ROCKLAND, July 19th, 1891.
...The shell was placed on the same shelf with the tomahawk, and no other shells on that shelf. It was placed with the open side down, and the tomahawk stood directly over it. I cannot say why he did not tell us to look inside of the shell. We started to look as soon as he told us. It was in the cabinet under the tomahawk. We did not wait for any more to be said.
I am not intimately acquainted with many public people. As to my integrity, will refer you to Rev. C. Y. de Normandie, of Kingston.
J. A. Finney.
Dr. Hodgson writes:—
The shell is a large Triton, about ten inches long. The piece of brick was wrapped in folds of soft paper and tucked deeply into the recess. Another piece of paper was then gummed around the sides of the shell in the interior, so as absolutely to prevent the piece of brick from falling out. When I received the shell from Mrs. Finney and looked into the interior and shook the shell violently, there was nothing to indicate that the shell contained anything but the piece of gummed paper.
The piece of brick in the shell weighs one and a half ounces, and the piece of brick retained by Mrs. Finney weighs about two and a quarter ounces. The shell with the piece of brick and paper wrapping weighs about eleven and a half ounces.
Mrs. Finney also forwarded me the letter written by her brother. The shell and the pieces of brick and the letter are now all in my possession.
R. Hodgson.