“A great many more,” said Hipsley. “Now, Morris, attend to me. Sam asked the police to assist him, as he had cut his hand with a reaping-hook?”
“He did, indeed, sir,” said the witness; “and a dreadful cut it was. It was hard for him to get his hand into the sleeve of the jacket.”
“I perceive; he had difficulty in putting on the jacket, but the policemen helped him?”
“They did, sir; and one of them was hurting him, and Sam called out, 'Take care, take care. It's better to cut the ould sleeve; it's not worth much, now.'”
“And did they cut it?”
“They did, sir; they ripped it up all the way to the elbow.”
“That was a pity, was n't it, to rip up a fine frieze coat like that?”
“Oh, it was n't his coat at all, sir. It was only a flannel jacket he had for working in.”
“So, then, he did not wear the blue-gray frieze like your son's when he went to jail?”
“No, sir. He wore a jacket.”