The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-14 00:00:00

The Murder on the North London Railway

Ths excitement created by this murder is growing daily
more and more intense. The railway company has offered
£lOO reward for the capture of the murderers, in addition
to the £2OO off Bred by the Government and Messrs Robartes,

Lubbock, and Co. Fresh bills were circulated yesterda:

giving a description of the person who changed the chain
belonging to the late Mr Brigs, and also of the chain and
Signet ring which he took away with him. The police believe
that the man is already known to them, and they era fol-

Lowing him up with gust perseverance. The man is described
in the police bill as being about 30 years old, 5 feet G or 7
_ _ _

inches high, with a sallow complexion and thin features.
Jtie is a foreigner, and is supposed to be a German, but speaks
good English. lie wore a black frock coat and waistcoat,
dark trousers, and a black hat. The chain which he carried
-
away is a square oval, secret link, gold Albert, with a knot
pattern twisted key, and a swivel seal. The ring is a plaia
gold signet ring with en oblong white cornelian stone,
bearing an engraved head,
The following is the history of the discovery of the chain
—On Monday morning about 10, a gentlemanly looking
foreigner, apparently a German; or Swiss, entered the shop
of Mr Death, jeweller, 55, Cheapside, and asked to be shown
some gold Albert chains. Mr Death's brother showed him
several, and he at last picked out one of the value of £3 15s,
which he seemed to fancy. At the same time he took appa-
rently from his waistcoat pocket a chain, and asked Mr
Death what he would give him for it, Mr Death examined
it, and found it to be lined° of 15 carat gold. He put it in the
scales and weighed it, and told the man that its value wile
£3 10s. The man then said he would take in exchange a
chain of the same cost. Mr Death took one from the win-
dow, which was worth £3 Ps., and showed it to the man, who
said that it would suit him very well, asking what he could
ha‘'ee to make up the other Ps. Mr Deiver showed him
several second-hand signet rings, from among which he
selected the one already described, and tried it on his
finger, leaving it there. The chain was packed in a paper
box and delivered to him, and he quitted the shop imme-
diately afterwards. At the time the man called upon him
Mr Death had heard nothing of the murder, but on subse-
quently reading the description of the missing chain in the
newspapers he was particularly struck by its closely coin-
ciding with that of the chain he had taken, in exchange, the
circumstances of the missing hook confirming his suspicions.
He immediately communicated with the authoriaes at
Great Scotland-yard and at Bow lane Police-station, and
Inspector Kerreesey at once proceeded to Cheapside and
took possession of the chain. He then took it to the
daughter of the deceased gentleman, who unhesitatingly
identified it as having belonged to her father. Inspector
Kerressey immediately made a report on the subject to Sir
Richard Mayne, and exertions are being made in ail
directions to discover the person who exchanged the chain.
The police are cenfileht that they are on his track, and that
a very short time will elapse before he is captured. There
now appears to be some reason for supposing that a second
person, already known to the police, was implicated in the
murder. This person is also being closely followed up.
Mr T. H. Walker, the manufacturer of the hat found in
the carriage, has been interrogated by the police, but he can
give no clue whatever to the person to whom it was sold.
The incident of the changing of the chain somewhat com-
plicates the matter. The man who called on Mr Death may,
of course, only be a confederate of the murderer. He seemed
perfectly collected in his manner during the transaction,
but it was noticed that he endeavoured to keep his counte-
nance concealed from the person who was serving him. No
watch was shown by him at the time, end from the ease
with which he withdrew the chain from his pocket it did
not seem to be attached to one. He also seemed specially
careful to a void appearing as if he entered the shop for dis-
honest purposes, moving away from the counter when the
shopman did so, and he objected to purchase any chain of
greater value than the one he left in exchange. A close ex-
amination of the chain with a magnifying glass failed to de-
tect the elightest, trace of blood upon it, and from the dirt
caused by wear being still adhered to the links it did not
seem to have been washed. The chain and watch must
therefore have been wrenched from ties person of the de-
ceesed before any blood was shed. The encounter which fol-
lowed was probably caused by the endeavours of the de-
ceased to secure too thief. The discovery of the chain also
seems to do-away with the somewhat prevalent theory that
the outrage was not committed for the sake of plunder. It
has been said that the murderer left behind the diamond ring
worn by the deceased,. but it should be remembered that it re
no easy matter to wrench off a well lining ring from the
finger of a man who struggled for life so bravely as the de-
ceased gentleman appears to have done. Again, the fact of
exchanging the chain for another, instead of selling it in the
usual manner, seems hardly to point to the professional
thief, and the ring chosen by
the man bears a head of
very peculiar character which would render its identitica-
tion easy, All these circumstances teed to make this ex-
traordinary case still there mysterious, and a plentiful crol,
of fresh theories to account for the murder has sprung up,
one of which may be mentioned from its singularity— that
the outrage was perpetrated by a maniac'
A rumour was prevalent yesterday that a foreigner living
in Somers-town had been apprehended on suspicion, but
there is not a word of truth in the statement. It is true that
Somers-town has been well watched for the last four or five
dais, but the tame roily be, saw of every ;'ietriet iu the we-
trepAie,