Bridlington and Quay Gazette. — 1890-10-04 (Bridlington, Humberside, England)

THE BENWELL MURDER.  The Bentsen reorder trial It Woodetoek, in Canada, has resulted in the conviction and sentonee of the murderer. No other verdict was possible without a miscarriage of justioe, and the sentence  of death follows as the inevitable penalty for the crime committed. The trial, as our readers are aware, has lasted more than a week, and has excited an exceptional degree of interest. It has done so rather from the circumstances surrounding the murder than from any special brutality in the crime itself. For some considerable time past here have been reports of. the mysterious dis''' •  appearance of young well-to-do English eettlers in Canada, and in February last the diaappearsnee of [ the eon of an English Colonel named Berman rstrived the suspicion of foul play. This suspicion was strengthened by the finding of a body two or three days afterwards in a swamp near Eastwood, and was enbaequently fully confirmed by the [ identification of the body at that of Seawall. The discovery and identification of the body placed the police on the treat of the murderer, and a few days Ilater a young fellow named Birchen was placed under arrest. It wee known that the two men had I been in company with each other for some weeks previous to the dieappearance of Benwell, and the Istory which grsdaelly unrolled itself disclosed • [cold blooded crime—first of deception, and then of murder perpetrated by Birehall that he might possess himself of the capital which the father of ,Benwell was prepared to advance to place his son 11 on s farm in Canada. Birchen, it appears, got I into communication with Colonel Benwell, and ultimately induced him to send out his son, on the I rePreeentation that, in sioneequenee of a diaagreexnent with his brother, he (Birchen) could place [ him adrantageouely out farm in Ontario. Benwell was sent out on this understanding, accompanied ,by another young Englishman named Pally, and 11 they were received on their arrival by Birchen and his wife, who had been recently married. The party stayed at the same hotels, and travelled I together to Niagara Falls, Birehall and Seawall occupying a good deal of their time in the suspicious recreation of trying to imitate each other's signatures. On the morning of the 17th of February, the two men left Niagara Falls together, I and travelled rid Hamilton to Eastwood. There they left the train and proceeded in the direction of • well.known swamp. A few hours later Birchen returned alone, and on reaching his hotel told Polly that Benwell had decided to retuni to England, and had left him, desiring him to forward hie baggage. The etstement nerved its purpose until Benwell's body wee found, when it wee proved to be false. It ' then transpired that in the interval between the Iwo men leaving Eastwood Station and Birehell's return alone, two shots had been beard in the direction of the swamp. The body was found on the diet of February, and a poet-mortem examination showed that death bad been caused by two bullet wounds at the bare of the skull. The chain of evidence against Bizoliall became stronger and stronger as it was followed up, and the only defence which coed be suggested woe that raised at the trial, namely, that Benwell was murdered by a stranger, and that his body wee carried to the e wimp after the crime. It Wee a feeble defence, negatived by the fact that Birchen was found in possession of property belonging to the murdered man, and had eought, by false representations and a forged signatare. to induce Colonel Benwell to send him money required for the completion of the alleged purchase. The duty of the jury was evident, and, notwithstanding the eloquent appeal of the prisoner'e counsel, they discharged their duty by returning a verdict of guilty. It was • just verdict, and the pinalty has been fully merited.—Leede Mercury.