Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 November 1890 — BENWELL IS AVENGED. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

BENWELL IS AVENGED.

J. REGINALD BIRCHALL, HIS MURDERER, HANGED. Hla Last Hours Spent In the Company of His Faithful Wife—Account of tho Manner in Which He Lured His Victim to His Death. [Woodstock (Ont.) dispatch.] Reginald Birchall expiated on the gallows the murder of bis friend Benwell at 8:30 o’clock yesterday morning. His last night on earth was passed, until a late hour, In the company of his wife. The last words spoken by Birchall were to the hangman. He said: “Have you any objections to shaking hands with me?” “Certainly not,” replied the executioner, and the last hand-shake followed. - STORY OF THE CRIME. John Reginald Birchall was born at a place callod Church, In Lancashire. England, where his father was the Protestant

rector, a little ovoi twenty-five years ago. His father was wealthy, and died In 1978, leaving his three sons and one daughter well provided for. Reginald, us he was called, was tho youngest son, and soon got rid of his .portion. He was educated at Harrow and Oxford, and led a fast life while a student. In the pursuit of his antecedents the detectives found at every step evidence that his

associates, almost from the moment he was trusted about alone, were of evil character. In 1888 Birchall married the daughter of David Stephenson, General Traffic Manager of the London and Northwestern Railroad. The young woman’s family were opposed to the match, but she finally eloped with him. The couple went to Woodstock, Canada. A peace was patched up between Birchall and his wife’s parents, and In the spring of 1889 the couple returned to England and lived in Mr. Stephenson’s house at Upper Norwood road. London. Birchall se'cured employment with a firm of photographers in London. In London Birchall continued to lead a fast life and ho was soon at his wit’s end for money. It was durlDg this period that the scheme which resulted in the murder of Benwell was concocted. The first stop in the crime was the insertion in the papers of the following advertisement: CIANADA - UNIVERSITY MAN HAVING j farm wishes to meet gentleman’s son to live with him and learn the business with view to partnership; must have £SOO to extend stock; board, lodging and 5 per cent, interest till partnership arranged; highest references. Many replies wore received to the advertisement, but only two of them received

attention from Birchall. These were from Douglas Raymond Pelly, of Walden place, Saffi on Walden, Essex, and Frederick C. Benwell, son of Lieutenant Colonel Benwell, o f Iseultdene, Cheltenh*a m. Polly was In poor health, and had been recommend-* ed by his physician to live an outdoor life. Birchall wrote to him

and to tbe Ben wells, father and son, dating his letters from the Junior Constitutional and National Conservative clubs, London. Birchall made friends with both, and Impressed them with his candor and apparent honesty. The story he invented to entrap his dupes was that he had a large farm a mile and a half from Niagara Falls on which there was a large brick house, heated by steam and lighted by gas, and largo barns lighted by electricity. He made It appear that his business wus the buying of horses In the rough and grooming them so that they could be sold at a profit. The feed for the horses was raised on the farm. He also made it appear that he was Interested in business ut Woodstock, and that thirj were a number of Englishmen there who wero organized in a club. Pelly was captivated by Birchall's manner and delighted with the prospect held out to him. He entered into an agreement

with Birchall by which he was to pay him SBSO. In return he was to have board and lodging at the farm and receive 22% per cent, of the profits of the business. A check for 8850 was sent to Birchall. Having got of this money the schemer Induced the elder Benwell to let his son Frederick go with him to see tlie farm, with

the understanding that if he liked it he was to pay 82,500 for a half Interest in it. On Feb. 5. Mr. and Mrs. Birchall, Benwell and Pelly sailed from Liverpool on the Britannic, reached New York Feb. 14, and registered at the Metropolitan Hotel. On the following Saturday they left on the Erie Railroad for Buffalo. It was decided that Birchall and Benwell should go on the 6 o’clock train the next morning to the Falls and prepare for the reception of Pelly and Mrs. Birchall. Birchall came back the following night alone. He said that Benwell didn’t like tho farm or the people and that he refused positively to stay there. Birchall said he had given him the addresses of people further on in the country and started him off to see if lie could find a placj he liked. He'told Pelly that he wasn’t ready to go to the farm, for McDonald, his superintendent, had rented tho place to some tenants and that things were in a bad shape. His suggestion that they go on to Niagara Falls and wait a few days was accepted. On Tuesday, Feb. 18, Birchall, his wife and Pelly went to Clifton. Ont., just across the Niagara River from Suspension Bridge. Birchall and Pelly stopped at a boarding house, while Mrs. Birchall lived at tho Imperial Hotel. A week was spent there. Pelly all the time fretting at the delay and Birchall calming him with plausible stories. Among other falsehoods he said that ho had received a letter from Benwell inclosing tho receipt for Benwell’s bonded luggage and requesting that it be sent him when he wanted it. Tho first bad break made by Birchall was on Feb. 28, when he showed Pelly a copy of a New Y’ork newspaper containing an account of the finding of Benwell’s body in tho tamarack swamp on YVlUiam Horsey’s farm In Princeton, Ont. The cigar case with the name «F. C. Benwell” on It proved beyond a doubt whose body it was. Birchall said he would go at once and see tho body, and Pelly instantly said that Iks would accompany him. The evidence against Birchall at the trial was very strong on all material points except as te tho actual killing of Benwell. It was proved that he was seen with Benwell immediately .-before tho murder and was seen alone Immediately after, but there the direct evidence stopped.

BIRCHALL, THE MURDERER.

MRS. BIRCHALL.

F. C. BENWELL.