The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 7 — page 264: what you’re looking at

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

to ee —= ew gr Gey ~ omni went anywhere—-no matter how short or how long the distance—he should follow me; and that if 1 attempted to leave England, he should take me into custody.” “To be sure!” aaid the barrister, with a glance at the jury: “he would have taken you into cus- tody as a witness flying from her recognizances. And what else did he tell you P—what warning did he give you Ff” “That there was a watch set upon my move- ments, and that it would be totally uasless for me to think of getting out of the country. But I told him all along that [ had no such intention—nor had I: and I think it is very unfair 7 “Never mind what you think,” interrupted the cross-examining counsel: “jit is for the jury to think in the present case. The detective officer who accompanied you in the train, was the same who intercepted your departure from Wondon and gave you the warnings of which you have spoken ?” “The same,” answered Mra, Webber: and her look was as much as to imply that it was all very easy for the burrister thugs to cross-examine her, but that he could not shake her main testimony | against the prisoner. “Flow long were you in Mr, Pollard’s service previous to the commission of the murder ?” ‘““Three weeks,” was the answer. “ And having been absent from your brother-in- Jaw’s house barely a month, you returned thither notwithstanding the discomfort and unbappiness which had induced vou to quit it 2” “ Because my daughter naturally supposed I must be very much flurried and excited after the dreadful occurrence in Liverpvol; and she wrote to me to come home at once, giving me the assurance that my son-in-law would change his demeanour towards me.” _ And during these six months that you have been again living in London, what sort of visitors have you occasionally received FP” What sort of visitors ?” ejaculated Mra. Webber, as if with a surprised and indignant air : but it was merely to shuffle with the question, which indeed bad considerably alarmed her. “Well, I need not press this point at present,” said the cross-examining counsel; “ and you may stand down,” A witness from London was now examined by ‘the counrel for the prosecution, to prove that Lettice Rodney had been a guy lady: but the name of Madame Angelique’s establishtnent did not transpire. Then followed the teshmony of three or four of the first persons who had rushed ito Mr. Pollard’s house when Mrs. Webber had opened the front-dvor and had alarmed the neigh- bourhood with her cries. It was proved that the prisoner wis dressed as if to go out—but that abe was in a estate of uuconeviousness when these wit. nesses appeared upon the acene. In croas- examination they admitted that when Lettice cume back to her senses, she seemed horrified or frenzied at being accused of murder, and that she at once hurled the charge at Mra, Webber and spuke of two‘ villains who were with her. The police-constables who had taken her into custody, e were next examined for the prosecution; and they depused to the finding of Mr. Pollard’s purse, containing fifty pounds, upon Lettice Rodney's —in iene EE oe ee lh > ee aan. Gi, EAE SO ates + oes THE MYSTERIES OF THE COTRT. TR: Pr le Ta LI as ae aS EES a A des ayo ED iy | age! aE aor mares ie wer ~~ = 5S person. Mrs. Raynor's documents were likewise produced; and evidence was given to show that in addition to the writing-deak which had dome tained these papers, several articles of Mrs Rayner’s wearing apparel were discovered im Lettice Rodney’s box: for the newspaper-accounté of the murder had given publicity to the iact that Mra. Rayner was the previously unidentified victim of the railway accident, and thus her friends had come forward on learning hor sad fate. The case for the prosecution wae closed; and Lettion Rodney's counsel was expected to rise to make @ h in her defence. Ho did riso—and profound was the auspense which prevailed in the court. The silence was breathless: but when it was broken by the counsel for the defence, there was a sensation of disappointment on his at o declaring that inatead of making a speech be should procted without delay to aummon witnesses. The first witness whom he thus called, waa a middle-aged man, plainly attired, of sharp features and with a shrewd look. Mrs, Webbor, who bad been ordered to romain in the.geuet, winced aome- what when she perocived thidgpenual, whom she evidently recognised. Having Beén aworn, and having given his name, he stated thatyho wee a detective attached to the metropolitan Ho then deposed to the following effect :— “A very ghort time after the murder of Mr. Pollard in this town, I received particular inatruc- tions from a gentleman in London. Those instruc- tiona were to the effect that I should make all possible inquiries into the character of Mrs. Web- ber, and that I should watoh all ber movements. I at once came down to Liverpool, and learnt that immediately after the inquest ahe had returned to her frionds in London. I had no difficulty in find- ing out who these friends were,—her daughter and son-in-law, bearing the name of Smedley. The Smodleys occupy a house of a somewhat respectable They used to Jet lodgings, but have recently given up that avocation. Smedley himeelf carries on the business of a gold-beater. He seems however to have little work to do; for he is constantly saun- tering about—sometimes in idlenosa, and at other times fm distributing religious tracts. J hired a room fe a ‘ouse nearly fronting the Smedieye; and, aided by another detective, I watched them day andnight. One evening, about a week after Mrs. Webber’s return, a felluw of desperate cha- racter, well known to the police, and besriog the name of Barney the Burker, etealthily en- tered an alley communicating with the back part of tho Smedloys’ premises: but I cannot take it upon myself to say that he actually entered those premises. If I had followed to ascer- tain, I should have excited the suspicion that I was watching the house—and this was to be most carefully avoided, at least at the outset. A fow nights afterwards, a lad of about nineteen, whose name is Bill Scott, and who is believed to be an agent uf the Burker, paid a similarly stealthy visié to the alley of which I have spoken: but for the same reason as in the other case, I could not ascer- tain whether he entered the Smodleys’ premisés, A month passed, and they came nut near the house again: but one night I followed Mre. Webber at a listance, and I tracked her to the Burker’s lodging in one of the lowest neighbourhoods of London. —_ 6 - =r we wha ECONNIC I OOO© appearance, but situated in a low ucighbourhood. SS