Northern Weekly Gazette. — 1908-10-24 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

WOW, U. nos.  T  o-hn  NORTHERN WEEKLY GAZETTE  •  E  the housemaid was talking to the ostler near the woods. In spite of her denial she had seen and rooognised someone who had not come forward for fear of turning suspicion on himself. Who was he?  When I reached the stables, Jenkins the ostler, was busy grooming a horse. A few straight questions, and he . collapsed. He recognised the danger his silenco had brought upon him, and was afraid. "I'll tell you every'thing," he said, as soon as he recovered his control. "It was only to shield Alice that I kept silent. As soon as the other servants were in bed Alice came to me in the wood. While we were talking a. man entered.- the orchard through the gap in the hedge. Clouds covered the face of the moon, and, in the darkness, we did not fully recognise him, but we thought it was Mr Sherlock.  "In order to give him time to get to bed, Alice stayed longer than she otherwise would have done. When the clock struck eleven she left me. As she neared the house she saw the same man coming out through the drawingroom window, and, to escape his notice, crouched and hid herself behind some bushes. The moon was shining brightly, and in turning the corner he passed so close to her that she could have touched him. The man was Mr Sherlock. Next morning, instead of telling the police what she had seen, she denied having seen or heard anyone; and I, for her sake, denied having met her that night."  After a few searching questions I hastened to the Hall and interviewed Alice Holland. She oorroborated Jenkins in every particular. • It was clear that John Sherlock was in the house at the time the murder was committed, and as he benefited largely by the death of his uncle it wpuld be for him to satisfy the jury that his stealthy visit was a legitimate one.  Near the drawing-room window I found a peculiarly shaped button, which the housekeeper recognised as belonging to a snit of tweeds often worn by Mr Sherlock. Upon this evidence John Sherlock was arrested, and, after the usual delays, was committed for trial at the nest Liverpool Assizas.  His imprisonment had no apparent effect upon Sherlock. When he appeared at the Assizes he was as spruce and debonair as on the morning of his arrest. His friends had unbounded confidence in his innocence, and there was not a single inhabitant of Seabridge who believed he had committed the crime.  In the interval we had materially st,ksngthened our case against him. Link by link we had pieced together a chain of evidence so strong as to appear unanswerable. Men had seen Sherlock hastening along the road to Liverpool on his bicycle. His business was a dead loss. He owed thousands of pounds; his creditors were pressing for payment, and the Jews had refused to furnish him with any more money. He had often wished his uncle did, and declared frequently that it was time the old man got out and gave him a chance of an innings. His counsel did not cross-examine any of the witnesses. The case for the prosecution closed, and the Court adjourned for luncheon. "Well, what is the defence?" I asked, turning to one of the reporters. "An alibi," he answered, promptly. "Slierlock knows he's as safe as houses, or he could not be so utterly indifferent. The defence will be an eye-opener." The judge took his seat, and Caleb Breeze, the priDoner's camw.o4-- rnee.to- open the defence.   / j  ...----------.,, , N c ME Mr .---.,r liE ) _ 7 , ___....._.