A STRANGE STORY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7644, 22 May 1886, Page 2 (Supplement)

A STRANGE STORY.

A LONDON MYSTERY EXPLAINED. American papers contain particulars of the discovery of a mysterious murder of a woman named Mrs, Chapman fourteen years ago in London. The particulars of the murder are of a very extraordinary character. About a year before the murder of Mrs. Cnapmau, her husband, Joseph Chapman, together with two men named Joseph Reilly and Carlo Sisscovitch, was arrested in Turkey for forgery, and sent to prison. Mrs. Chapman, on hearing of her husband's arrest, left London and went to Turkey, and, making her way into the prison, was able to communicate with lieilly and Siascovitch. Chapman at the time had been guilty of a breach of discipline, and was undergoing punishment in a dark cell on bread and water. His associates promised to assist in the escape of Chapman if Mrs. Chapman would supply them with files and other tools. The woman smuggled the tools into the prison, and before the men made any attempt to break out of gaol sbo started back for London. A few months later Reilly and Sisscovitch escaped from the prison,without making the slightest effort to assist their companion Chapman. The fugitives fled to London, and. when Mrs. Chapman became aware of their treachery, she threatened to expose them to the authorities. Her murder followed the threat, and before the discovery of the crime Reilly and Sisscovitch disappeared. It has now been discovered that Siescovitch, who has since adopted the name of Dago, is at present serving out a long term in the penitentiary at Cleveland, Ohio, and that Reilly has just been arrested, with a man named Raymond, for forgery. The arrest of Keilly had lead to the revelation of the circumstances of the murder. After the crime was committed both Sisscovitch and Reilly fled to America, and under the aliases of Dago and Elliot, they have hitherto succeeded in evading detection. Upon inquiry at Scotland Y. id, a reporter was informed that the murder took place in Maud Grove, Bromptou. The crime was supposed to have been committed by Sisscovitch, alias Wallace. A verdict of " Wilful murder" was returned by the coroner's jury, but the police theory was that the woman, who was in a very weak state of health at the time, had died from tho 3hock of discovering that she had been robbed of a large quantity of valuable property. Sisscovitch was then living with a woman in the house of Mrs. Chapman, who was believed to hare been strangled. In regard to Mrs. Chapman, however, it is a fact that many years before her death she was herself concerned in another murder. At that time she was a member of a gang of expert East End thieves, and acted as the "decoy." Upon the occasion in question sue lured a man into a dark alley in the East End. Here he was seized by htr confederates, who garrotted the man and robbed him. It appears, however, that the attack was a most violent one, and that the " hug" was " put on" to such an extent that the injured man never recovered. It was well known to the authorities that Sisscovitch was in America, but they have never thought that the evidence against him was of sufficient strength to warrant on application for his extradition.