The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-01-23
RETURNED TO LIFE.
The Most Singular Case of Circum-
stantial Evidence on Record - The
Victim Turning up Two Years After
his alleged Assassin's Execution.
From the New York Sunday DIspatch.l

| From the New York Sunday Dlspafcn.l
1t is only within the present century that
| the law has required, In case OF murder, the
finding and identification of the victim. Pre-
vious to that, If man disappeared, and his
absence could not be accounted for, person
to whom circumstantial evidence pointed az
his probable murderer could be arrested and
hanged for the alleged crime. "A most extra
ordinary case, which occurred during the war
between England and France, at the begin
licuiar attention to the singular law, and was
ultimately the cause OF Its being replaced by
| the statute as It now stands. The story is
| substantially as follows:
Two Enelishmep, uncle and nephew, took
up their quarters at well known inn In Ports.
mouth, close to the pier: They We're well re-.
ceived by the landlord, for they had plenty Of
money In their possession. The uncle, whom
we will call William, suggested to his com.
panion, who shall be called Robert In the
hearing of the landlord, that they should hand
their money to their host for sate-keeping.
Robert objected, and proposed that they
should keep it on their persons. This was
room and the same bed. The Inn was an old
fashioned irregular building. From their bed
room the two men could enter long passage
which ran along the end of the house to the
pier. Tney went TO their room together about
eleven o'clock at night. Next morning Rob-
ert entered the landlords room with o bur-
ried, anxious air, and asked The landlord
whether he knew what had become OF ms
uncle The landlord said he did not. At the
same time he observed to his horror that
the hands of Robert were stained with blood.
The landlord arose aud suggested that they
should 90 to the bedroom together. They
did so. On entering terrible spectacle met
the landlords gaze. The clothes OF the bed,
which had evidently been occupied by two
OIL
The outside pillow was saturated with 1t. The
floor by the bedside was stained with 1t. The
wash-besin and the stand were also bespat-
tered with blood. On the dressing table lay q
large jockteley or sailors knife, the handle
and blade all bloody. Drops Of blood marked
The floor from the bedside to the door which
opened upon the passage referred to. The
picious one, and that he must place 1t In the
hands of the authorities. He did forthwith.
Robert was arrested. On being searched his
shirt was found to be- bloody. Bloodstains
were discovered In the passage from The bed
room door to the waters edge, where ap-
parenlly there had been struggle. On
Robert were found the purse aid papers of
the missing man.
Robert, who manifested GOODNESS and pre-
sence OF mind, told the following story: After
his uncle and himself had been In bed short
time the former, who lay on the outside, COM
planned that his nose was bleeding. Heleaned
over the side Of the bed. Presently he got mp
and went to the washstand. He used water
freely, but in vain. The bleeding sill contin-
ued, and 30 violently that the men both be-
came alarmed. Robert suggested the appllca-
ton Of cold iron to the back of his uncle's neck.
He took his jack knife out Of Ills pocket and
applied it accordingly. In attending to his
uncle his hands and shirt were stained with
blood. As the bleeding still continued, William
dressed himself and said he would go out at
the side door and walk on the pier in the cold
morning air. Before doing 80 he handed his
aud purse to his nephew 10 keep
until his return. Robert fell asleep alter his
uucle left, and was astounded when he awoke
in the morning to find that he had not return
ed, Robert was Indicted for murder. All the
circumstances were against him. The jury
believed that William had been murdered and
his body carried down to the water and hung
In Robert was convicted and sentenced to
be hanged, and hanged he was accordingly In
q few days.
Two years afterward the missing man re.
turned. He confirmed every word that his
nephew had uttered in his defence. When
william reached the pier on The night of The
supposed murder he turned to the left, and
had only gone few PAGES when he was
pounced upon BY press gang. He was over
powered and carried to boat, and In an hour
found himself on board British sloop- -of-war
In Southampton waters. The vessel was
getting under way. In her he remained for
three months without chance Of writing 10
his friends. Then the ship was captured by
French frlgate and William spent twenty
months in o French prison. On his release ne
returned to England to find TO his horror that
his beloved nephew had been hanged as his
assassin.