Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-09-25
.BIRCHALL'S ORDEAL
More Damaging Evidence
Against the Prisoner.
HE MAY TRY TO PROVE AN AL1Bl
An Iutimation by His Counsel Causes
Much Speculation.

An Important Discovery Made by n De-
tectIve-A Heavy Blow to the Young
Englishman-He Is Recognized by Wit
nesses rs ''LOrd Somerset."-The Court
Room Crowded With Ladies'.
WOODSTOCK, Ont. Sept. 25.-The Bir-
chall trial was continued to-day. There
was q great crowd in the court room,
including over one hundred ladies.
Neither Mrs. Birchall nor her sister
were present, the former being too
nervous.
Ithas been reported that the prisoner
10 hAndcuffed on his way to and from
the court room, but such is not tn Q
case. He neither complains nor gives
trouble in any way.
DR.. Taylor, who was called to see
Benwell'a body when found in the
swamp, said thAt the clothing was
frozen to the ground. He testified
that both bullets passed through the
brain. either wound being sufficient to
produce death; that the wound in the
back of the head had been made first
and the bullet passed upward and for
ward; that the hair near both wounds
was singed, showing that the pistol
was held close to the victims head.
The bullets were of 80 calibre. Death
was instantaneous, SO sudden that the
heart had stopped on the half beat.
Witness thought that death occurred
four days before the body was found.
He found marks In the groin and in the
pit of the stomach, but thought such
marks could have been made by Benwell
falling from an upright position.
DIR. Taylor's testimony was corrobo-
rated by Dr. Wexford of Woodstock as to
the condition of the body. He took a
human skull from q satohel, and amid
breathless interest ON the part of the
audience, showed how the shots en-
tered.
The defense so far has been extremely
severe in cross-examinAtion. What
will be offered when the defense opens
its case remains q mystery. Some say
| there are surprises in store, but no
| inkling of what they are has been
given as yet.
His Defence May be an Alibi.
Sexton Greigs swore that at 10 o'clock
| Wednesday night succeeding Pelley's
| identification of tho body, at the time
when BirchalI was in custody. buggy
drove up to the cemetery and stopped.
| out and the buggy was driven away
rapidly. He suspected somebody had
come to steal the body.
George Hersee, farmer who lives
near the scene of the murder, identified
| Birchall as the man who introduced
| himself to him in 1888 as q son OF Lord
Somerset, and asked him about Mud
Lake, saying he had been cunning
there four years before.
James Ellis testified that he met
Birchall with another Englishman near
Mud Lake in 1888.
| "He was not in the country at that
time" Mr.. Blackstock remarked, and
speculation at once became rife that
the defense would be an alibi.
Chief Young, of Niagara Falls, testi-
| fed that when he told Birchall he had
a warrant for his arrest, the latter said
"All right" but did not ask for any
explanation.
Important Discovery.
| very important discovery in tn,
Birchall case has just been made by
Government Detective Murray. 1t viii
be remembered that q great sensation
was made after Benwell's body wal
identified by the discovery of the en-
| try, &c. Benwell," on the register OF
the Commercial Hotel, Brantford, Ont.
date of January IL. The coincidence o
the names WAS remarkable and Birch
alrs lawyers relied upon the circum
stance in shaking the Crowns case
Archibald Nyuma and Baird Murray
both living at Brantford at tho time o.
the murder, have confessed to Detec-
tive Murray that the entry was mad,
for q lark. Two fictitious entries were
made, one 'F. c. Benwell, Bristol
England" and another, 81. w. Rogers
Europe" This is q heavy blow for tn
| defendant