The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-01-18

TWO YEARS AFTER Ills ALLEGED ASSASSIN'S En-
E;i'Tioi.
from the New York Sunday Dispatch
itt- only within the present century that
the law has required, in case Of murder, the
finding and identification OF the victim. Pre-
yiot!% to that. il Il man disappeared, and his
absence could not lie accounted for, person
- whom circuMstantial evidence pointed rs
his probable murderer could be arrested and
ranged fer the alleged crime. A most extra
ordinary c..r. which occurred during the
war between England and France, mt the be-
ginning Of the present century, hrst calico
particular attention to the singular law, anu
was ultimately the cause Of its being replaced
hy the statute as it now stands. Inc STORY
i, substantially rs follows:
Two Euglishmen, uncle and nephew, took
an their quarters mt weli-knoWn nm III
Portsmouth, close to the pier. They were
we'll received by the landlord, for they had
plenty Of money in their possession. The
uncle, whom we will call William, suggested
10 his COMPANION, who shall be called Robert,
in the hearing OF the landlord, that they
should hand their money TO their host for
salr-kecping Robert objected, and proposed
that they should keep it on their persons.
This WAS agreed to.
4! night they occupied the same room and
the same bed. The i'm was al old-lashioned,
irregular building. From their bedroom
The two mcn could enter long passage
| which ran along the end OF the house to the
pier. They Went to their room together
| about II o'clock ut night. Next morning
| Robert entered the landlords room with Il
hurried. anxious air, and asked the landlord
| whether he knew what had become Of his
| La, lnrI no
| the same time he observed to his horror that
| tne hands of Robert We're stained with blood.
| The landlord arose and suggested that they
should 90 to the bedroom together. They
did 50. On entering Il terrible spectacle met
the landlords gaze. The clothes of the
| he'd, which had evidently been occupied
!y two persons, were stained all over with
| blood. The outside pillow was satu-
rated with it. The floor by the bedside
was stained with it. The wash-basin and
| the stand were also bcspttercd with blood.
On the drc>sing-tablc lay 4 large jockteley or
sailors knife, the handle and blade all bloody.
| Drops OF blood marked the floor from the
| lcitsiia TO the door which opened upon the
MASSAGE referred to. The landlord told
Robert the case was 4 very suspicious one,
| and That he mist place ii i'll the hands Of the
authorities. lie did forthwith. Robert was
arrested On being searched, his shirt was
.ound to be bloody. Blo0dStans were dis
covered III the passage from the bedroom
door to the waters edge, where apparently
there had been Il struggle. On Robert were
found The purse and papers of the missing
! man.
! Robert, who manifested GOODNESS and pre-
scnce of mind. told the following story: After
his uncle and himself had been i'll bed short
| time the former, who lay on the outside,
complained that his nose was bleeding. He
| leaned over the side of the bed. Presently
he got up and went to the washstand. He
F! used water freely, but In vain, The bleed
ing sill continued, and so violently that the
men both became alarmed. Robert suggested
the application of cold iron to the back OF
his uncle's neck, he took his ,iaekknife out
of his pocket and applied 1t accordingly. In
attending to his uncle his hands and shirt
| were stained with blood. AS the bleeding
st!n continued, William dressed himself and
said lie WOULD go out at the side door and
walk on the pier IL the cold morning air.
Before doing so he handed his pocket-book
aud purse to his nephew to keep until his
return. Robert fell asleep after his uncle
left and was assomded when be awoke in