Liverpool Weekly Courier. — 1893-02-11 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

LOVERS STRATAGEM.  SINGULAR PROCEEDINGS OF A DISAPPOINTED YOUTH.  A special correspondent of the Press Association, telegraphing from Basingstoke, says t—The local police have succeeded in solving a so-called railway mystery on the Southwestern Railway, and what at first looked like a sensational waredy turns out to be but an eccentric freak, spiced with an element of romance. The first report from Southampton stated that on Tuesday morning a mail train to Landon wars found at Basingstoke to have one oompartment empty with the carriage strewn with luggage, a diacherpred rev Aver, and bloodstains on the stilts and floor, while two gentlemen, who had left Southampton in it, ware missing. It appears that upon the mail train from Portsmouth palling up at Basing, stoke station a few minutes paw two o'clock in ' th• morning, a young man was seen to hurriedly 1 throw open the door of a third-claw compartment and jump on to the platform. He quickly moved towards the suliwity, but returned, and made some inquiries from a policeman as to where he could put up for the night. The officer accompanied the traveller to the Railway Hotel, and there secured a bed for him. In the meantime the night inspector of the railway company had noticed upon the rack of the carriage which the young man bad vacated a brown leacher bag, and as there was no one else in the compartment to wham the bag could belong, the officer removed It, and subsequently conveyed it scrum to the hoteL The passenger, however, declared that it was not his, and added that he knew nothing about it. Thereupon the bag was taken back to the railway station, but the circumstances being regarded as auspicious the_police were communicated with. As a result Police-sergeant Courtney, at five o'clock in the morning, proceeded to open the bag and examine the content.. He found it to couriin a six-chambered revolver, three chambers of which were loaded, and one had evidently been recently discharged. There were slight bloodstains upon the revolver, upon • couple of books, and some letters and papers, and also upon the bottom of the bag. In the opinion of the police the case looked very euapicious, and Setgeent Courtney next proceeded to the hotel, where he found the suppoued owner of the bag and its contents in bed. In reply to the officer, the young man admitted that be bad come from Portemeuth by the mail train, but he meet resolutely disclaimed ownership of the bag. On being asked for his name and address, he replied that he was Christopher Brown, of Soothe's, and that he was of no occupation. The officer told hen that it was all very suspicious, that there warno other passenger in the compartment, and thith he most rise, dress, and go to the police station. He at once complied, at the same time saying he had not been alone in the oorupertnient, a man with a poodle dog having travelled part of this way from Portsmouth. From letters in the beg,two of which were stuck together with clotted blood, the police came to the conclusion that the name of the mysterjous person was Charles Berridge, fish merchant, of Portsmouth, and telographic communication was opened up with the Chief-constable of that borough. The result of the , inquiries was that the young man in detention gave way to teara and admitted that he was Burridge, and that the bag was his, and went on to explaio that hie conduct had been inspired by a desire to creak, the impression that he had committed suicide. He told of IL love affair, which, owing to pecuniary reasons he new no way of bringing to a coneurnmatioo,anci said he thought if he got clear away, leasing his luggage behind him in the train, the young lady to whom he was attached, and also his relatives, would have regirdecl him as dead. He was a fishmonger by trade, and on leaving Portsmouth had gorse it out that he was about to purchase a businsee at Swindon, but knowing that this was beyond hie power be had devised a plan which he thought would enable him to lie low for a time. It appeased that there watt no money in the batt,but £l6 was found in his powerseion. While making the above contemner] the young men omitted to say anything to amount for the presence of blood, though he admitted haring putchseed the revolver at Portsmouth. The bloodcnarks, howeter, were Daly such an might have been caused by a eell-inflicted injury of s comparatively trifling character. One of the books in the beg contained among ocher aeleotions many extracts' from verses of a eeetirneetal character The police having satisfied themselves that there had been no tragedy, telegraphed to the young man's friends. and he was taken home on T OICIAY aftvrauou be has father astl water.  t omrair,  In reply to Sir E. Clarke witness did not I allege in respept to the first prospectus that there hail been any fraud by the director.. Mr. Bottomley made £lOO,