Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1890-09-26
oPESING \ GREAT TRIAL.
The Celebrated HurchaII- Renweu Case
Called in Ontario.

The Celebrated EurchaII- Rcnweu Case
Called in Ontario.
WooDsToCK, Ont, Sept. 22-Wl, .. 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
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 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 outrivaI the widest
work of fiction, and which was planned
and executed with consumate coolness
that is personihed in the man.
One of the strongest points made by the
cunsel for the crown was in reading "A letter
from Burchcl to Col BenweIl which he had
not hitherto made public In it Burchcll
says III part: He (BenwelD has decided
to join me as has found all satisfactory, !
think we shall make a good business to-
gcther 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 10y this post"
The letter also gave "A minute descrip-
tion how to send money and said that
subsequent letters would be typewriter.
The queen S counsel Osler said this plainly
showed motive for the murder as Col
Benwell was to pay five hundred pounds
if his son became satisfied with
the farm. OsIcr arso claimed it was
! Burchell's scheme to send the
ype-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
McDonald'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 Sl2j bonus and the agent 53j
| Mcdonald cont. addicted himself
good deal He admitted that Ford
| Rathbone & Co. wrote that Burchell COM
! planned that Mcdonald was swindling
| English farm pupils. Douglas Raymond
Peley, young Englishman who accom-
panied the Burchel- BenweIl party to this
country, testified as to his arrangements
| with BurChelI to enter into a farm
ing partnership in Canada. Bur
| chell had told him that he had a
farm near Niagara Falls of 200 acre
lived in good style, etc, spoke of McDon
aid as his observer. Pelley said Burcell
! told him that BenweIl was 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
BenweIl from Buffalo on the day Of the
murder and Burehells temperance alone
were told. BurchelI kept on giving var
| ious excuses for not taking Pelley to
the farm The witness finally
taxed him with false pretenses and got
an answer that Burchel expected TO
draw from England and would quickly
start farming. Pelley identified the cloth
ing Of Burcheil and Benwel which was
produced in evidence He will be on the
stand again tomorrow.