Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-09-27
LIKE THE PRELLER CASE.
The Crime For Which Reginald Birch
all 10 Being Tried.


celebrated Maxwell-Preller case Of ST. Louis
few years ago. The Woodstock correspond
ent OF the Baltimore American has selected sew
eral Of these points Of similarity and laid them
| side By side. Maxwell, il will be remembered.
murdered his friend Preller for the money he
had on his person. Birchall, the defendant in
the Woodstock trial. 10 accused of numbering
his friend Benwell for substantially the same
reason. Maxwell was the son Of an English
clergyman. Birchall is the son Of an English
clergyman. In both Maxwell and Birchall the
predominant points CT character seem to be u
capacity for glib, plausible lying and fippant
| species OF vanity combined with q degree OF
celd-blcoded, hesrtiess cruelty, which enabled
them to carry to relentless comp ietion schemes
OF murder sc deliberately planned and .oolly
carried on: tnat they would hardly como within
the range Of contemplation Of tho ordinary
criminal
KAxwELL's VICTIM
was chance acquaintance, which developed
into friendship, formed on a transatlantic
steamer. Birchslls was a chance acquaint-
ance, which became o friendship, formed
through the medium of an advertisement in a
London newspaper. Both victims and both
muruerers were young men in good social
position In their native country, and all had
the advantages Of education and refined home
surroundings Maxwell chloroformed his vic
tim in a room of the Southern Hotel in st.
Louis; Birchall lured his to q lonely swamp
and there blew his brains out-at least, that u
tho accusation.
STORY OF BIRcHALL's CRIME.
Birchall was born in the town Of Church,
Lancashire, England, and is twenty Five years
old. His father. the Rev. Joseph Birchall, was
for years rector of Church Kirk and rural dean
OF Whalley. He was man Of wealth and was
one OF the best-knowu clergymen in Lanca-
shire. He died in 1873 Reginald was his son
by his second wife. who 10 still living From
his father Reginald inherited some property,
although he was the youngest son. He was
educa ted at Harrow and went to Oxford, whore
he earned reputation as q hard drinker and
gambler.
After leaving Oxford he went to London and
won the affections Of daughter Of Mr.. David
Stevenson, general traffic manager Of the Lon
don and Northwestern railway, and her father
objertiLg, they eloped and married He went
| to Canada and paraded as Lord Somerset, and
1t Woodstock vent the old dreaiy round of
| swiL diing tradesmen and the standard group
OF social idiots upon whom tramps OF the
Birchaii brand continually Trey.
He went oack to England ard there he seems
to havs blocked out in rough outline the gen.
eral features OF his great crime. After q num-
Der ofefforts to satisfy himself he wrote the
following advertisement, which he had in
serted IN the London dailies:
COMPREHENSIVE MAN HAVING FARM
wishes to meet genlienans son to live with him
have Iu1 10 wiin view 70 mnst
cent interest till partnership arranged: highest ref.
srences.
HE MEETS BRNwRLL.
1t was In September OF last year that this ad-
vertisement appeared. He received many let
tiers, but with only two of his correspondents
did he do business. These two were Douglas
Raymond Pelly of Walden Place, Saffron Wal
Iieut Col RenvslI of IsanItdono Chai,anha,n
RirchaII wont no nee both tha Pill and a..
| BenveIl families. and on botb he made . favor.
| able IMPRESSION. He had. he said q far,o ono
| mile from Niagara Falls in CanaSa On wh;ch
| there was a large brick house. heated by steam
ana many barns ali lighted by electricity. He
was engaged IN Duying horses IN the rough and
RaIIv anS voun, pe~-aI, LA .ha ,., nns =
hotb FILL hnJ;irs 80 ~ an. 'nD Raf.mS ~ ~
nav s17o for wbich he U.s tn .o.o;va sxuausos
hoard and loao;nn ~ ,ha go 60, .,ipJ oSir
mar cent ;nterest On tho nrot;,s ~ th. hns;nas:s
RenweII vas 70 90 ont v,th pirch III saa ho.
he liked The hns;noSs snd - - .n;tad %;,, Nv to
nav Zoo t so1 %aT ;n,a nn u; .h n'
~ . - - $500 ~ ,0
THE CRISIS IN bIRoHALLs PLANS
| was now at hand. He had led his two victims
| across the Atlantic, and he had brought them
located his MYTHICAL stock farm, Not one word
| of what bo had told than vas trne Ne bad NJ
| stock. he had no farm. he had nothing in Tho
world gave the relics of Pelly,s fi70 in hi.
| Docket and the clothes IN his hack Tho proh-
| lem before him was how 10 Get rid NJ his dpnos
| Did he pian. and had he MANNED from the frst
| 20 lure them OF separately one nj n time. and
murder and rob them? Or did he mean onlv IN
give them the ain and ienve than tn sb;ft for
themselves. and was the subsequent murder Of
Benwell the deed Of some one else mraculousIy
coincident with his (Birchalrs) appearance near
. . scene OF sns mutaer1 Or, birchaii did
the nroare.s ~ amar.o, ~ az ann L o ~. ~
| a dI;hsrats,v njsnnsd snd r-smaJ;ta,sS . .ua
These 90 ths 6pmastion. 81. to-, III, ~ .mI
| mon 70 dec;ds '~1' WAN '' '"AeU
~F
| SihohALLs CONTRADICTORY sToRiEa
The story OF the crime as detailed by the
prosecution in the opening is as follows: Birch
ali lift BuffaIo with Renws,l IN IN. ,,orr;no -,
Februarv ~ and after an ahsanca ~ Tn 80.
| returnei 70 NIAGARA EaIIs .Iona IL Gaaan..
At Eastwood On Febrnarv tx nv sexara, $1,000.
| altbonoh he den;a. ha;na tbs,e H. IA a.
officers that he rsceiysd It,. ,ro,, 1n snE
dated Iondon Fehruarv 10 ;noios;n as;e.
for his haocaae and asl;ng hin, 20 49, !. n,s
of bond RenSaiI vss n,nrdaraa ~, Tab-vov
| ~ hetveen The hours ~ 70 md . o,n,ooI au ~
could not have ,r;ttan srnh 80. ~, n;L
| ali has been pnshia IN rroduca !. u toIH ~.
ofscar. that RenwaII "a Jre.ssa a. .,,;. ~
bins an Eahrnsrv ~ hms paiIn s-nrs .Sottn
vora The cIothas fonnd an AZ I'D ~ a.
swarm RirchsIi rsnt nroSraaIv ~ hc.;na -.
frontad v;th tba h"dr u ~ s"r ~ uo.ux u4n,
and uro.S s1nsd;t;oU ~ hunt;ua SoIu tSn
mnraersr ua "a ny. - -a.a L.. uo~ .u sns
or susn;o;,,. H. an,.;.. 80 cOoL "'..sseo
$3.50 pI;s o 0ouuou " LaAo s's.o