When
the judges went out to lunch at two o'clock the jury were trembling
as to their fate for another night.
The fresh evidence, however, had been completed, and on the return of
the Court Mr. Chaffanbrass said that he should only speak a very few
words. For a few words he must ask indulgence, though he knew them to
be irregular. But it was the speciality of this trial that everything
in it was irregular, and he did not think that his learned friend the
Attorney-General would dispute the privilege. The Attorney-General
said nothing, and Mr. Chaffanbrass went on with his little
speech,--with which he took up the greatest part of an hour. It was
thought to have been unnecessary, as nearly all that he said was said
again--and was sure to have been so said,--by the judge. It was not
his business,--the business of him, Mr. Chaffanbrass,--to accuse
another man of the murder of Mr. Bonteen. It was not for him to tell
the jury whether there was or was not evidence on which any other man
should be sent to trial. But it was his bounden duty in defence of
his client to explain to them that a collection of facts tending
to criminate another man,--which when taken together made a fair
probability that another man had committed the crime,--rendered it
quite out of the question that they should declare his client to be
guilty.
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