The
magistrate seemed somewhat mystified.
"What is the object of this?" he asked, glancing at the defending
counsel. "It is admitted that these are the wrappings in which the watch,
and chain and ring were found in the witness's shed, but"--he paused,
with another inquiring look--"you propose to--what?" he asked.
"I propose, Your Worship, to prove that these things were never put there
by the prisoner at all!" answered Mr. Millington-Bywater, promptly and
with an assurance which was not lost on the spectators. "I intend to show
that they were purposely placed in that outhouse by the real murderer of
John Ashton after the statement made by the prisoner at the inquest
became public--placed there, of course, to divert any possible suspicion
of himself.
"And now," he continued, after the greengrocer had left the box and the
prosecuting counsel had intimated that he had no more evidence to bring
forward at present, "now I will outline the defence which I shall set up
on behalf of my client. I intend to prove that John Ashton was murdered
by some man not yet discovered, who killed him in order to gain
possession of certain papers which he carried on him--papers of extreme
importance, as will be shown.
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