ; but if told, they had the
articles valued and gave the proper value for it. Mrs.
Garbett appeared to he the sister of tae witness Watkins,
and she said that her father hail worked fir the prisoner
and been his tenant, but had siren turned away. (lit the Oth
of June, before his arrest, the prisoner had an interview
with a jeweller named Palmer at his shop, and said that lie
had smashed his watch and wished to sell the workt and he
wont up into a loft over the shop and brought down the
works, which were entire except the dial. There was no name
plate, and the sinks were new. Ile was to receive 4s,
an melee. The prisoner was taken into custody oli the night
of the rah id June last, and on the Mail of July the police Inn
seal-chin.; the prisoner's shop found ant Iron pot used to 'mil
gas oil. It was IWO 'ell. and a hole had smelt Ininit in the
'albite through excessive heat. Particles of gill were found
adhering to the 'woken pot which would happen if it had
been esed fir melting gold. There was also one small piece
of silver found on It. The police had not sound the pot
upon a previous search matte on the 17th of June There
was evidence that this pot belonged to the prisoner.
The prosecution called a Mr. Cranage, a schoolmaster and
occasional lay preacher at Wellington, at whose school the
prbateer seemed to have been some eighteen years ago, to
detail two conversations he had had with the prisoner in the
gaol since the nada," began. This gentleman said that he ;
went to the prisoner upon the invitation of some relations. :
Fie xrged him not to hide the murderer if he knew I
anything of the murder. The primmer, aft, frequent
protestatlona of his owe Innocence, stated on h second
interview, when the governor of the gaol had placed him-
self out of sight but within hearing, that he had been told
by the man who did
.the murder that if he " split " he
would pull kin heart out of him and weuld split Ids skull
and also that this man had dodged him about, and that
there were a number of others Who Wolild treat him in the
same way If he tehl, lie said he had not seen it done, hut
that the man offered him a watch for aale, and that tie task it
11l Ms hand, and on looking at it said that it was one of
Cohen's, that the wan then sniffed, mid after some question-
ing mid that he had done it. The flintiest of the iron pot
was then mentioned by Mr. Cranage, lint the p r i ~, nnr said
that he hail iron pots in his shop which Inc used in his
business, but he could not recogeire in particular one as
having a Mile in the Imttorn. The Governor of the gaol then
came forward, and what the prisoner said being repeated, !
the Governor said to the prisotier that he had kohl them r
nothing. The rest of what passed was not admitted in
evidence. Mr. Cranage seemed to have had these interviews
wit In the ktiowledge and approbation of the superintendent
of police, who were elliplOyed to get up the case.

It should be stated that the prisoner declared that the man
he alluded to was not Hart, the mh an i 4 o had at float been
charged jointly with hint, hot against whom the case was
dismissed by the magistrates. The only other piece of evi-
dence was that Mrs. Garbett prod.( el a knife a ith a
mother-of-pearl handle, which she swore the prisoner had
given her ...one time in April.

At this Plage of the proceedings Mr. Matthews applied for
an adjournment of the Court until the widow of Zusman
might arrive. She had been telegraphed for, and was be-
lieved to be on her way train London in a train which would
fume at half-past two o'clock. not was expected logic.'
butwrtaut evidence with respect to the knife produced by
XII,. Garnett. Ilia Lordship a corilingly adjourned the
loaml till three o'clock, and upon its re-sitting it appeared
that Mr. Zusman had not come by the haltpast two o'clock
train, but by a telegrain just received it was learnt that she
11,18 in the express train due at at half-past five cielot k.

On Monday Dr. gene,ly addressed the jury on behalf of
the prisoner. prefacing a lengthy and elaborate speech by
dwelling upon the youth of the prisoner, lain respectable
parentage and position, his character as an open-hearted,
generous man, and asked the jury whether they could believe
It possible that such a man would suddenly plunge into an
abyss of guilt as that in which the prosecution pictured him.
Referring to the evidence of Pr. eranage, the lnirned t•ounsel
argued at length to chow that the prisoner had In the re-
markable intrrview which the witness had had with him—an
interview With A prisoner charged with a capital offence, the
like of which he had never read or heard of in his life—told
a tale which was not only probable hut true. The story was
too dramatic in its details to he iovented by , man like
Horns. The simple description of the man smiling "as he
confessed to being the murderer was worthy of Shakspeare,
and could have been given only by another man who was de-
scribing what he had actually seen. The learned come.)
spoke for upwards -I three hours, an Isolated attempt at
aPPlatise, which was immediately suppressel. greeting his
conclusion

The nature of the defence Will he gleaned from the fol-
lowing evidence:—

Silas Pool, examined by Mr. Young, WAS at Paw-
ky on the occasion of the second inquest upon ZILIIMAIL

••=e..

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