Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-09-25

court opening Nt ITO % 'l''h 0fii ~ A''
prisoner had slept well and was up ~ time
To- perform hs usual careful toilet before
boug called 10 face the Judge and jury for
ihe day. He was ready and waiting for
the deputy sheriff when the latter arrived.
IL ha. been reported that Birchall is hand
cufed ou the way 10 and from the court
ROOM bat such IS not the case. he ls the
ou-etcst. most easy-cong prisoner any
laller eyer had O. 90 with and neither
complains nor gives trouble IN any way.
There Was the usual great crowd at the
Town HAIL entrance 10 see hm pass. and
hrs appearance was warmly criticised by
many.
TWO PATHS.
Birchall has raised up IN the community
two clearly defined partics-one IN his Ia
gor and The other against him. The latter
PARTY are the more numerous and they are
having their own way pretty well during
the presentation Of the case for the prose
cutiou. hut the prisoners friends are stall
vart and arc quite convinced either that
helsinnooeut or that 10 viii bee impossible
to prove him guilty. There was great
crowd in the courtroom. including over q
hundred ladies. TIE prisoners. wife ana
--.trr-iu -luW were not present, Mrs. blirh-
ull being too nervous and III 10 stand the
strain of watching the court proceedings.
STORY OF THE CRIME.
4 briof reeifp. of the case is rs follows +:
On February DIST last the body OF young
man was found In tine Princeton CAM
.wgmp with two hul'et-wounds IN the
head. he hal been shot from behind. At
first there seemed 10 be- 10 clue 90 ms
identity. The plans of the murderer We're
s, ineoniU.lv lud and so sbiliully exc
cutod that but for one slight circumstance
Identification would have been nearly I'M
possible.
The murderer had partly undresscd his
victim and neatly cut from his clothing the
name oi the woarer. and then after riilng
the pockets OF their contents. quietly de-
parted. thinking he had destroyed every
thing that could Pee used 10 identity the
fueud.ess and unknown young man whom
he had cntIced 10 this lonely spot ana sAot
down in cold blood.
SILENT WITNESS.
When the victim fell. however, his cigar
case flew from his breast pocket andlodged
iu the snow half under a small dead sap
pliuo. whose branches spread over the
Ground. The murderer overlooked tins
silent witness. and 1t was found by the
detectives. On ID was the name +. &.
BeuwcU." Following up tins clew the Of
fcers arrested Brcnall at Niagara Fails,
whore he had his preliminary eNaminaiion'
and was formally indicted for murder IN
the first degree.
INTENSE INTEREST N THE CASE.
There is intense interest in the case and
Woodstock is full of strangers. he court.
room cannot accommodate one tenth OF
fhe peoplc who desire admittance. The
ablcst legal talent n the country IS en-
RACED in the case. For the prosecution
Nlr. Cartwright. Crown attorney, IS the
leader. assisted by Benjamin Il. Osler; FOR
the defence Mr.. Blackstock, reputed one
ri the ablest criminal lawyers IN Canada;
is leader. assisted 10y lsldor hellmuth anu
Nj. Finkle.
THE POsT-MoRTRM EXAMINATION.
Evidence as 10 the pos-morien exami-
nation of Benwcll occupied the session NJ
to recess.
Or. TAYLOR. the physician who was called
iu 10 see Benwelis body when 1T WAS iouno
I'M the swamp, was the INST witness. Ht
testified that the clothing was frozen e
The ground. In view of the attempt which
the defence Is expected TO make o. rove
that the body dld not lie IN the swamp
dnrlno the storm Of February 18th, the day
when Benwell was killed. DR.. Taylor wa
INFINITELY examined as 10 the condition OF
the ho1r He said ne believed that whct
fouud II had lam less than seven DAYS n
the swamp. possibly four. He described
the wounds and expressed the opinion tina
il was imposslble that they could have beer
self-inilicted.
THE THEORY OF SUICIDE.
The cross-examinatlou Of DR.. Taylor anf
DIR. Welford. who followed him, was dI
rectsd towards the theory of suicide. Dr
TAYLOR became somewhat confused undel
me concentration of Mr.. BlQckstock
a. I..F.a In fINH a.
the witness that since the event he hal
Soen reading up with reference to corpses
and the witnesses statements OF to-day
,rcre much fuller than any he had glyeI
Leforo. Another point brought out IN th'
cross- examination. of which the prisoner
connsel made good use, was that the shr
nn the body did not indicate that 10 haI
/ lain out in a storm such as prevailed OF
! the night after Benwell disappeared. I've
I or three other minor points 'ehueu 10 th'
advantage of the prisoner g.
Fifteen witness were SNau'ihsyu al,el
( recese One was Conner Odea. OF Toronto
an expert in handwrltins; VINO p tJi'lheo
/ that Tho letters identified by feiley a
written bv Birchall aud the famous lette
written To Colonel Benwell, father OF th
/ victim in this tragedy, were III the san
Chief Young. Of the Niagara police, ties
tined 10 the arrest of Birohall. The MAJ
Was in bed when arrested. lie arose Thei
told he was arrested. asking no eApiana
ton and making no complaint. ne ac'e
| as If he knew for what be was arre9lot;
| When the court rose, at o.eiVoSi NV INV,
was great crowd TO see birchail cor,
out. lie passed through staring crown
without seeming discounted.
IMPORTANT DISCOVERY.
An important discovery in the blren IA
ease was made to-day by Government ~
tectiye Murray. ii Will be remeh oeIT
| that a sensation WAS made after benweh
| body was identified by the discovery :
the entry IF. G. Benwell" on the reglste
| OF the Commercial Hotel, BTahtis9rr,'
under date of January 18th. IN
coincidence OF the names was -
markable, and BirchalPs lawyers rene
| upop the circumstance in shaking u
Crowns case. To-day Archibald nun
and Baird Murray, both living at bran
ford nj the time of the murder, confesss
"a detective Murray that the entry W.
made for lark. Two fictitious entIl'
were made, one IF. G. Benwell. Bristo
England and the other -. ". Roger
| Enrope.D Thisis considered TO be nea'
hIow for the defendant.