The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1911-04-21
BY oRvILLE GRANT

One evening in the early part of the
last century a man alighted from the
daily mail coach before the Royal
Arms, in Londonderry, Ireland. The
porter took down large trunk, or,
rather, ironbound box such as was
frequently used by travellers in those
days. and carried it into the inn.
The man was dressed in the costume
of the period-a beaver hat, the crown
sloping toward the top; "spiketail'
green coat. with snuff colored knee
breeches, ruffled shirt and shoes with
silver buckles. His face was cleanly
shaven.
The stranger entered his name as Al
gernon Perkins and was assigned to
room No. &c. ON the second floor
Drawing out his wallet, he counted out
100 sovereigns (S500) and deposited
them with the landlord for safe keep
ing. He then went to his room, order
ing his supper to be sent IL to him.
About 10 o'clock the same night 0
man with fiery red beard, beaver
bell crown hat, buff coat with flow.
ing skirt and trousers, recently in
fashion, tight to the skin and strapped
over his instep, entered the same inn
gave his name as David Brough and
called for room,
81 should like my old rooms" he
said, Nos. % and &c"
The landlord failed to remember the
man, but, not caring to admit the fact
told him that No. &c was occupied,
but % was vacant With an express
sion of dissatisfaction at not getting
both rooms he accepted the substitute.
Then he went upstairs.
Later Mr. Brough in his nightshirt
opened his door, called a porter who
was passing through the hall. slipped
n half sovereign into his hand and
said to him:
I'm to go Off in the Royal mail ear
ly in the morning and wish my trunk
to be ready to lift on to the coach.
Carry ii down and leave 1t in the hall
below, near the front door,
The porter pocketed the tip, car
ried the trunk downstairs and placed
it beside the front door. The landlord
who was nodding behind the bar
reused himself and asked what he was
doing. The porter told him that a
gentleman who was going early in the
morning had ordered him to place the
trunk where it would be ready The
landlord soon after took up a candle
and went to his rooms.
AT 8 O'Clock in the morning a milk.
man, stopping at the Royal Arms 10
deliver milk, saw a man with a red
beard emerge from the front door OF
the inn carrying heavy trunk under
the weight of which he staggered and
pass down the street The milkman
delivered the inns morning supply OF
milk and drove away, thinking nc
more OF the matter.
At 10 O'Clock the same morning Q
housemaid reported to the landlord
that the gentleman in 90 had not lef
his room; that she had listened at tn
door without hearing any sound, an,
she believed the room was vacant. TIL
landlord went TO the room with her
knocked and. receiving no reply, kick
ed open the door
The room was found vacant and il
confusion. 1t communicated with No
%, that had been taken by Mr.. Brough
and as no one remembered to have
seen that gentleman since the nigh
before the landlord tapped on the door
between the two rooms. Receiving nc
reply, he opened the door, went into
the room and found that the bed had
not been slept in. Boodstains were
found on the towels.
Subsequently the porter told how he
had been paid large fee by the oc-
cupant of No. % to carry down his
trunk, and the landlord remembered
that No. % had no luggage. Then
came the milkman and told of having
seen a man in buff suit carrying a
trunk out of the inn early in the morn
ing. Lastly the landlord remembered
that he had hundred sovereigns OF
Mr.. Perkins money in his strongbox.
The case excited a great deal of at
tention in the country roundabout
Peculiar circumstances connected with
1t contributed to fire the public curl
osity. Did Mr.. Brough go to the ho-
tel purposely to murder Mr.. Perkins?
Who was Perkins, and who was
Brough? Did Brough get sufficient
amount to pay him for killing a man
and forever after being hunted by the
police and haunted by his conscience?
The favorite theory was that Brough
knew that Perkins had hundred SOW
ereigns on his person; that he had fol-
lowed him to the inn, taken room
communicating with Perkins room,
entered the latter during the night,
murdered Perkins, packed the body
in Perkins trunk and carried 1t away
the next morning. But Brough was
probably unaware that Perkins had
deposited the money with the land
lord and probably after all missed
what he was after.
Since no one knew where Mr..
Brough had gone-and there were no
trained detectives In those days-there
was nothing to do but wait for in
formation to come Of itself. 1t was
learned in few days that gentle
man carrying his own trunk outside
the city had stopped the coach going
northward and been taken on. The
man wore a buff suit and had a red
beard. He was believed to be Brough,