The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 7 — page 290: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

.* e wes returned by a Coroner's Inquest in the 1620.” The clerk of the court then addressed the ma. gistrate:— “ By your worship’s instructions, in consequence of the information given this afternoon, I repaired to the Home Office, to which the depositions taken ‘at the Coroner’s Inquest in the year 1890, had been forwarded. Z have obtained those depositions ; and I have them here.” “As the case occurred so long ago,” said the magistrate, © it will be necessary to read them.” “Perhaps it would save your worship’e time,” said the prisoner, “if I were to admit that whieh it is by no means my purpose to deny, and whieh I bave already admitted at Mr Ooleman’s office: namely, that I am indeed that same———” “But here Mr. Coleman rose; and making a sign to the prisoner to be silent; he said to the trate, “I should much prefer that your ip would adopt the course you were abouf to take,as I have my reasons why the whole incidents of bygone tragedy should be‘again brought fully to the knowledge of the public. A gen@ration has well nigh passed since the date referred to; and as wy client will plead Not Guilty to the dread crime imputed to him, am anxious thet, with the true British spirit of fair play, publie opinion may be suspended until a "jury of the noble prisoner's countrymen shall have pronounced their ver- . ¢,”” . The clerk of the court accordingly read the de- positions. They commenced by setting forth how Purvis the butler, and Leachley the valet, bad found the body of the late Duke by the side of the pond, with the digger sticking in ite back. Then fol- lowed the evidence of the present Duke of March. mont, as it was given at the time, and which chiefly went to prove that the dagger was the property of his brother Bertram ; and that on the evening pre- y| ceding ghe night of the murder, be had left his brother at an inn in the neighboring village, in a terrible state of excitement in cunsequence of certain matters connected with the Duchess Elisa. It then appeared from the depositions that the landlord of the village inn was next examined as a witness. He deposed to the fact of Bertram having passed about three hours at the tavern in the afternoon and evening of the day preceding the night.of the murder—that he was violently ,..2 excited the whole time—and that he bad rushed away in the frensied state of which his brother had spoken, lt next appeared from the deposi- tions that two of the housemaids belonging to Oaklands were examined in succession ; and their statement was to the effect that while arranging the chamber ocoupied by Bertram during his stay at the mansion, they had ecen the dagger lying amongst a few other curiosities, which, as they understood, Bertram had brought with him from the United States. The man-servant who had specially attended upon Bertram during his visit, a to have bering ds next witnees § rn was represgnted as ha posed to the fact that Bertram bad shown him the dagger, explaining at the same time that it had been long in the posees- sion of some celebrated Indian Chief who died a few months previous to Bertram’s departure from Washington. The dagger was described in the depositions and by the witnesses as being of very rename een terme ieee eS ey . a : 277 peculiar workmanship, and ones seen, could not possibly have been misteken. The depositions proceeded to vhow that wit- nesses were next examined to relate the particu- lare in respect to the dog. It had been found that Pluto was mortally wounded by a pistol-bullet ; but the weapon iteelf had not been found, sither in the pond or in the neighbourhood — so that ib was tolerably evident she assassin had taken it away with him. The cloth @hich the dog hed brought in his mouth, was a fragment evidently torn from the skirt of o surtout coat; and .t was therefore suppoadd that the faithful animal hed be,,murderer of hie master—in doing the fatal bullet. It was aklande after the some with the Duke and Bliza. went on to state that the evidence , the Coroner proceeded to sum using to the circumstances of the up ned dagger, he sald‘ “that it hed been incontestibly proved that the weapon to Bertram ; and that the Jary, with Kave to weigh well whether, under all the ciroum- stances, is was Bertram’s: hand which committed the deed—or whether” some other person had ob- tained possession of*that dagger with the foulest of purposes.” The Oproner had remarked “ that it wae certainly extraordinary that Bertram should have had the dagger about him at the time when he waa walking with the Duchess and when the incident occurred that compelled hia to fy from Oaklands. None of the witnesses had been able to throw any light upon that point,~—auch for in- atance as proving that the dagger was atill in Ber- tram’s room at the time of his flight—or on the other hand, that they missed it from the room, Oertain it was the dagger had dealt the mur- derous blow; and itewas for the Jury to say whether the band of Bertram or that of an un- known aseassin had wielded the weapon.” Having commented upon all other parte of thé evidence, tle Coroner had left the matter in the hands of the Jury. ° The depositions concluded by stating that a verdict of “ Wilful Murder” was returned against Bertram Vivian, alias Lord Olandon. When the clerk of the court had finished read- ing these depositions, the Inspector said, “I now propose, eyour worship, to introduce a witness who will prove that the prisoner in the dock, eo long known by the name of Olement Redoliffe, is in reality the Bertram Vivian, alias Lord Clandon, against whom that verdict was returned; and I conceive that your worship will hold this evidence sufficient to remand the prisoner, if not finally to commit him for trial.” Lord Olandon—understanding that Sagoonah was the witness glluded to—was again about to address the magistrate, to admit his identity, so that the ayah’s evidence might be dispensed with : for with a generous delicacy he was anxious to prevent Queen Indora’b name from being brought forward in the present proceedings. But Mer. Coleman, advancing towards the dock, whispered to the prisoner in the following manner :— » “Your lordship must really suffer the proceed. ings to take their course. As there will inevitably be a trial~and I hope to God it will only be for LOAO© COLUM SS (CO)