The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 240: what you’re looking at

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

220 REYNOLDS’ WORKS The counsel for the defence unfolded a document which lay before him, and then spoke as follows: “This deposition is to the effect that the female who made it was in the town of Liverpool on the same night that the murder was committed. She was wandering about, when her wayward steps led up a narrow lane into which open the yard gates belonging to that row of houses where Mr. Pollard dwelt. She heard one of these gates open and shut, and with some feeling of curiosity which she cannot define she remained at that gate. Voices were speaking im- mediately inside; they were conversing in an undertone, but she listened, and overheard every syllable that was spoken. One voice was that of a man, — the other that of a woman. The woman said she had just discovered that there was a mint of money in the iron safe; the man said he supposed therefore the job was for that night. The woman assented, and spoke of having waited for positive information whether Mr. Pollard had got the money in the house to pay to Mrs. Rayner. After some little more conversation, the witness overheard the man say something about the means that had been adopted to get the woman into her position as Pollard’s housekeeper, but all that was said upon this point is not clearly remembered by the witness. The woman addressed the man as Barney, and the name of Bill Scott was two or three times mentioned. The witness tarried at the gate until it suddenly opened, and then she hurried away. But hearing the man follow her, she was apprehensive of mischief; she accordingly crouched down under the wall; he passed close by her side, but happened not to come in contact with her, and as the lane was involved in total darkness, he beheld her not. Such, my lord and gentlemen,” concluded the counsel for the defence, “‘ is the deposition of the witness who for the reasons stated cannot appear in your presence, and those same reasons will account for the fact of her having abstained from declaring to the authorities all she knew, until a few chance words which she the other day let drop caused an inquiry to be made, and led to the sifting of the matter.” It would be impossible to deseribe the sensation which prevailed in the court during and after the reading of this deposition. Lettice Rodney clasped her hands together. The tears ran down her cheeks; she was well-nigh overpow- ered by her emotions. Mrs. Webber grew pale as death, and EORNICLOOOKS