“Joe, crestfallen and despairing, subsided into silence.
“‘Do you see the man whom you took red-handed, as you say, standing pistol in hand over his slain victim?’ inquired the prosecutor.
“‘Yes, sir; that is the man,’ replied the witness, pointing to the young prisoner in the dock.
“Joe shook his head in desperation, but said never a word.
“The pistol was then produced, and identified by the witness as the one he had taken from the prisoner at the bar.
“A ball was produced, and identified by the next witness, Dr. Yorke, who performed the autopsy on the deceased lawyer, as the bullet extracted from the dead body. It was found to fit the empty chamber of the revolver, and to correspond perfectly with the other bullets with which it had been loaded.
“Pistol and bullets were handed to the jury, and passed from man to man—conclusive evidence of the guilt of the prisoner at the bar.
“Several other witnesses were examined, all of whom corroborated the testimony of the first one.
“Joe thought his case was gone, and he felt thankful that Lil was not there to hear evidence that might even have shaken her faith in him, since it had destroyed his faith in himself.
“But at length the case for the prosecution was closed, and the court took a recess.