The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1909-03-05

as easily as from Gables Corners- Ths
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
DOS, a letter. As she was going into
the station gate she came face to face
with Lord Somerset, who had been In
Woodstock the year before. and who
had called at the home Of her grand.
father, John Hayward AZ Eastwood.
| Somerset wore an aBtrakhal cap. He
came up to Miss Smith and shook
hands. saying: How do you do?
Don't you remember me?" aud asked
after her family and grandfather He
told Miss Smith he was co ling back
| later. and then bought a ticket for
| Hamilton. Miss Mary Swazic, another
young lady Of Eastwood. also was at
the station for the three o'clock train,
and saw the stranger His trousers
we're 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 al the station and
recognized the so.called Lord somcr'
set
At 1888 the train for Niagara Falls
reached Eastwood and the stranger In
| the fur cap climbed aboard GEORGE
| Hay. a brakeman, saw aad remem'
bcred him distinctly and identified
Birchal positively as the man. Other
witnesses also identified him. their
| evidence covering Birchall's trail up
| 10 his return to the Stafford house.
Buffalo. at $3.50 at night Witnesses
also identified the dead body OF Ben
| well as that Of the young man with
| Birchal on the train TO Eastwood, ana
on the road to the swamp. BirchalL
according TO the detectives deduc'
| lions. had four hours and - minutes
| In which TO walk the four miles from
Eastwood 10 the swamp. DO the muir
| der. and walk back 10 Eastwood Hc
arrived at l1:1i In the morning and
| departed at 1898 In the afternoon. II
| he took three hours TO walk the eight
miles. he still had one hour and a
minutes for the crime. 4.
As a final proof of Brchalls guilt
Murray was advised by the London,
ENGLAND. police that Col Benwell bad
lust 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 Blrchall left Bcnwell dead in
| In the swamp In this letter Birchlll
| asked that $500 be sent him at once,
| adding: Il have been talking to your
son to-day about arrangements, and he
IS so well satisfied with the prospect
here that he is ready to go immediate
ly into the partnership. aud he IL
| writing TO you to-day on the subject"
The $500 asked for was TO be The
FIRST payment on $4,000 which Col.
Benwell was TO send to his son for
pirchell II the farm and prospects
! pleased the youth. Pelly identified
| the body found on February Is as Bon
wells body. and therefore Birchall
could not have been talking to him
TO his father on February 20, Benwcll
was lying cold in death. Having
| found witnesses who identified Biz.
| chall as the bogus Lord Somerset who
| had made frequent visits to Blenheim
swamp the year before. and had
learned The path to Pine Pond, the
lake in the swamp that is supposed to
be bottomlcss, Murray knew that his
case was complete.
Blrchall had embarked In business
as murderer He had deliberately
planned the crimes and fitted himself
for the practice Of his profession.
While masquerading as Lord Somer.
get he had selected the bottomless
lake known a. Pine Pond for the grave
that would tell no tales. The Blen'
helm swamp he marked as the place
OF slaughter He was familiar with
the emigration business, through his
father.in.law'g knowledge OF Il. and
conceived the idea Of taking rich
young men instead of poor immi.
grants He created an imaginative
farm and went back TO England seek
ing victims, but made the mistake OF
taking two instead Of one. Even
then his plans we're well laid. He in.
tended to kill Benwell In the swamp
and shove Pelly into the whirlpool
rapids. Neither body would be found
for he would bury Benwell In the bot
tomless lake and Pelly would vanish
In the rapids. II one of the Bridges
had not slipped in the swamp he
would not have stepped upon Ben
wells body. revealing the crime. Biz
chall had not meant TO leave the body
where anyone could find H. He was
heading for Pine Pond when he slew
Benwell and intended to drag the
body there, but a recent storm had
swept the swamp and choked with de-
bris the path TO the bottomless lake.
With Benwell and Pelly vanished from
of the face Of the earth, Birchall
would have collected through bogus
a.