Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1874-12-16
A NOVEL KIND OF MURDER
THE DANGER OF TRAVELLING IN coMpART-
MENT CARS

Mr.. Briggs on the North London Rail
way caused the whole metropolis to b
seized with panic. Mr. Briggs it ma,
be remembered, was on his way hom
when he was marked at tho terminu
by the miscreant Muller, who observe,
that he carried very vauable watcl
and chain. Getting into the same car
riage with his victim, Muller timed hi
opportunity and between one station
and another struck Mr.. Briggs heavily
over the temples. lie then rined th'
lifeless body and tossed it out upon tn
line to take its chances. On more thar
one occasion men have been thrown
from railway trains running at fnl
speed, and have aftcrward been takel
up very little injured. Mr.. Briggs wa
less fortunate. He was found in /.
dying state on the path ordinaril,
known as the six-foot way, between
the up metals and the down, and tn,
medical evidence left no doubt that h,
had been foully assaulted. For a few
days the circumstances of the affail
remained mystery.
Ultimately suspicion fixed itself up
on q young German of the name o
Muller. There are probably few wht
do not remember the extraordinary
romantic circumstances of Muller's ar
raignment and trial at the Old Bailey
The case, as il stands on record in the
pages of the Central Criminal Courl
Sessions papers, is a most striking
proof Of the saying that truth is Otter
stranger than fiction. 1t was the
merest chance that gave the detectives
the first clue TO the identity of th,
criminal. Everything it may be re
membered, depended upon couple oI
hats and small jewelers. box con
structed to hold watch and chain
The evidence was no doubt slight al
the beginning; but, as il appeared after
having been pieced together by the
astute intelligence of Scotland yard, il
proved positively irresistible. The
learned Judge before whom Muller was
tried, and who has since retired from
the bench, expressed himself perfectly
satisfied with the finding of the jury.
'1 am as certain" said he, addressing
the prisoner "that you committed this
crime as ] am of any other fact which
/ have not seen with my actual eyes,
but about which / yet entertain no
manner of doubt" With the summing
up of Mr.. Baron Martin the common
sense of the general public thoroughly
concurred. That Muller was justly
executed has never been questioned.
The only difficulty in this celebrc has
been TO explain how it was that a
crime so heinous came to be committed
for so light motive. So far as the
existing records of the trial leave any
evidence upon the case, il would ap-
pear that Muller noticed Mr. Briggs at
the terminus of the North London
Railway, wearing a valuable chain and,
presumably, an equally valuable watch
that he followed him into his compart-
mcnt and then and there, on the mere
chance of what his watch and chain
might be worth, he brutally murdered
him. II is not cften we h~~. As~a
so atrocious perpetrated for an object
so unimportant.
Unfortunately, the terrible tragedy
of 1864 has within the last few days
found its counterpart in Moravia. On
November I'd, a certain Mr.. Ernest
Katscher was on his way from Brunn
to Prerau by the night train. This
train left Brurn at 1l;l5, and, shortly
before its departure, he was seen in
the restaurant of the station counting
his loose cash and arranging and sport
ing large parcel of bonds and coupons.
AT Cropin, the station next TO Pre-
rau, the guard, opening the carriage,
found the body of the unfortunate man,
who had evidently been murdered. 1t
was still warm, showing that the as
sassination had been recently perpc-
trated while at the bottom of the car
riage was discovered a pocketbnife
with long blade, and with stains that
only too readily told the hideous tale
of the foul purposes TO which II had
been last applied. A few minutes ex-
animation Of the compartment was suf.
ficient to satisfy the police that while
Mr. Katscber was living down asleep
he had been suddenly Stabbed IN The
threat THE blow had severed the
windpipe, thus rendering it impossible
for the unfortunate man to call for as
sistance. The body had been stripped
~ oyerv tb;nc eycen, a small gold
,r;nLot and the murderer Ind apnar.
sntlv made GOOD his cscane NV leaping
c.n,1 ,ha 90 rr;ags
Such ware tbe slight ind,cta which
-, srs, ofsered themseivos 70 IN. Nor
avian nol;ce Recore 4 o'clocl how
aver on tbe next dav the criminal was
srros,od and oil no:s;ble donht NJ h;s
m;lt had becn put conclusivclv at rest
p annears that when tbc train leff
Rr'nn M Far prcrar a small DARK man
in = lors overcoat and a sot,-Ga. hat
who ha5 only got a third.class ticket
was seen NV ibe gnard endeayoring 10
enter the second.class carriaoe in
which M Ka,scber had taken b;s
Mace Tho attcmnt was nrevonted
and be took h;s nioner nlaee In the
third class but at R,,ussnitob n station
a l;tt,e further along the line he cot
out and took a sec6nd-class ticket Ia
Ncsawislitz after which he rot at once
into the compartment occupied by Mr..
Katscber. kt Nesawislitz he rot out
again and took ticket TO Cropin,
however the guard looking into the
compartment. discovered at once the
deed that had been committed (; and, as
the man who had been seen TO enter
the same carriage with Mr.. Katschcr
was not found at Cropin, IL was, OF
course concluded that he had escaped
somewhere between the two places.
The telegraph was at once put into