the prosecutor in the Bow Street case had shown in treating with him. His evidence should clear the murderer, and make him his friend for ever. 'There would be no difficulty in finding his lordship. Already detectives had started in pursuit of the gentleman who was rowed from the pier to the Cuttle Fish on the previous evening; and there was a boatman who had driven a person who seemed like a gentleman within a mile of the Fish, at about half-past eight. There was nothing in that. It was quite clear that Lord St. Barnard had kept his appointment, and whether in a quarrel, or how, Cuffing could not understand, but he had shot Ransford, that was certain. In Spain he might have hired some one to do the job for him at a price; but this kind of business could hardly be negotiated in England, though character murderers were common enough and could be bought cheap. No; his lordship had fallen from his high estate; the atmosphere of Bow Street had demoralised him; he had been unable to control himself, and the lonely dirty night had conspired to make him an assassin. It was a cunning device to put a pistol into Ransford's hand. No doubt his lordship would say they had fought a duel. Well, that might be; for after Ransford's sudden exhibition of courage at Piccadilly he was quite prepared to find that, under pressure, he might have found pluck enough to handle a pistol; but the document was gone, and no money was left behind. If he had not been on the spot himself he would have felt certain that Jeffs had appropriated the money; for Lord St. Barnard was not the man to consider the money.

There were peculiarities in the case which puzzled Cuffing; but he summed it up pretty well to his own satisfaction, and determined to make a bold stroke for Lord St. Barnard's favour.

The first witness called was William Jefferson, or Bill Jeffs, as he was called at Longreach. He produced the letter of Simon Cuffing, making arrangements for the rooms at the Cuttle Fish, and related all the circumstances of the arrival of the deceased.

The Coroner: He expected some other person?
Witness: He said so-a gentleman.

The Coroner: Did he give his name?

Witness: Not a word.

The Coroner: Whom did you suppose he was going to meet ? Witness: Can't say; might ha' bin Mister Cuffing the lawyer, might not.

The Coroner: Exactly; but he gave you no clue at all?
Witness: Only gave me five pound accordin' to agreement.
The Coroner: Did it not occur to you that it was altogether a
VOL. XII., N.S. 1874.

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strange proceeding to hire your house for such a large sum for two hours and get you out of the neighbourhood?

Witness: No; can't say as it did; if I hadn't a goodish customer once in a way I should starve, and I aint nothing to brag about

now.

The Coroner: You are not, Jeffs, you are not.

Witness: True for you, sir.

The Coroner: Now what time was it when you saw Mr. Cuffing last night?

Witness: Should say about auf-past nine; can't say azackly.
The Coroner: And he was just arriving in a boat?

Witness: He were. Jack Stack were a pulling of him and ran into my boat.

The Coroner: Yes; and first you said that Cuffing asked you if they had gone, intimating that there were two persons in the house. Witness: He didn't intimidate nothing as I remember.

The Coroner: You know what I mean, Mr. Jeffs; now please to tax your memory.

Witness I'd rather leave that to the Gov'ment: they sims so clever at it.

The jury laughed at this. The foreman even went so far as to slap his thigh, and say "Good." He was notorious for the litigation into which his anti-income tax enthusiasm had led him.

The Coroner: No pleasantry, Mr. Jeffs; this is a serious question. Witness: Thank you, sir.

The Coroner frowned at the jury, and made a point of pausing significantly until the foreman had recovered from the effects of the witness's mild joke.

The Coroner: When you first spoke to the constable you said Cuffing said "Have the gentlemen come ?"

Witness: Well, it was very windy as you know, and I don't azackly know whether he said "him" or "them," but I think it were "them;" I could swear it was for that matter.

Witness: Much obliged to you, sir. About my expenses.
The Coroner Leave the court, Mr. Jeffs.

Mr. Jeffs thereupon made a low bow to the jury, winking at the foreman (who was still tickled at the idea of the Government taxing a man's memory, which was quite as ridiculous and unfair, he thought, as laying an embargo on his income) and backing out into the passage, where he encountered Cuffing, who looked at him with apparent indifference, and went upstairs into the room where the body of

Ransford was lying stiff and cold upon the table, where a post-mortem examination had been made during the morning, and the body duly viewed by the jury in the afternoon.

Presently Jeffs joined Cuffing.

"Only a second, Jeffs; you stuck to the one gentleman?" said Cuffing, hurriedly.

"Like wax," said Jeffs.

The policeman, who was the next witness, stated that he was sent for at half-past ten last night to the Cuttle Fish, where he saw the deceased lying on his left side, quite dead, with a wound in the forehead. There was a revolver in his right hand, one chamber of which had been discharged. Jeffs, the landlord of the house, and a solicitor named Cuffing were there. He saw Jeffs first and took down what he said, and had no doubt that Jeffs said Mr. Cuffing asked if the "gentlemen" had gone; he did not say "gentleman."

The surgeon who had examined the body gave a highly scientific and technical account of its condition, the effect of which was that the deceased might have shot himself, and probably did.

The inspector of police said he had several witnesses to call, subject to the coroner's approval, but he would suggest that if Mr. Cuffing was to be called this would be the most convenient time. The Coroner: By all means if you think so.

