Year: 1868

times we Wefe SdStained Il th6 Bort to
which I'VE had brought fhe aninlals, tor
| four OF five DAYS, awaitinG The means of
shipping them to England; for il is not
every steamer that will take bullocks, or
sheep, or pigs, as cargo. Sometimes one
of us would remain in London conduct
| ing the sales of such animals as his partner
sent him from abroad. And this happened
when the event of which am now going
to tell you took place.


As Strange could speak French very
well, / often sent him alone to the fairs in
Normandy and Britanny, nearly always
| going myself to those in Holland and the
north of Germany. 1t was somewhere
about the end Of 9 certain MAY that he
went over to France, intending to remain
there about six weeks, and go from one
fair to another on certain round. Three
or four consignments of beasts had reached
me in London, and the last was TO come
over in day or two. My partner had
visited all the fairs he intended to go to,
and was to Join me. wrote him at
Southampton, where he was to land, say
ing that would meet him there, take q
look at the cattle he had bought, and send
some to London, and go with the rest to
some of the southern counties, where
there was likely to be market that would
suit my book.


81 reached Southampton on the day
named, and met Strange. We dined to-
gether in the afternoon at small inn near
the docks, and, finding we could not get
two bedrooms, engaged a double-bedded
room for the night. Then we began to
square up accounts and spent the after
noon seeing how we stood in the matter of
money. But something that Strange had
done vexed me sorely. He had, in the
face of what had written to him in Lon
don to the contrary, paid some two pounds
a head more for about thirty or forty
beasts than we should ever realize. When
l told him how foolishly he had acted, he
answered me back that he had done his
best, and that he had as much right as
had to speculate with our joint funds To
this replied that, although he was un-
doubtedly partner in the concern, it was
who had put in all the capital, and that
he had only an interest of twenty five per
cent in the profits. His reioinder re-
member well. He said that if he died, /
would get all the money he owed me and
more. To this 1 retorted, in q passion, that
l knew it, and that / did not care how
soon he died. All this wrahglihg took
place in the coffee-room of the inn, before
the girl who waited on u.s. the cook of the
house, the barmaid the landiady, and the
landlady's husband; The latter, when he
saw we were getting angry, tried to make
friends between US, but in vain. We were
each annoyed at what the other had said,
as well as at our own folly, and neither
would be the first to say he was sorry for
what had passed.


About six o'clock l took up my hat and
went to see some friends In the town.
When got back it was past eleven
o'clock, and Strange, the housemaid told
me, had been in bed asleep more than an
hour. paid my share of the bill, for 1
intended starting early, went up stairs, /
found Strange fast asleep, and went to bed
myself Next morning | was called at
five, packed my bag, Swallowed cup of
coffee, and in half an hour was on my
way to London. On leaving the inn l
told the porter that my companion was
asleep, and that, as he was only going by
the ten o'clock coach to Brighton they
need not call him yet. / should not for
get to tell you that while l was dressing
in the morning Strange 'awoke, and that
we shook hands over our dispute of the
previous day.. As was dosing my cars
pet bag he asked me 70 lend him one of
my razors a thing which had the great
est objection to (for if l am particular
about anything / possess, it is about my
razorsl, but having only just made up my
difference with him, l could hardly refuse
him so small favor.


1.-THE days am writing of were before
railways had extended to Sonthampton.
Leaving the latter place at half-past five
in the morning, it was half-past six in the
evening before got to town. went to
bed, got up the next day, and, while l,
was sitting at break with my wife, our
servant told me that two gentlemen wished
to speak to me. went down to see them,
and, before could open my mouth To ask
them what they wanted, found myself
with handouts on, arrested for the muir
der of Edward Strange,


at seems that, finding Strange did not
come down by half past nine, the porter
went up to call him. He found the door
locked, but no key in it. After Knocking
some time on the outside, the door was
broken open, and poor Strange was found
with his throat cut from ear to ear, and a
razor in his hand. The key of the door
was afterwards found in the coffee-room,
under the very bench on which had sat
to drink my cup of coffee before starting.


al was brought before the magistrate at
Bow street the next morning, and was by
him sent down to Southampton to await
the result of the coroner's inquest upon
my partner. The verdict was wilIful muir
der, and, after commitment by the mags-
trate to the sessions, was put on trial for
my life at Winchester.


"The trial lasted only few hours It
was fully proved that Strange and myself
had quarrelled and had high words the
night before, and that l had said did not
care how soon he died, so that could re-
cover the money had lent him. A great
deal was made of the fact that by Strange's
death / should be entitled to the insurance
upon his life to the amount of two thou
sand pounds, by which should be clear
gamer of one thousand two hundred. 1t
was further shown that the razor found in
poor Strange's hand was mine, and three
medical men declared their conviction
that, although that instrument was un-
doubtedly used to kill the dead man, il
must have been placed in his hands after
death. Moreover, there were not only
evident marks of struggle about the bed
and hedclothes, but Strange's throat was
cut from right TO left, which no one could
have done unless he had beenla left-hand-
ed man, which Strange WAS not Then,
again, the fact of the bedroom door being
| locked, and the key hid close 10 where /.
had breakfasted, told fearfully against me.
| 1t was clear that Strange could not by any
| possibility have cut his own throat, and
then locked the door of his room on the
outside. IT was attempted by my counsel
to throw dispredit upon this part Of the
evidence. The learned gentlemen tried
very hard TO elicit something which might
even lead the Jury 10 imagine that the
door had been locked after the murder,
ano tnat some person unknown had un-
knogingly let the key drop in the coffee
LOOM. but y was of no avail whatever
~ was eieaaly proved that the key had
peeh INSIDE the door when I went up to
oee, anu tnas ~ mad never been seen again
defence tried hard TO make out thar soyae
person likely to commit the murder might
have been In the house On that day. but an
Of no use. AS the trial went on, even +.
NEhn kna,u my innncnnnn oor.ll - -,