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The Hampstead Mystery by John R. Watson
page 341 of 389 (87%)
hands. Witness picked up the stick and inspected it. He identified the
stick produced in court as the one which the prisoner had been carrying
on that day.

The most difficult, and most important witness, as far as new evidence
was concerned was Alexander Saunders, a big, broad red-faced Scotchman,
whose firm grasp on the tam-o'-shanter he held in his hand seemed to
indicate a fear that all the pickpockets in London had designs on it.
With great difficulty he was made to understand his part in the
witness-box, and some of the questions had to be repeated several times
before he could grasp their meaning. Mr. Lethbridge humorously suggested
that his learned friend should have provided an interpreter so that his
pure English might be translated into Lowland Scotch.

By slow degrees Saunders was able to explain how he had found the
pocket-book which Sir Horace Few-banks had lost while shooting at
Craigleith Hall. Witness identified a letter produced as having been in
the pocket-book when he found it. The letter, which had been written by
the prisoner to Sir Horace Fewbanks, urged Sir Horace to return to London
at once, as if he did so there was a good possibility of his obtaining
promotion to the Court of Appeal. The writer promised to do all he could
in the matter, and to call on Sir Horace at Riversbrook as soon as he
returned from Scotland.

Percival Chambers, an elderly well-dressed man with a grey beard, and
wearing glasses, who was secretary of the Master of Rolls, swore that he
knew of no prospective vacancies on the Court of Appeal Bench. Were any
vacancies of the kind in view he believed he would be aware of them.

This closed the case for the police, and Mr. Lethbridge immediately asked
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