l proceeded to narrate the circumstances of the evening
up to the point when Mr. Mulready left the house.

"Beyond that point, gentlemen of the jury," the counsel said, "nothing
certain is known. The rest must be mere conjecture; and yet it is not
hard to imagine the facts. The prisoner was aware that the deceased had
gone to the mill, which is situated a mile and a half from the town. You
will be told the words which the prisoner used: 'It will be my turn next
time, and when it comes I will kill you, you brute.'

"With these words on his lips, with this thought in his heart, he
started for the mill. What plan he intended to adopt, what form of
vengeance he intended to take, it matters not, but assuredly it was with
thoughts of vengeance in his heart that he followed that dark and lonely
road to the mill. Once there he would have hung about waiting for his
victim to issue forth. It may be that he had picked up a heavy stone,
may be that he had an open knife in his hand; but while he was waiting,
probably his foot struck against a coil of rope, which, as you will
hear, had been carelessly thrown out a few minutes before.

"Then doubtless the idea of a surer method of vengeance than that of
which he had before thought came into his mind. A piece of the rope was
hastily cut off, and with this the prisoner stole quietly off until he
reached the spot where two gates facing each other on opposite sides of
the lane afforded a suitable hold for the rope. Whether after fastening
it across the road he remained at the spot to watch the catastrophe
which he had brought about, or whether he hurried away into the darkness
secure of his vengeance we cannot tell, nor does it matter. You will
understand, gentlemen, that we are not in a position to prove these
details of the tragedy. I am telling you the theory of the prosecution
as to how it happened. Murders are not generally done in open day with
plenty of trustworthy witnesses looking on. It is seldom that the act of
slaying is witnessed by human eye. The evidence must therefore to some
extent be circumstantial. The prosecution can only lay before juries the
antecedent circumstances, show ill will and animus, and lead the jury
step by step up to the point when the murderer and the victim meet in
some spot at some time when none but the all seeing eye of God is upon
them. This case is, as you see, no exception to the general rule.

"I have shown you that between the prisoner and the