Police-inspector: I think you should caution him, Mr. Coroner, that he need not give evidence at present unless he chooses; and that anything he says may be used in evidence at his trial-(sensation) -should any charge be preferred against him in connection with the death of Mr. Philip Ransford.

The Coroner: Certainly. Call Simon Cuffing.

The lawyer appeared at once, and was duly cautioned.

The Coroner: It is only right that you should quite understand your position, Mr. Cuffing. I do not say for a moment that any charge is going to be made against you, implicating you in the death of this man, with whose name yours has lately been associated in such a painful manner at Bow Street; but the police, acting, I believe, on a telegram from Scotland Yard, wish me to caution you, and I do so accordingly.

Mr. Cuffing: My conduct is before the world, and I defy the police to find a blur upon it; and at the same time, in response to their caution and to yours, sir, I advise them to be careful how they use the name of Simon Cuffing.

The Coroner: Very good. Now we will proceed.

Mr. Cuffing: With all submission, Mr. Coroner, I must request

that you take down my story as I tell it; we shall save time in the adoption of this course, and as I have been cautioned, it will be better that if I commit myself I should do it voluntarily and in my own way, and not in response to questions put by the Court. The case of Lord St. Barnard against Philip Ransford, the deceased, is well known to all of you, through the reports in the newspapers. I was his solicitor. In conducting the prisoner's defence I did not exceed my instructions; indeed, my cross-examination was founded upon statements much more damaging than the points I endeavoured to bring out.

The inspector of police whispered to the coroner, who said he thought Mr. Cuffing was wandering from the business in hand. Mr. Cuffing: Not at all.

The Foreman: Mr. Coroner, we would like to hear all that the witness has to say. Being a lawyer, we think he might be left to judge for himself what is right and wrong as to the manner in which he conducts himself before us, especially seeing that he has been cautioned.

The Coroner: Very well, gentlemen; I have no objection.

Mr. Cuffing: I will not dwell upon the details of the BarnardRansford case, which stands adjourned, as you are aware, until Monday next. I hope Lord St. Barnard will be present to do an act of justice to my client as well as to the lady who has been so shamefully maligned. (Sensation.) After the release of my client from prison, he became more depressed than he was during his incarceration, and from expressing a wish that he had never moved in the business, he began to show such signs of remorse as induced me to question him more closely and severely than I had ever done before. The result was that in a moment of weakness and repentance he confessed to me that the whole of his charges against Lady St. Barnard were untrue.

The jury held their breath. For a moment you could hear a pin drop. The coroner looked at the police-inspector, who laid down his pen and leaned back in his chair, covered with astonishment. Mr. Cuffing: I can quite understand your surprise, and I hope your gratification, at this announcement. Before now clients have made confessions to their advocates which have remained closed

secrets for all time. Mr. Coroner and gentlemen of the jury, the moment Ransford burst into tears and fell sobbing upon my desk, letting out the pent-up feeling of many days, I said "You must make atonement. You must confess in open court." "What," he said, "and be sent back to prison?" was his reply. "No," I said, "for that

would be unprofessional. An advocate must not injure his client." I commended him for trusting me, and promised that he should not suffer for it; but I insisted upon our doing justice to the injured lady and her husband. (Applause.) With the consent of my client I waited upon Lord St. Barnard, and with some difficulty induced his lordship to listen to me. I succeeded in obtaining his lordship's consent to meet my client, and to do it quickly, as he had shown unmistakable signs of a nervousness which, I feared, might lead to aberration of mind. He talked of killing himself; said he was unfit to live; and otherwise conducted himself in quite an alarming manner. Lord St. Barnard came to my office, and upon his word of honour and in the terms of this document, which I now produce(sensation)-agreed not to continue the prosecution, if my client made a clean breast of the whole matter. I did not let Lord St. Barnard know the full nature of the statement my client was prepared to make, because, of course, I had his interests to protect as far as possible; but I put the business in such a light that there was finally a mutual exchange of documents, and my client was to be allowed to go abroad free and unfettered, and on the publication of the confession at the adjournment on Monday next Lord St. Barnard was to place in my hands £10,000 for investment during Ransford's lifetime in trust, the interest to be paid as long as Ransford remained abroad, and to be forfeited, with a recommencement of the prosecution, if ever he returned to England. This part of the understanding was a verbal agreement; but what I now tell you is ratified by the document which I lay before you, and by the copy of Philip Ransford's confession, which I can produce, if necessary; but I propose to reserve that for my statement at Bow Street on Monday next. ["Quite right," said the foreman.] Now, Mr. Coroner, we come to the sad incident of yesterday. It had been arranged that, as soon as possible after the delivery of the confession to Lord St. Barnard, my client should go abroad. The document was handed to his lordship yesterday prior to his lordship going to the Continent to join Lady St. Barnard; and knowing Mr. Jeffs, who had once been a client of mine in a prize-fighting case, which some of you gentlemen may remember, I thought the best course would be to meet there and take the steamer in the river. I notified this to his lordship, and he approved of it; and his lordship said curiously enough he was going out from Erith in a friend's yacht that very night, as soon as the tide served. [Jeffs had obtained some information which led Cuffing to guess that the Fairy, which had got up steam and been waiting off Purfleet, was the vessel in which his