Huntsville gazette., 1888-07-14
PRELLER-HfAXWELL,

JEFFERSON CHf, Mo< July Ex-Governor
Morehouse has declnedsto grant a commu-
tatlon OF the sentence against Hugh Brooks,
alias Maxwell, but has granted a respite of
four weeks Maxwell was to have been
hung to-day, but this respite gives him a
lease Of life until August 10.
Hugh Mottram Brooks was only twenty
fve years old whan he murdered mis- friend
and bensfactor, Charles Arthur Preller,
three years ago, In the Southern hotel in St.
Louis. Brooks was born in Hyde, Cheshire,
England, and from his early youth was
bright, eccentric and selfish boy. His father,
Samuel n. Brooks, is schoolmaster in
Hyde. Hugh chose the law, and soon after
he became of age he began practicing in
Hyde. When be was twenty-four years old
his career La Hyde came to an end He
was deeply In debt and stepped in wicked
ness was known to be a liar and a petty
swindler, and was given the cold shoulder
by bis distant relatives and friends. He then
determined to leave England and seek his
fortune In the new world.
He took passage from Liverpool to New
York on the steamer Cephalonia, and the
first day out he met Charles Arthur Preller
Brooks was nearly twenty five years old and
Preiler nearly thirty, but Preller was much
the younger In knowledge of the world He
had been. bred good and was a Christian.
His father was silk merchant in Bradford,
in Yorkshire A merchant in Bradford, j.
a. Dixon, took Preller into his store, and
very soon promoted him to be his foreign
traveller. He made one trip to the United
States and Canada and was starting on his
second tour, when he met Brooks. He had
plenty Of money and Brooks had very little.
Brooks at once, with the keenness Of deliber
ate villiany, saw the advantage Of becoming
intimate with his acquaintance. He intro
duced himself to Preller as Walter H. Len
nox Maxwell. relative Of Lord Farnham.
He told Preller that he was the heir to an
immense estate then tied up in chancery.
They were together during the Cephalonia's
trip to New York, and then parted, agree
ing to meet in st. Louis.
On Saturday, April 8, 1885, both Preller
and Maxwell arrived in st. Louis, and reg
istered In the Southern hotel Preller was
noticed by the servants Of the hotel to be
quiet young man who was completely under
the influence Of his companion. Both drank.
Maxwell always inviting the other. During
the first day OF their stay at the hotel, the
subject Of q trip to Auckland was broached
by Maxwell. Preller told Maxwell that he
would 20. Maxwell then told Prsller that
he was out Of money. and asked him to pay
the expenses OF the trip. Preller had then
about $500 in cash In his pocket, but he was
not prepared to become the banker Of his
friend, and told him so.
There is little doubt that at this moment
the disappointed adventurcr resolved to rob
his friend of the money, although he did not
AL 10 20 10 A
came the next day, which was Easter Sun
day Preller complained of pain In the
stomach and loins, and asked Maxwell, who
he knew had some medical experience to
alleviate the pain Preller told him to use
whatever means he thought best. Then his
plan of murder and robbery unfolded itself
before Maxwell. A morphine injection to
produce unconsciousness then death by
chloroform, then robbery, then an alarm
and an explanation that the death was ac-
cidental He took Preller into his own room
and made him strip. Then he went to the
Southern hotel drug store and bought four
ounces Of chloroform.
Returning to Preller, he made him bare
his left arm and injected the chloroform.
Preller became unconscious. and Maxwell
saturated the handkerchief with chloroform
and placed it over the nostrls and mouth OF
the other He stood there and watched, and
presently Preller groaned. The anesthesia
was not complete. Maxwell hurried out of
the room, and. entering the drug store again,
bought two more ounces of chloroform,
which be carried back TO the hotel and ad-
ministered to Preiler. Preller was dead in a
few minutes Maxwell then seems to have
been overcome with panic. He determined
to conceal the body. Stripping it, he drew
on the legs a pair of his own drawers,
marked with his name. Then he took a sur
gical knife from his trunk and slashed on the
breast of the corpse bloody cross. After
that he wrote on a card, $50 perish all trait
ors to the great cause!" and placed it on the
naked breast OF the body, which he then
lifted and janmed into one Of his trunks,
which he had emptied Of its contents He
ransacked the clothes PrelIer bad taken of,
took all the money in the pockets, and jew
elry, and then wen out, locking the door Of
the room.
He bought two trunks and had them sent
TO the hotel. and then he gave himself up
for the rest Of the morning to drink and the
widest vagaries. He was intoxicated all
that night and all the next day, and made
himself conspicuous in various places about
the city BE started for San Francisco
leaving Preller's body in his room. On the
train he attracted attention by his nervous
ness, his habit OF cigarette smoking and his
lying stories about himself To some pas
sengers be said his name was Percy Read. of
Constantinople, and to others he was T. C.
Daquier, Frenchman. As Daquier, he reg
istered at a San Francisco hotel A week
after the murderous Easter Sunday In st.
Louis he set sail for Auckland in the steerage
of the steamer City of Sidney. In the mean
time both the rooms of Preller and Maxwell
in the Southern hotel remained undisturbed.
1t was not until ten days after the murder
had been committed that the body of Preller
was found. 1t was then decomposed, and
the horrible stencil issuing from the trunk
led to the discovery. Detectives and news
paper reporters of the city traced Maxwell
to San Francisco and ascertained the dead
mans identity in two days, but they did not
discover who Maxwell was, and the presump-
ton for long time was that be was Brit
ish physician allied to nobeman He was
intercepted at Auckland by cablegram sent
by Chief Of Police Larry Harrigan, and
when the steamer arrived in port there En-
glish officers stepped aboard and arrested
him. He was extradited by the English gov