THE TRAGIC SYMBOL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2975, 22 March 1911, Page 78

THE TRAGIC SYMBOL.

CLAPHAM COMMON MURDER. (From Uub Own Correspondent.) LONDON. Januai-y 6. What looked at first like the outcome of a mero Now Year's Eve brawl is now beginning to assume a more suspicious aspect. Da Now Year's morning the body ol Leon Beron, now identified as a Russian J«W, was discovered in a clump of brushwood on Olapham Common. It was ascertained early that he had been spending the evening in the company of foreigners whom he had apparently picked up in the street Now moro facts have come to light which lead to the assumption that he was a police spy, and that lie was done to death in consequence of th. 3 steps taken to avenge the Houndsditeh murders. NO BUSINESS IN OLAPHAM. At the inquest yesterday a brother, Solomon Beron, said Leon lived on the income of nine houses at Russell Court, St. George's, in the East, which ho purchased in 1097. He lived in France from 1864till 1894, when he came to England. He did not speak English properly; he spoke French well, Yiddish, and German. He last saw his brother alive on Saturday at 10.45 in the evening in Whitedhapel. " I think ho was waiting for eomeono. I spoke to him, and could not get a proper answer." Was he sober?—Yes; but ho was often in liquor. He had no banking account, and ho used to carry all his money on him. He had jewellery —a gold'watch and chain with a five-guinea piece attached. Had he any business in this (Clapham) part of London that you know of?—No business at all. la there any woman whom he used to visit? —Not to my knwledge. I think he had some drink, and that was why he did! not answer mo, because I could smell if he was sober or not.

Dr Joseph Needham, police divisional surgeon, who was first called to examine the bedy, said there was a silk muffler over the head 1 , and on this being removed a number of severe woiind3 were disclosed. The most severe apparently was one on the right side of the forehead; the skull was laid bare. Worthy of note was the fact that the backs of the hands were covered with mud, while the palms were cleans On unfastening the clothes, ho found' the undercoat quit© open, and the waistcoat closed by two buttons only—top and bottom. He unfastened the shirt, and found it much bloodstained. He traced the course of the body from the iron railings on the path to where it was lying. The body was dragged into the place of concealment face downwards by the collar of the overcoat, and then turned over on to its back. Were there apparently knife wounds? — Yes, or dagger wounds. They were inflicted probably after the head wounds, but during life. THE "&" SIGN. At this point Dr Needbam told of the Sshaped marks on the face. "It mtist have been a very deliberate thing," he said, " bocause there are marks on the face which seem peculiar." Not dangerous to life?—Oh, no. They were most curious cuts," said Dr Needham. " They were cuts on the skin for on apparent reason, and I cannot imagine why a. murderer should stay behind to inflict such marks. The symmetry of these marks was most extraordinary. They were like the letter "S" in each side of the face. No accident oould have produced such marks." You think it was a sign?—Yes, I do. Dr Freyberger, who made the postmortem examination, gave a more detailed description of the cuts. Have you seen anything before like these marks you describe ?—-No, never. They are very extraordinary, and quite unconnected with death. Patterns almost? —Yes. WHO IS "M"? At an earlier stage a taxi driver had told of carrying three persons in his cab, all apparently more or less drunk, and getting rid of them late on New Year's Eve. One seemed to be a man disguised as a woman, another was undoubtedly Baron, and the third is now being searched for. Down in the East End them is a certain restautant—one of hundreds—kept by a respectable foreign couplo, and frequented by foreign artisans. Not long ago a man commenced to be a customer. He was very tall—6ft 2in, —clean-shaven, with dark brown eyes, and dark, short hair parte*! on uk> right side. It was evident from his appearance and speech that he was a Russian, from the province of Libau. Though he spoke English and also German, with, a foreign accent, ho could read and write in English and French very well. A little over a week before the crime Beron, who had been a customer of the restaurant for about four years, 'was sitting there, when this man "M." forced his company upon him. Beron was evidently much taken with his manner, and went to " M.'s" house in Sidney street, where, he said, ho was treated in splendid stylo and given wine and spirits. MEETINGS WITH BERON.

"I asked him how he thought ' M.' was getting a Jiving," said the restaurantkeeper, and Beron replied, "Oh, I donH know; but he told me he was a diamond merchant." " M." used to show a box of what he said were diamonds to the proprietor and his wife, but whether they' were genuine they could not tell. " M.' for a time visited tho restaurant regularly two or three times a day, making 'his first call as early as 7 a.m. and bis last late in) the evening. He said that ho was a traveller, but when asked what he travelled with he replied', " That is my business." Often ho appeared as if ■ suspicious, and to bo keeping watch. About a fortnight ago "M." arrived at tho restaurant with another man and a tall woman, and the three and Beron had supper tog-ether. "M.," who was sitting next to Beron, remarked, " What a nice watch and chain bo has; and this £5-piece, isn't it heavy?" Tho woman took the £5-pieco and weighed! it in her hand, and Beron slipped his watch — which he bought for £4o—off tho chain, and let the woman handle it. One day " M." said to Beron, " If you want to buy some gold I can let you have some cheap, 1 ' and he quoted a price. Beron indignantly declared, "I shall not buy this; it is stolen gold," and the iman made no observation. REVOLVER IN POCKET. On one occasion "M." showed a large revolver to the little daughter of the restaurant-keeper, and tho latter himself once saw the inon wflien in the shop transfer

the weapon from his ooat pocket to the hip pocket. At the time of the Houndsditch murders the proprietress spoke to him about thorn in general conversation, and he replied: "I would be very pleased if thiay killed a few more policemen. If I knew any man who said ho was going to the police to say that ho knew who did the firing at Houndsditch I would shoot him CONCEALED IRON BAR. Beron and " M." arrived at the restaurant about 9 o'clock on New Year's Eve—the night of the murder, —and remained there until 11.4-5, when they left tho place together a.nd went in the direction, of the Whitechapel road. Earlier in the day " M." had left an iron bar, weighing from 61b to 71b, wrapped up in brown paper, with the waiter. Tho iron was flat, about 2in broad, and from 18in to 2ft in length. Np parcel had ever been left by the man in this way before, and when the proprietor's daughter asked what the parcel contained "M." said it was a flute. They asked whether he could play it, and he replied "Yes." When the two men left the place on Saturday just bafore midnight " M." got this parcel from the waiter and put it in his pocket. About a,n hour later the two were seen walking in the direction of Cambridge road, and some seven or eight hours after Beron's mutilated body was found lying under a furze bush on Clapham. Common. Ota Sunday morning " M." visited the restaurant, looked round as if in search of someone or something, left, and has never been seen there since.