Ladysmith news. [volume] (Ladysmith, Wis.) 1906-1907, 1907-01-19

! tentative. | must tell you that there
/ is but one verdict, and that verdict is
one of guilty Do your duty, gentle
men, and do it without fear. You leave
yourselves and you leave my long-suf-
| fering and deeply injured client in the
| hands of one in whom you may safely
repose the most mistaken confidence
! To you, my lord dare address but
one word only. You will let your own
heart speak."
There were tears in court, there
were tears in the jury box, even the
! judge himself was visibly affected
There was moments silence broken
only by sobbings here and there, and
then counsel, rising from the seat into
which he had fallen at his last word
said:
! Call William Molesworth.'
| A gray haired man, attired with an
old-fashioned precision, stepped into
| the box and was sworn. He was deep
| ly moved, and at first answered ques
| lions put to him with difficulty.
Your name is William Wordsworth?
| You are a solicitor in practice in Lin
| coins Inn? Will you tell me if have
| been rightly informed that Aloysius
Brangwyn the elder, the confession Of
whose murder by his nephey, Alexis
| you have just heard, was your first
| client of Importance"
| "He was actually my first. He and
my elder brother were old schoolfel
| lows, and my brother introduced me-
"How long did you continue to trans
| act his legal business?"
Until the legal presumption of his
! death, two years after his decease.'
con what personal terms did you
stand with your client?"
For the last forty-fve years Of his
life on terms of intimate friendship"
"You were aware of his testament
tary dispositions. we may assume?"
81 drew up the only will he ever
signed"
''Will you tell us how his fortune
was bequeathed?"
TT was divided equally between his
nephews. There were some minor be-
quests, with regard to which | have
not refreshed my memory"
Precisely. They are of no moment,
Mr. Wordsworth. Was the fortune
large one?"
THE personality was sworn under
2523,000"
$50 that each of his heirs had to
look forward to an inheritance OF a
quarter of million?"
Rather more"
Rather more Were they both
| aware of this?"
'Mr. Brangwyn asked me to read
and explain the will to his great-neph-
ews on their twenty-first birthday"
Did he give you a reason for that?"
We'll, he made the reading of the
will the occasion for little sermon.
He told the young men that he relied
on and had faith in their honor, but he
/ wished them to understand that they
had large expectations, and that those
expectations would be forfeited il
either of them were guilty to his
knowledge of any conduct seriously
unworthy of a Christian gentleman"
Did you receive from him few
days before his disappearance letter
relating to the prisoner"
eyes. He had received news of an
act of his which he described as that
of a bastard and scoundrel. He
gave me instructions to prepare new
will bequeathing everything to his
nephew, Alexis, and charging the es-
tate with an annual payment of two
hundred and fifty pounds to his elder
| nephew"
''Now we know that Mr.. Brangwyn
| was foully murdered before that sec
ond will was drawn?"
"It was only half drafted at the
time"
'You had strong presumption that
the prisoner had hand in his disap-
pearance"
ST believed him to have murdered
my old friend"
| did you tell him 500"
"To my bitter grief and shame,
did"
How long did that belief continue
in your mind?"
until he was publicly exculpated by
the attorney general at Bow street"
81 have been given to understand,
| Mr. Wordsworth, that you expressed
your belief with some freedom"
II expressed it, to my undying re-
greet and remorse, everywhere and any
where when occasion offered"
'sThe prisoner knew this?"
"He knew it only too WELL" The
witnesses voice broke, and he wept.
You know that if he had chosen to
inculpate his cousin he could have
convinced you of his innocence at any
moment?"
Il know it, Mr. Atkinson. know
| it." Atkinson, G. c., and the veneer
able solicitor were old friends and old
professional associates
"And will you tell us why, in your
opinion, he refrained from action?"
why, sir? Because he would not
stoop to soil the name he BEARS"
!, Had he gone to the police at any
time after the discovery of the body in
/ the house in Agar Row he could added
~ =.