The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1907-02-13
CHAPTER vi,

that the cOnstableS raided the
vicarage. The young lawyer had
already started for his days work
in Birmingham. The startled par
ents were ordered to produce all
the young mans clothing. The
mother was asked for his dagger,
but could produce nothing more
formidable than botany spud. A
hunt was made for weapons, and
set of razors belonging to the vicar
were seized. Some were said to be
wet-a not uncommon condition for
razors in the morning. Dark spots
were perceived upon the back of
one, but they proved upon chemical
examination to be rust stains.
Twelve men CHARTERED the small
garden. but nothing was found.
The clothes, however, were a
more serious matter. One coat was
seized by the police and declared
to be damp. This is vigorously de-
ned by the vicar. who handled the
coat before it was removed
The coat, however, was not one
which Edalji used outside, and the
evidence of Mr.. Hands was called
to show that he had not worn it the
night before. 1t was an old house.
coat. so stained and worn that it is
not likely that an ambitious young
professional man would, even in the
lamplight. walk in the streets and
show himself to his neighbors in
such a garment. But it was these
very stains which naturally attract
ed the attention of the police. There
were some whitiSh stainS-surely
these must be the saliva of the UNI
fortunate animal. They were duly
tested and proved to be starch
stains. probably from fish sauce or
bread and milk. But there was
something still more ominous upon
this unhappy coat. There were, &C.
cording to Inspector Campbell,
clark red or brown stains, right
cuff much more stained than the
left. There were other stains on
each sleeve, further up. reddish
brown or white. The coat was damp
There are other spots and
stains upon it,"
They fell ~ hours later into
capable hands of the police sur
geon. and the sanguinary smears
conjured up by the evidence of
the constable diminished with alb
surd swiftness until they became
"two stains in the center of the
right cuff, each about the size of
a three-penny bit" This was de-
clared by DR.. Butter to be NAM
malian blood. He found no more
blood at all. How these small
stains came there it is difficult to
trace-as difficult as to trace
stain which | see now upon the
sleeve of my own house-jacket as
i look down. A splash from the
gravy of underdone meat might
well produce 1t. At any rate, it
may most safely be said that the
most adept operator who ever
lived would not rip up horse
with a razor upon a dark night and
have only two three-penny-b spots
of blood to show for it. The idea
ds beyond argument
But now, having exhausted the
white stains and the dark stains,
we come to the most damning por-
tions of the whole Indictment,
though a careful consideration may
change ones view as to who 1t is
who Is damned by it. The police
claimed that they discovered horse
hairs upon the coat. "On the
sleeve" says Inspector Campbell,
81 found brownish hairs, which look
like horse hairs. There are some
on now" Now, let us listen to the
very clear statement of the vicar
upon the subject. transcribe 1t
in full:
con Aug. IS, 1908, they called at
the vicarage at about s o'clock in
the morning and, in compliance
with their request. Mrs. Edalji
showed them a number of garments
belonging to her son. George Edal-
III. AS soon as they saw the old
coat they began to examine 1t, and
Inspector Campbell put his finger
upon one place and said that there
was a hair there. Mrs. Edalji told
him that it was not hair, but a
thread, and Miss Edalji, who was
present then, remarked that it look
ed like rowing This was all that
Inspector Campbell had said to
them about the hair before | came
down. When saw him he told me
that he had found horse hairs upon
the coat. The coat was then spread
out upon the desk in the study. |
asked him to point out the place
where the hairs were to be seen.
He pointed out lower part of the
coat, and said, There's a horse hair
there examined the place and
said, There Is no hair here at ALL
Some further conversation followed
and then suddenly he put his finger
ttpon opotbar n1o On IN tho ooat