Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-26
BEAUTY IN THE BOX.
Testimony Of Miss Alice Smith in the
Swamp Murder Case.
CLEVER LAWYER BLACKSTOCK
Catches Up a Witness Who Gould See
Far With Weak Eyes.
STORIES THAT 60 AGAINST BIRCHALL

| the Crown Osler read letters purportlng to
be from Birchall to Mellerish, through
whom the prisoner and Benwell were brought
together, bushes suffused the cheeks of
Blrchall when it was shown that he had
practiced deceit on Benwcll and his father.
Conductor Poole, on whose train, it is
said Birchall and the rest went to Niagara
Falls, was examined. He had spoken Of a
guncase, with a check attached, being
handed out of the train. but he stated to-day
that he had no recollection of check. He
admitted that he had spoken in former evi-
dence of an overcoat and not a waterproof,
as he had called it to-day. Mr.. Blackstock
read from the evidence of Poole at the in
vestigation that the elight-complexionedm man
had full suit of light color. Benwell's
trousers were striped and his coat and vest
brown check.
| RIGID EXAMINATIONS.
Mr.. Blackstock rigidly examined witness
as to the boots, which one of these passengers
wore and OF which he spoke of as being of
English make and Poole admitted that he
had not said anything about boots either
time when he was previously examined.
Miss Lockhart, of Woodstock, said she
was travelling west February II, from Paris
past Woodstock. She saw two passengers
| get off at Eastwood. On seeing Birchall
afterward in Jail she identified him as one
who had sat before her in the train. The other
she recognized in the body OF Benwell when
exhumed. Cross-examined by Mr.. Black
stock she acknowledged that, though reading
the account of the finding of the body, she
4 Had e. III al
dent with the tragedy. Something said In
Mr.. Birchall's evidence first brought the
connection to her mind. On a previous
occasion she had stated that she had taken
notice of the passengers, but her evidence of
to-day, as Mr.. Blackstock showed, did not
agree with this.
MISS LoCKHART'S STORY.
The taller passenger, she says, was
| dressed in black overcoat and cap. On
the 18th of March she saw Detective Murray,
who heard her statements, and told her it
would be necessary for her to go the same
| day to Princeton. She there saw BenwelPs
body in the cemetery and at once recog-
| nized it.
Mr.. Blackstock gave her copy of a
paper of February 2S. which she had said
contained evidence upon which she had
identified the young men seen by
him at Eastwood with the two she had seen
on the train and whom she recognized, one
in his coffin as Benwell, and one in the Jail
as Birchall. He showed that the evidence
mentioned was not in the paper, and had not
been published till some time later.
Elizabeth Choate, living near Ingersoll,
was travelling from Brantford home on FEB.
ruary II.
ANOTHER LADY WITNESS.
81 sat two or three seats behind two men.
One wore an Astrakhan cap. 1 saw his face
onlv for moment, as his cap fell. His face
was rather thinner than the prisoners. The
other man believe, as far as noticed from
behind. wore glasses while reading paper.
The man believed to be Birchall answered
some remark of his companion with Get
accustomed to- 1 did not hear the rest. I
remained in Ingersoll month"
Alfred Hayward, an old miller, living at
Eastwood, saw, February II, two men pass
ing by his home between IL and IL o'clock,
as though coming from the train along the
road from south to north. The prisoner was
one of them and was a little ahead OF his
companion. He wore short coat. The
man behind he thought was an Englishman
by his coat. On Hayward's previous exam
ination he would not swear to the identity of
the prisoner as one OF these men. He
merely stated he went indoors and told his
wife two old country gentlemen were walk
ing down to MIR. Pattison's.
CoRNERED BY BLACKsToCK.
Mr.. Blackstock pointed to the gallery,
and asked the witness if he could see man
there among the ladies. Yes" witness
said. 'I can't tell who he is.''
'Yet," said Mr.. Blackstock, "you pro-
fess to recognize the prisoner as a gentle
man who passed at 120 yards distance"
The Niagara Falls IGrand Trunk ticket
agent swore to having sold two tickets to
Eastwood on February II last, and none
since. John Crosby, of Princeton, testified
| he saw Birchall on Governors road on
February H. John Perry, farmer, swore
he saw tracks of two men in the snow from
Governors road across his lot, on February
II, to the swamp where Benwen was found
dead. George Macdonald stated that he was
hunting in Blenheim swamp February II
and heard two shots of pistol or a small
rifle. Charles Buck swore that be had met
Birchall on February IL, returning as from
the swamp of death with his pants rolled up,
and his boots very dirty.
SENSATION IN COURT.
A sensation was manifested in court when
the crier called Miss Alice Smith. This
witness has appeared previously. both at
the investigation and of the inquest, and her
clear and positive statements, together with
her exceptionally beautiful face, have
thrown about her an interest second only
to that which attaches to the prisoner and
his wife.
1t will be remembered that about two
weeks ago it was reported that Miss Smith,
who had been for some time at Niagara
Falls, would not testify, as she had disap-
peared from the country. This turned out
to be pure canard Miss Smith did not
finch when she entered the box. She re-
peated what she had said on the previous
occasion. that on February II she was at
the station to post letter; that as she
entered the gate OF the station enclosure the
prisoner came up to her and shook hands
with her, asked about her people and prom
ised to go and visit the "Old Governor"
her grandfather, with whom she lived.
NEW EVIDENCE.
The prisoner told her (and this is new
in Miss Smiths evidence) that he had been
to the Northwest on business about some
horses, whether to sell or buy horses she
could not remember. He bought a ticket
and left by an east-bound train. She stated
with the utmost particularly the circum-
stances of her visit to the station. She had
gone there to post the letter because the
mail was closed. She was on her way to a
store with eggs, which she traded for oil and
gloves. She even produced the book in
which the entry was made.
The witness stated that she knew the
prisoner because he bad come with Mrs.