before you; and that the
doctrine laid down by my learned friend, that you should make an
example in one case for the sake of prevention of crimes in others,
is most unconstitutional, and would imply, that whilst the solemn
oath you have taken is still vibrating in your ears, your object
should be far wide from that for which you have been assembled--that
of making a fair and true trial between your sovereign and the
prisoner. I shall now call a few witnesses, and then leave the case,
with confidence, in your hands."

CHAPTER XXXI.

THE LAST WITNESS.

When Mr. O'Malley had finished his address to the jury, it was past
seven o'clock, and the judge suggested that as it would be evidently
impracticable to finish the case that night, so as to release the
jury, they might as well at this point adjourn it till the morrow. To
this Mr. Allewinde readily assented; but Mr. O'Malley declared that
though he was most unwilling to detain his lordship and the court at
that late hour, he must request permission to be allowed to examine
one of his witnesses, as otherwise his caution in having had him
ordered out of court, would have been in vain. It was most essential,
he said, that his examination of Mr. Keegan should take place before
that man could have an opportunity of conversing with his servant,
Brady; whereupon the judge consented to hearing Keegan's evidence
that evening, and forthwith the name of Hyacinth Keegan was called
out in a loud voice by the crier, and was repeated by every policeman
in court, till a stranger to the proceedings would have thought
that Hyacinth Keegan's society was the one thing desirable in
Carrick-on-Shannon.

It would be drawing this trial out to a weary length to give the
whole of his evidence; but Mr. O'Malley's questions were such as
the attorney found it almost impossible to answer. He was asked
in the first place whether he at present received the rents from
Ballycloran, and then whether he received them on his own behalf;
the latter he denied, but when told that if he denied the fact Mr.
Flannelly would be brought forward to prove it, he at last owned that
Mr. Flannelly had promised to make over that property to him; he then
denied that any conversation had passed between him and Brady as to
the nature of the evidence the latter was to give at the trial, or
that he had expressed any anxiety on any occasion that a verdict
might be given against the prisoner; he confessed that he m