Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-03-09
THE BENWELL TRAGEDY.
We're Two FOrtune-Hunters
Lured to Death?
ANOTHER ENGLIsHMAN MISSING
Burchell Found Guilty of Murder.
Mrs. Burchell an Accessory
After the Fact.
Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD.

After the Fact.
Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD
WooDsT oCK, Ont, March S.-New ant
sensational developments are cropping
up in connection with the Benwel
tragedy, and the question now is whether
there nave not been at least two victims
Two or three years ago young English
man, Neville II. Pickthall, came here
purchased q farm six miles south o
town, and about four months ago mar.
ried the daughter of a minister. On
February 10Th Pickthall raised 81 900 on
a mortgage on his farm and left here
saying to his wife: 81 am going tc
double this money before come back.
He was seen at Niagara Falls that night
and said he was going to New York tc
meet his sister. The testimony in the
Burchell examination showed that he
reached New York and there met the
Burchells. Since then no trace of him
has been found, nor any word received
from him. The theory now is that he
was enticed to New York by Burchell
with the expectation of making large
sum OF money, and was put out of the
way for the money he carried with him.
THE BENwELL INQUEST.
PRINCETON, Ont, March S.-The in
sumed this morning. Pelley, the young
man who accompanied Benwell and
Burchell to. this country, told the story
of his acquaintance with Burchell and
Benwell, much as he did at Niagara
Falls.
The Coroner's jury rendered verdict
finding that Benwell came to his death
at the hands of Reginald Burchell, aud
they implicate his wife as having guilty
knowledge of the crime after its COM
mission.
THE EVIDENCE AGAINST BURCHELL.
Burchell was arraigned at Niagara
Falls last Tuesday and pleaded not
guilty. Young Pelley testified that
Burchell had told him what nice place
Pine Pond was, and that he would drive
him ont to it during the summer in q
fourin-hand. Pine Pond is near the
place where Benwell's body was found.
"Burchell told me-" continued the wit
ness, "that Benwell gave him the KEYS
OF his trunks in order to pass Benwell's
baggage"
A detective testified that Burchell said
lac could not recognize Benwell' 3 clothing
from photographs taken after death,
while Policy quickly recognized them
and said that they were made of odd
material, and that any person could not
be mistaken about them.
George Hay, Grand Trunk brake
man, swore that he saw the prisoner on
Monday at Eastwood station, near the
scene of the murder. His trousers were
turned up at the bottom and his shoes
covered with mud.
Burchell was remanded to Jail to await
the result of the Coroner's inquest at
Princeton.
MRS. BURCHELL ARRAIGNED.
Mrs. Burchell was then arraigned as
an accessory to the crime, and the mag
istrate informed her that he had been
instructed by the Attorney General of
Ontario to remand her for seven days.
Her counsel protested against the Attor.
ney- y-General's interference, and Mrs.
Burchell wept. A consultation was held
and the prisoner allowed to remain at q
hotel under police surveillance to enable
her counsel to interview the Attorney
General and see if bail could be arranged.
The Attorney General refused to accept
bail and ordered that she continue under
guard.
Mrs. Burchell is looked upon by the
people as being an innocent woman, and
as having been duped into marriage with
Burchell.
CAN SHE BE PUNISHED?
Pelley believed Mrs. Burchell knew of
the plot conceived by her husband to de-
fraud Benwell, and that she was part
ner in the fraud. There was little differ
ence of opinion among the jurors as to
the question of guilt, the only question
being whether or not a verdict should be
given in the absence of the prisoners.
That portion of the verdict finding Mrs.
Burchell accessory after the fact, is crit
icised. Under the law of Canada, wife
cannot be punished for shielding her
husband, and it is asserted, therefore,
Mrs. Burchell cannot be made an acces.
sorry after the fact in the general sense OF
the term.
THE POLICE HAVE THEORY.
The New York Worlds correspondent
at Niagara Falls, working on the Ben
we'll case, says that the Dominion police
have theory that in England there is
an association of some kind which makes
ill-gotten gains by preying upon credu
lous young Enlishmen, younger sons and
youths in quest of building up fortunes
mostly, and inducing them under very
much the same pretexts by which Burcb.
ell is said to have lured Benwell an6
Pelley hither to seek a new world
The supposition is that there is middle
man in London, with agents in his en-
ploy, and that these agents bring young
fellows whom they are to dupe. Fol
two or three years, in some British
newspapers, advertisements have beer
appearing to the effect that young meI
in search Of good living might find it In
the Dominion. 1t was such an adver
tisement in the London Standard thai
three or four months ago caught Pelley't
eye. That advertisement was Burch
ellis, and it evidently caught Benwell az
well.
Big Enterprise.
ST.. PAUL, March S.-A big deal II
creameries is learned by the Pioneel
- J. II .$es srxyfIl ff,I