The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-12-25
A CRIME ON THE LINE.
AN EMBELLISHMENTS STRANGE AD-
VENTURE ON THE CABS.


Time. But the Murdsrer's Face
Haunted Him Even After He Had
sobered Up-The Jury Disagreed,
But the Man Was Convicted by q
Vision.
About five miles from the London term
mus, the treck-walker, swinging his lantern
over the rails, came upon the manRled body
Of man who had apparently fallen or had
been thrown from e passing train. and run
over, as he lay there by a succeeding train,
or who had been walking on the line con-
trary to all railway rules, and had thus
been overtaken by swift death. 1t might
have been q case of suicide, for there was
no money on his person and nothing to
establish his identity. Still, the fact that
he was well-dressed made the absence Of
money, watch or papers. indicate murder
rather than self-deStruction. The body was
found few minutes after II o'clock on the
night Of the 9th. On the afternoon Of the
2Sth the body was identified.
The victim was Alexander Rogers, a re-
spectacle merchant who lived at Branton, a
suburb about twelve miles from London.
No reason can be discovered why he should
have committed suicide, and when he lett
his Office on the 27th he had both money
and watch. He had been kept late that
might and it had been his intention To take
the O'Clock express, which did not stop until
Sc came to Brenton.
At the inquest one of the station men at
Brenton SAID that when he closed the doors
OF the train, as it stood at Brenton Station,
ehere was one empty tirst-class compartment
which had both doors open. He had stepped
Sn and closed the door farthest from
be Iaff ut Nu iah
stopped; after which he closed the
other door. He thought nothing of the
circumstances at the time. because the door
might have been opened by the passenger
who left that compartment, under the ims
preston that the train was going to stop at
The opposite platform. The o'clock express
sometimes stopped at the side
platform, depending on whether
che S;35 down was late or on
time He had noticed no signs OF strug-
zle In the compartment. Mr. Rogers held
. frst-class season ticket He thought some
one must have come out OF that cor1part
snent at Brenton, otherwise the door on the
platform side would not have been opened.
verdict Of murder against some person
or persons unknown was brought in and the
body of the unfortunate man was buried.
The day after the verdict was rendered and
the day it was published in the morning
papers Jones Grant Of Brenton presented
himself at Scotland Yard and told an
extraordinary story. He was travelling on
the 9 o'clock express on the night of the
9th. The night was very dark. Shortly
after they left the terminus he noticed by
the increasing noise that they were running
parallel with another train. He looked Out
on the left hand side and saw that the ex-
press was running faster than the other
train and that the carriages of the latter
were gradually falling behind There
was nothing very strange about this, for
frequently as many as three trains ran
parallel TO each Others as far as the juno
zion, seven miles out. Suddenly his atten-
tion was arrested by a struggle in a oar |
riage. He could not be sure whether it was |
q first, second or third-class compartment, |
but he knew it was in a carriage near the |
engine. He sprang to the window, but |
Just as he did so the door Of the carriage !
opened and one OF the men fell out He |
could not identify the man who fell, as his |
back was toward him, but he got full |
view of the murderer, and could never for |
get his face At the came moment the muir |
derer saw him and dropped back into his |
seat, without closing the door. Mr.. Grant |
then gave description OF the murderer so |
minute that the police seemed TO recognize |
the person described.
When asked why he did not come for |
ward next day and tell what he had seen, |
or why he did not at least put in an appear |
ance at the inquest, Grant hesitated. At |
him. and was all 80 vague with the excep- |
ton of the face of the murderer that he had |
some reluctance about coming forward. He |
knew the carriage was near the front of the |
train, for a moment after the man was |
thrown out they passed the engine.
The police at once made inquiries after a |
desperate named Wallace, whom thew |
recognized by Mr.. Grants description. IL |
was found that he had not been at his usual |
haunt since the 9th. His description was |
autographed all over the country, and in a |
few days Wallace was arrested near the !
coast. making his way on foot toward !
Southampton. He was well supplied with |
money. but there was no watch upon him
or anything else that could be identified as
belonging TO the murdered man. The police |
were confident that he was the murderer,
but when the trial came on they had no new |
evidence against him, and every thing de-
pended on how the Judge and jury looked |
on Grants testimony.
Grant repeated his story In substantially |
the same words he had used at Scotland |
Yard, but he went all 30 pieces on cross
examination.
''Why did you not come forward at once |
with this extraordinary story Of yoursF'
because was not quite sure that what |
saw was an actual occurrence"
Why are you sure now"
II have thought over the matter since. |
The name face made great impression on |
me at the time"
al can only come to one conclusion re- |
garding your evidence, that is, presuming
You are truthful man, l therefore ask YOU
If you were sober on the night of the 27th."
The witness hesitated. AT last he said,
II was not drunk
"Answer my question, II you please.
Were you sober when you saw this remark
able vision"
''Not exactly"
''What do you mean by not sxsctly?"
81 was at dinner that evening, and there
was the usual quantity of wine drunk.
left at $50 O'Clock IN hanson. Twas not
intoxicated, but l had been drinking"
"You were in that happy state between
sobriety and drunkenness"
81 suppose So"
HAS it not occurred to you that a mans
life or death hangs on what you supposed
you saw while In that condition."
The witness did not answer.
'You are positive that a train ran along
side OF the 9 O'Clock express on the night Of
the 27thp
Yea
"You swear thatp'
al do"
Would it shake your confidence IL l were
to prove that no train ran part of the way
~ - 81 Il