Woodruff County news., 1909-03-04

l less than two miles or Eastwood and
 he could get to Woodstock from tbero
 as easily as from Gables Corners. The
 man thanked him and walked on to.
 ward Eastwood at a rapid pace
 At three o'clock Miss Alice Smith
 arrived at the Eastwood station to
 post letter. As she was going into
 the station gate she came face to faca
 with Lord Somerset, who had been in
 Woodstock the year before, and who
 had called at the home of her grand.
 father, John Hayward at Eastwood | Somerset wore an astrakhan can. He
 came up to Miss Smith and shook | hands, saying: How do you dop
 Don't you remember me?" and asked
 after her family and grandfather. He l told Miss Smith he was coming back
 later, and then bought a ticket for
 Hamilton. Miss Mary Swazie, another
 young lady of Eastwood, also was at
 the station for the three o'clock train
 and saw the stranger His trousers
 were turned up and his shoes were
 muddy. Miss Ida Cromwell of East
 wood also saw him at the station
 James Hayward, an Eastwood store
 keeper, saw him at the station and
 recognized the so-called Lord Somer set.
 At 3:3S the train for Niagara Falls reached Eastwood and the stranger in the fur cap climbed aboard. George Hay, a brakeman, saw and remem. bered him distinctly and identified Birchall positively as the man. Other witnesses also identified him, their evidence covering Birchan's trail up to his return to the Stafford house, Buffalo, at S:30 at night Witnesses also identified the dead body of Ben we'll as that of the young man with Birchall on the train to Eastwood and on the road to the swamp, Birchall | according to the detectives deduc- tions, had four hours and "A minutes in which to walk the four miles from Eastwood to the swamp, do the mur- der. and walk back to Eastwood He l arrived at 11:14 in the morning and | departed at 3:3S in the afternoon. If he took three hours to walk the eight miles, he still had one hour and "A minutes for the crime.
 As final proof of Birchalls guilt, Murray was, advised by the London
 England, police that Col Benwell had just received from Birchall an undat ed letter, headed with the address of Niagara Falls. The postmark revealed | it's date as February 20, three days after Birchal left Benwell dead in Il,.. asked that $500 be sent him at once, adding: q have been talking to your son to-day about arrangements, and he is so we'll satisfied with the prospect
 here that he is ready to go immediate ly into the partnership, and he is
 writing to you to-day on the subject
 The $500 asked for was to be the first payment on $2500 which Col. | Benwell was to send to his son for l Pirchell if the farm and prospects
 pleased the youth Pelly identified the body found on February IS as Ben wells body. and therefore Birchall could not have been talking to him on February 20 Instead of writing to his father on February 20, Benwell was lying cold in death. Having found witnesses who identified Blr- chall as the bogus Lord Somerset, who had made frequent visits to Blenhelm swamp the year before, and hau learned the path to Pine Pond, the lake in the swamp that is supposed to be bottomless, Murray knew that his case was complete.
 Birchall had embarked in business as a murderer. He had deliberately planned the crimes and fitted hlmseH
 for the practice of his profession While masquerading as Lord Somer- set he had selected the bottomless lake known as Pine Pond for the grave that would tell no tales. The Blen helm swamp he marked as the place of slaughter. He was familiar Wlth the emigration business, through his father-in-law's knowledge of 1t, and conceived the idea of taking rich young men instead of poor 1mml' grants. He created an imaginative farm and went back to England seek ing victims, but made the mistake ot taking two instead of one. Even then HIS DldIlS WSlC NOiA ietiN' 'AS A- tended to kill Benwell in the swamp and shove Pelly into the wh1rlpooi
 rapids. Neither body would be found
 for he would bury Benwell in the pot
 tomless lake and Peliy would Vanlsh
 in the rapids. If one of the EiTldgeS
 had not slipped in the swamp ne
 would not have stepped upon Ben
 wells body, revealing the crime. BIT chall had not meant to leave the Dodl
 where anyone could find it. He was | heading for Pine Pond when he slew Benwell and intended to drag the | body there, but recent storm hau swept the swamp and choked with ue bris the path to the bottomless laNe With Benwell and Pelly vanished rom
 off the face of the earth, Blrcha'
 would have collected through bogus letters to the fond parents the sum | still due from his victims and then