EIGHTH DAY, May 22.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge was among the distinguished persons who were accommodated with seats upon the bench.
The learned Judges, Lord Campbell, Mr. Baron Alderson, and Mr. Justice Cresswell, took their seats at ten o’clock. The prisoner was at once placed at the bar. His demeanour was, as on the previous days of his trial, calm and attentive, but betrayed no additional anxiety.
Immediately after the learned Judges took their seats,
Lord Campbell said: Before the proceedings commence I must express a most earnest hope that until this trial is concluded the public journals will continue to abstain from any comments upon the merits of the case, or upon any part of the evidence. The propriety of this course is so obvious as to need no explanation. This warning ought to extend to the insertion of letters as much as to that of editorial articles.
Thomas Nunneley, examined by Mr. Grove: I am Fellow of the College of Surgeons, and Professor of Surgery at the Leeds School of Medicine. I am also a member of several medical and learned societies, foreign and English, and have been in practice between twenty and thirty years. I have a large practice, and have seen cases of both traumatic and idiopathic tetanus. Of the latter disease I have seen four cases. They did not all commence with lockjaw. One did not commence so, nor did lockjaw become so marked in it as to prevent swallowing once during the course of the disease. I have heard the evidence as to the symptoms of Cook, and had previously read the depositions as to that part of the case. Judging from those symptoms, I am of opinion that death was caused by some convulsive disease. I found that opinion upon the symptoms described in the depositions and the evidence before the Court.
Lord Campbell said that the witness could only be examined as to his opinion founded upon the vivâ voce evidence before the Court.
Mr. Grove said that his object was to distinguish between the opinion founded on the vivâ voce evidence and that founded on the depositions.
Examination continued: From the symptoms described by the witnesses in court, I am of opinion that death was caused by some convulsive disease. Looking at Cook’s general state of health—
Mr. Baron Alderson: You have nothing to do with that. You must only give an opinion upon the symptoms described in evidence.