"I swear I did not wish the death of the young man. What I said to him in the laboratory, was purely without ulterior motives.
"I admit I showed him the poisoned needle. I was interested in the experiment, and, being full of it, I spoke of our intention of trying the poison on the dog. When Vaud left the laboratory, I did not miss the needle; I did not miss it until Louis spoke to me about it. As Turnor had lately been in the laboratory, and we had been speaking about the experiment, I thought he had taken the needle. It never struck me that Vaud had benefited by my explanation, and had stolen the needle to kill Gregory. With Louis I went up to town on the twenty-first of June, to see Turnor, and ask him for the needle; I had no motive in taking Louis to Turnor's. If Turnor attempted to blackmail Louis, I knew nothing about it. I repel with scorn the insinuation that I purposely inveigled Louis to Great Auk Street to entangle him in the crime, and so blackmail him. I never heard of the murder until I went to the Red Star, according to my usual custom of an evening. Madaline asked me if I had seen Vaud, who was disguised as a negro. I said I had not.
"We went into the room; and found the body of Sir Gregory; he was disguised as a working-man; Vaud had disappeared. I ordered the body to be taken upstairs, and made an examination. I then saw that Gregory had been killed by being inoculated with the poison which Louis and I had discovered. I recognised the cross of St. Catherine, half tattooed on the arm; and I guessed from that how Vaud had induced Gregory to let himself be pricked with the poisoned needle. I showed the mark to Fanks when he came upstairs. But before doing so, I obliterated it with a cut of the knife. I did this because I thought I might be inculpated with the crime. I remember advising Hersham (who I did not know was the real heir) to disguise himself as a negro so as to gain realistic descriptions of street music. I did not do so with any wrongful intention of connecting him with the murder. Madaline had told me how Vaud was dressed as my negro servant; I saw that the death had been brought about by the poisoned needle stolen from our laboratory by Vaud; and with these two things in my head I recognised my danger at once. I gave my feigned name to Fanks; I suggested that the crime was the work of a secret society. Then I went back to Turnor, and I was aware that I was being watched and could not return to Taxton-on-Thames without being discovered.
"I consulted Turnor; he advised the voyage to Bombay, and said I ought to send Caesar in my place, in order to get rid of him, since the murderer of Gregory had been disguised in his livery; and also that Caesar could send letters (already written by me) from India, in order to keep up the deception, and baffle the police. I adopted the idea, and, assisted by Dr. Turnor, I carried it out with great success. I had an interview with Fanks in the character of Dr. Renshaw, and I told him that I was going to Bombay. I then took a passage to India in the P. and O. steamer 'Oceana'; and wired to Caesar to meet me at Plymouth.
"Thither I went and gave the letters (purporting to be written by myself from Bombay) to Caesar and sent him off in my place. Afterwards, I took off my disguise, and went back to Mere Hall. I had no idea that I had been followed by Mr. Fanks, and thinking that I had destroyed all links with the crime in Tooley's Alley, likely to endanger Louis and myself, I advised him to offer a reward so as to still further avert suspicion.
"This he did, and I thought all was well, till Madaline came from Mere Hall to warn me against Fanks, and to threaten to put the real Gregory in the place of Louis. I stopped her doing this, and defied Fanks. How he over-reached me; how I was betrayed by Louis, has been told by others. I can swear with a clear conscience that I acted throughout in the interests of Louis, who has treated me with the basest ingratitude. I have no more to say, save to express my pleasure that Mr. Hersham has recovered his real name in the world. I hope he will remember that it was indirectly through me that he was re-instated in his estates; by my confirming the statements of Madaline, and that of the late Sir Francis, his father. I think that he should reward me. In this hope I take my leave.
(Signed), Theophilus Binjoy."
The evidence of Anne Colmer--
"I am the daughter of Mrs. Colmer, of Taxton-on-Thames, the sister of Emma Colmer, who died in Paris under the name of Emma Calvert, and the niece of Madaline Garry, better known as Mrs. Boazoph. I saw the letter--or rather the envelope--which she directed for my mother, to get back the photograph of my sister from Sir Gregory. It was taken out of our house by Herbert Vaud, and I believe he sent it to Sir Gregory with the cardboard star, making the appointment in Tooley's Alley. I had no idea that Vaud contemplated revenging the death of my sister on Gregory. I knew that he hated him, and that he would do him harm if he could, but I did not know that he would go so far as murder.
"I wired to Ted Hersham on the twenty-first, as my mother told me that she suspected that Vaud had taken the envelope, and that he contemplated harm to Sir Gregory. I wanted Ted to get back the envelope. Afterwards, I thought that I would see my aunt in Tooley's Alley, as I knew she had great influence with Vaud. I sent the telegram, and immediately, without returning to the house, I went up to town. I was detained by the train breaking down, and I did not arrive in town till nearly seven o'clock. I went to the Red Star, where I saw Mr. Fanks; and then heard of the crime. I fancied that Vaud might have committed it, but I was not sure. I was afraid lest my mother should be implicated in it; as she informed me that she had told Vaud about the substitution of the false Sir Gregory, and about the tattooed cross. This story had been related to her by Mrs. Boazoph, when we learned that Sir Gregory had caused the death of his wife, my sister.