John Reginald Birchall (''aka Lord Frederick A. Somerset'') (25 May 1866 – 14 November 1890) was a British

conman A scam, or a confidence trick, is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using a combination of the victim's credulity, naivety, compassion, vanity, confidence, irresponsibi ...

who was convicted of killing one of his victims in Canada. He was hanged at

Woodstock, Ontario Woodstock is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The city has a population of 46,705 according to the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 Canadian census. Woodstock is the seat of Oxford County, Ontario, Oxford County, at the head of the Thames River, On ...

Crime

Born into a wealthy family in

Lancashire, England Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, Birchall entered

Lincoln College, Oxford Lincoln College (formally, The College of the Blessed Mary and All Saints, Lincoln) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Lincoln was founded in 1427 by Richard Flemin ...

in 1885. While at Lincoln, where he founded the Black and Tan Club, Birchall spent his time partying and incurring debt. In 1888 Birchall was forced to leave college and sell off his inheritance to pay his debts. That same year he paid £600 for a property in Woodstock, Ontario. After eloping with his fiancée, the couple travelled to Canada. When they arrived in Woodstock, they discovered that the property was a small farm, not an estate. After six months of creating more debt in Woodstock, the couple returned to England. Once in England, Birchall concocted a scheme to

defraud In law, fraud is intent (law), intentional deception to deprive a victim of a legal right or to gain from a victim unlawfully or unfairly. Fraud can violate Civil law (common law), civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrato ...

several wealthy people. He took out an advertisement in a London newspaper claiming to be the owner of a prosperous horse farm in Canada who was looking for investors. His plan was to take the money, place bets in the

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

horse race, and pay back the investors with his winnings. However the British investors wanted to inspect the Canadian farm and its financial records before investing. Frederick Cornwallis Benwell

In February 1890, the Birchalls and the investors arrived in New York City and then travelled to

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

. At this point, Birchall took Frederick Benwell, the son of the biggest potential investor, to Ontario to view the farm. After arriving near Woodstock, Birchall led Benwell into the woods, then shot him twice in the back of the head. Birchall then returned to Buffalo, telling the other investors that Benway had decided to return to England separately. However, on February 20, Birchall telegraphed Benwell's father in England, saying that his son had agreed to the investment and he should immediately wire over £500. On February 23, 1890, hunters found a body in a

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

in Princeton, Ontario. Clothing tags had been removed, and a watch was found close to the body. Still in Buffalo, one of Birchall's investors saw a picture of the body in a newspaper and recognized him as Benwell. He travelled to Ontario to identify the body and speak with police. Birchall was arrested in

Niagara Falls, Ontario Niagara Falls is a city in Ontario, Canada, adjacent to, and named after, Niagara Falls. As of the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census, the city had a population of 94,415. The city is located on the Niagara Peninsula along the western bank of the ...

on March 3 and transported back to Princeton, Ontario. Birchall denied murdering Benwell.

Trial and execution

On September 22, Birchall's trial started at Woodstock's Town Hall. Given that both the suspect and the victim were members of the British gentry, the trial garnered substantial attention. News organizations from England, France, Germany and Italy covered the trial. Birchall was convicted of murder based on

circumstantial evidence Circumstantial evidence is evidence that relies on an inference to connect it to a conclusion of fact, such as a fingerprint at the scene of a crime. By contrast, direct evidence supports the truth of an assertion directly, i.e., without need ...

and sentenced to death on September 30. Birchall professed his innocence to the end. He wrote a long account of the affair while in prison. This memoir was published in an attempt to create an income for his wife after his death. Birchall was hanged on November 14, 1890. He was buried in the courtyard of the Woodstock City Gaol, where he still remains. The swamp in Princeton was called "Benwell Swamp" by the locals.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Birchall, Reginald 1866 births 1890 deaths British emigrants to Canada British people executed for murder Canadian people executed for murder Executed people from Lancashire People convicted of murder by Canada People executed by Canada by hanging