Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-10-28
WHO Is "THE COLONEL ?"
He Confesscs to Birchall That He MUIR
dered BcnweI.

dered Bcnweii.
The Buffalo Express yesterday printed the
following special dispatch from Woodstock,
! Ont:
On Saturday afternoon last Jailer Cameron
received, with some other letters and papers
addressed to Rex Birchall, the condemned
murderer now lying in the Oxford county Jail,
a letter, the white envelope of which was some
what soiled. The letter was addressed as fol-
lows:
u. R. Birchall, Woodstock Jail, Woodstock,
Ontario, Canada"
| The stamp was affixed on the bottom left
hand corner of the en- velope ard the postmark
jackson, Mich, October "a, 4:30 pm, go,
was in the place usually occupied by the stamp.
There was perhaps nothing unusual about this,
but glancing over the contents Of four pages
OF closely penciled note paper the jallor hur-
| rled to Brchalrs cell to allow him TO read it.
The letter was follows:
AN ALLEGED CONFESSION.
| JACKSON, Mich, Oct. 5, 1890.-To Rex
Well, my dear boy, have been watching you
| ever since that Hateful 18th of February and I
see the Canadians have got you in their
| clutches at last. Well, l must say am sorry
for you, although you know you are partly to
| blame as well me. You no doubt wonder
i
You. You can bet made quick tracks out OF
! Canada and have been around considerable.
| At present l am in Jackson, Mich, where l H.
! tend to stay until about the middle Of this
| month. l won't post this letter until the day
| l leave here for fear that some stray detective
| might get the drop on me. BY the time you
| get this l will be where have naught to fear
| from Canadian or American law. l sec by
some OF. your own statements that you knew
Benwell had revolver. II you had told me
! that he had revolver this business never
| would have happened and you would have
been a free man today. To mako a - long
| story short and bad one ut that let me say
| that as soon as left you began to see 1t was
not going to be an easy job to get that fellow
| settled on a farm for even two weeks or any
rooters with him and don't think / could have
liked 1t any way.
BIRCHALL's FATAL FALsEHoop.
1T would have been easy enough if you had
| not told him that you owned the place. We
struck into that notorious swamp just for fun
| to get shot if we could see anything, and
| while in there tho devil seemed to como over
! me and l told HIM that the whole farm pupil
| business in Canada was swinde, and wanted
| him to chum in, he was well connected in
| the old country. We could all make a big
| thing by using his name and get lot on a
| string, and that what he would lose now would
| soon be made up again.
We'll, Rex, you ought to have seen him.
| Great Scott, didn't he get up steam. He threat
ened 20 shoot me on the spot He would, too,
| if l hadn't drawn my revolver. My blood was
/ up, too. l reasoned with him and did all
| could to get him around, but no go. We talke i
| the matter over for perhaps half or three
quarters of an hour, sometimes quietly, some
times otherwise. At last he jumped up said
| he would expose the whole - lot of Us
| and started for the road. l followed, and
| knowing what exposure would mean l settled
it then and there. Now you know it all.
REGRETS HIS ACT.
81 am sorry did it and never thought OF
getting you into trouble of the kind. You will
now have to forgive me, Rex. His watch and re.
volver one will over again. He did not
! have much money with him. 1 should have
| thought that any - fool OF a lawyer
might see tina: for You to kill him would spoil
your chance Of getting the Doodle. ! do hope
| the Canadian people will treat you fairly and at
| you again and give my address and will expect
| to get letter from you. Please burn this as
soon az you read it and don't give my true
name to anyone. You have kept 1t to yourself
well and thank you. 1t will dosno good now.
| bid you long farewell, but still hope to see
| you this world once more. l hope you are
| prepared for the worst. Tho love of money
| and excitement has caused me much trouble
but hope to do better i'll the days to come.
| GOod-by. Ever yours,
| (SlSneu) IHE COLONEL.
! "P 81 see that 'smarty' we met in Lon.
don last January has been trying to get his say
| in too. II meet him out here nell get dir
ferent box from the one you offered him in the
theater that night, and hell get it just as cheap
! too"
| BIRCHALL SHOWS PLEASURE.
After reading the letter Birchall's face as.
sumed pleased expression and he sent for his
solicitor, S. G. Mckay. Mr. Mckay went to
London and consulted with MIR. Hellmuth
another OF Birchalrs counsel, and it is alto.
gether likely that a reprieve of mouth will be
| asked for at once. Brchalls explanation OF
this letter is to certain extent borne out by
| the facts in that the colonel" between whom,
and BirchaIl certain kilograms or letters have
passed and have been made public. was q pal
of his and that his friend the colonel" was
taking Denweii, the murdered man. up to sec
| Mr.. William Hersee u well known and wealthy
| farmer of Blenhcim, who, for a consideration,
| was to let on that Birchall owned the farm they
| were going to Birchall says he knows the
colonel" but also says no will not divulge his
| name.
The letter appears to be genuine. 1t will be
! noticed that although dated October it was
not mailed until October "a. Friday last. Tho
| question will now present itself, who is the
] "colonel?"