Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-09-25
OPENING A GREAT TRIAL.
The Celebrated Burchall-Benwen Case
Called in Ontario.


WOODSTOCK, Ont, Sept. 22.-With the
marvellous nerve that has characterized
his every action since his arrest and has
made him the wonder of all who have
come i'll contact with him. John Reginald
BurchalI faced Judge and jury in the Ok
ford county court of assizes here this morn
ing and pleaded not guilty to the indict-
ment charging him with the murder of
Frederick C. Benwell in a dismal swamp
near the village Of Princeton on February
18th last. His bearing was in keeping
with the circumstances surrounding the
crime, which almost outrival the widest
work of fiction, and which was planned
and executed with a consumate GOODNESS
that is personifed in the man.
One Of the strongest points made by the
from Burchell to Col BenwelI which he had
not hitherto made public. In it Burchell
says in part: He (BenwelD has decided
to join me as has found all satisfactory, |
think we shall make good business to-
gether The books show a good profit
last year. The best way it to place the
money in our joint hands Your son is, [
think, writing by this post
The letter also gave a minute descrip-
ton how to send money and said that
subsequent letters would be typewriter.
The queens counsel Osler said this plainly
showed a motive for the murder as Col.
Benwell was to pay five hundred pounds
if his son became satisfied with
the farm Osler also claimed it was
BurchelI's scheme to send the
tyne written letter to Col. Benwell as
coming from his son and to bleed the
father, The first witness was VIM. Nc
Donald, who said that Burchell came to
him as a pupil of the farm, being then
known as F. A. Somerset. He stopped at
NcDonald's farm one day and then went
to Woodstock, saying he was not
brought up to such work Mcdonald s
evidence threw considerable new light on
the pupil farming business He admitted
that he was an agent at Woodstock for
Ford, Rathbone & Co., Of England, who
sent pupils to place On the farm, the farm
er getting S125 bonus and the agent S35.
Mcdonald contradicted himself a
good deal. He admitted that Ford
Rathbone & Co. wrote that Burchell COM
planned that Mcdonald was swindling
English farm pupils. Douglas Raymond
Policy, young EngIishman who accom-
panied the STRAIGHTFORWARD party to this
country, testified as to his arrangements
with BurcheIl to enter into a farm
ing partnership in Canada. Bur-
farm near Niagara Falls of 200 acres,
lived in good style, etc, spoke of Melon
aid as his observer. Policy said Burcell
told him that Benwell was a nuisance;
that he would put him on some farm
and get rid of him. enwelI
displayed much money in New
York, changing twenty or twenty
FIVE soverigns. The trip of BurcheIl and
Benwell from Buffalo on the day of the
murder and Barchell's temperance alone
were told. Burchell kept on giving var
ious excuses for not taking PelIey to
the farm. The witness finally
taxed him with false pretenses and got
an answer that Burchell expected to
draw from England and would quickly
start farming. Policy identified the cloth
ing of Burchell and Benwell which was
produced in evidence. He will be on the
stand again tomorrow.