Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1890-09-25

OPENING A GREAT TRIAL.
The Celebrated ACKNOWLEDGMENT case
Called in Ontario.

WOODSTOCK, Ont., sept zZ.- w iln INC
marvellous nerve that has characterized
his every action since his arrest and has
made him the wonder of all who have
come iu contact with him. John Reginald
Burchall 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 dismal swamp
near the village of Princeton on February
18th last. His bearing vas 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
cunsel for the crown was in reading a letter
from Burchell to Col Benwell which he had
not hitherto made public . In it Burchell
says in part: "Ie (BenwelD has decided
to join me as has found all satisfactory, |
think we shall make a good business to-
gether The books show good profit
last year. The best way it TO place the
money in our joint hands Your son is, |
think, writing by this post. y
The letter also gave minute descrip-
ton how to send money and said that
subsequent letters would be typewriter.
The queen S counsel Oser 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
! Burchells scheme to send the
type-written letter to Col Benwel as
coming from his son and to bleed the
father. The first witness was VIM. Me-
Donald, who said that Burchell came tc
him as a pupil of the farm, being then
known as F. A. Somerset. He stopped at
McDonald's farm one day and then went
to Woodstock, saying he was not
brought up to such work. Mcdonald Is
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 Sl25 bonus and the agent s35.
Mcdonald contradicted himself a
good deal. He admitted that Ford
lsGthbone & Co. wrote that Burchell com
planned that Mcdonald was swindling
English farm pupils. Douglas Raymond
Policy, young Englishman who accom-
panied the Burchell- Benwell party to this
country. testified as to his arrangements
with Burchell to enter into farm
ing partnership in Canada. Bur
chell had told him that he had a
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. b enwell
displayed much money in New
York, changing twenty or twenty
five soverigns. The trip of Burchell and
Benwell from Buffalo on the day Of the
murder and Burchel's temperance alone
were told Burchell kept on giving var
ious excuses for not taking Policy 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. Pelley identified the cloth
ing of Burchell and Benwell which was
produced in evidence. He will be on the
stand again tomorrow.
~,