Delaware State journal and statesman., 1864-09-06
From the N. Y, Tribune, Of August 26th.l
The London Railway Murder.
augl2-1m


arrival Of the Victoria-Arrest Of the Suspected
Murderer.
Most of our readers will recollect the murder
OF MIR. Briggs, on the 9th of July last, which
caused such q sensation throughout England,
and has formed the subject of numberless para
graphs IN the newspaper press of this country
Mr.. Briggs, it will be remembered, was an
elderly gentleman, chief clerk to Messrs Rob-
erts, Sutfock x Co., bankers, and on Saturday
night the 9Th of July was returning to his home
by the North London Railway, in a first class
carriage, when he was assaulted, robbed of a
gold watch and chain, and thrown out Of the
carriage by some person then unknown. He
was found lying on the line between Bow and
Hackney Wick stations, insensble, by the driver
OF the Following train, and on being taken home
remained in that state until he died on the fol-
lowing day. This shocking occurrence was Of
course at once reported to headquarters by the
police inspector for the district. Kerrissey and
inspector Tanner Of the detective police were at
once directed to undertake the investigations,
and, as it furnishes striking illustration of the
blindness that so often attends the criminal, we
here give an outline of the successive steps
which have led to the establishment of such
overwhelming evidence against Muller.
Ihe compartment Of the carriage in which the
assault took place was covered with blood, and
in il were small black bag and walking stick,
which belonged to Mr.. Briggs, and hat that
was not his, with the makers name on the
crown. The evident presumption was that this
nat belonged to the murderer, who also seemed
not TO have been practissd thief, as he left 10
the pockets of Mr. Briggs the sam of "a, lOs.,
aud diamond ring worth G4O on his finger
The maker of the hat was applied to, but could
give no information as to whom he had sold the
hat, and after two days fruitless inquiry up and
down the railroad, as to the fellow passengers Of
the murdered man, the police were beginning to
despair, when n Mr.. Death, ieweler, on the
Monday morning following the murder was
visited By person who asked him 10 exchange
an old fashioned gold chain, which he produced,
for more modern one. Mr.. Death did so, and
also gave for II sgnet ring, with white stone
and head on 1t, to make up the difference in the
value of the two chains, putting them into
jewellers box with his own name on the label
inside. MIR. Death had not then heard of the
murder, but there was something suspicious in
the manner Of the customer, and few hours
afterwards, hearing of what had taken place, he
Immediately communicated the fact of this ex-
change to the police, and handed the chain he
had received over to them, and gave a descrip-
tion Of the person who brought it. The chain
was Immediately shown to MIR. Briggs SON and
daughter, by Inspector Kcrrisey, who at once
the night of the murder.
A pacard was soon issued Offering q reward
OF &3OO for information that should lead to the
arrest of the murderer-$100 by the Govern
ment, elO0 by Messrs. Roberts, Suffock & Co.,
and 500 by the North London Railway Co..
The placard also contained a dissertation of the
stolen watch and chain, of the hat taken away,
Of the gold chain and seal, and little box re-
ceiyed from Mr.. Death, and of the hat found in
the carriage and pardon was promised to any
accomplice, not being the actual murderer, who
would give such information as might lead to
the apprehension Of tho guilty parties. The re.
ward was offered on the 10th of July, aud on the
2Olh cab. driver, named Jonathan Matthews,
came to the police Office in Scotland Yard, and
asked to see the hat and On its being shown 10
him he at once remarked, ayes, know whose
hat that is; l bought that hat for German
named Muller, and gave Is. Cd. for it," Here
then, was fact which seemed to point at once
II not to the guilty party, at least to an accom-
pllce 80 closely connected with the actual mur-
derer as 10 be equally guilty.
From Matthews own statement it appears
that he had seen the plaCard Offering the reward
for some days, and had read all about the muir
der In the newspapers, but that one day, while
watering his horse, he happened, for the first
time, to read the placard through, when it struck
MIN that II must be no other person than a man
named Muller whom he we'll knew, aud who in a
visit to his house about week before, had dis
played to his wife a new watch and chain, which
he said he had just given G3 10 for and had
given the box in which the chain was contained
to his little daughter to play with. Matthews
Immediately proceeded home, and thence to the
police otiee, taking with him the little box, a
photographic likeness Of Muller, aud paper on
which he had written his address it was in Old
Ford Road, Bethual Green. The likeness wac
shown to Mr.. Death, who at once recognized il
as that OF his customer, and Inspectors SteerB,
Tanner and Laddy, on Monday at midnight,
went to his address and there found his laud-
lady, Mrs. Blythe, vino informed them that
Muller had left oil the Thursday night previous,
and that he said he was going out to America
from the London Docks.
She was asked if Muller was at home on the
night of the murder, and said, mo, for 1t is a
very strange thing man was here who had On
! appointment with him, but he never came home
until long after we had gone to bed. aud tue
| next morning he said he had been run over, aud
that his foot was very bad. Besides Mrs Blythe,
a fellow-lodger, q German named Haifa also
stated that Muller had gone to America, and
that he had sailed in the Victorit On the previous
| Thursday. In the course OF bis conversation ne
also said, that he had bought pawn ticket Of
Muller for which be had given him II, and on
his producing the duplicate, which was for q
gold chain on which an advance OF 80 had been
| made MFR. Death was taken to the pawn bro
! ker's to see the chain, aud on looking at il he
at once said it was the chain which be had giveI
in exchange for MIR. Briggs old one.
| Inspector Tanner took the photograph oil
| Muller down to the London Docks, and there
learnt from the clerk that person had gone out
in the Victoria under the name of Frank Muller
whom he identified as the prototype of the pho
tograph presented to him. Mrs. Matthews
when examined, also oorroborated her husband's
statement. aud said Muller had been lherei tha'
he said he had come to bid them goodbye before