On cross-examination he takes it back, and swears, on page 2503, that Dorsey wrote the words:
It will be all right.
He was afraid those words might be given too wide a significance and might in some way touch the Attorney-General, and consequently he swore that he swore wrong when he swore that he wrote them, and that as a matter of fact Dorsey wrote them. Then, on his examination-in-chief with the marked paper before him, and having plenty of time to manufacture his testimony, he swore that he wrote the words:
He asked me—In his own handwriting, and that Dorsey wrote these words—when I was going to New York to get those books. I replied, "On Sunday night." He said, "Don't put it off too long, as they are all-important."
On his examination-in-chief he swore that Dorsey wrote those words, and on cross-examination he admitted that he wrote every one of those words himself. When he was cross-examined he had not the paper before him. His memory was not refreshed by the blue pencil mark. So on his examination-in-chief he swore that he wrote these words:
As I was about leaving he—Meaning the Attorney-General—said, "Mr. Rerdell, you have put yourself in full accord with us, and I have this to say, you shall be well taken care of and your matters shall be attended to."
On cross-examination, on page 2500, he swears that Dorsey wrote the words:
Your matters shall be attended to.
But he still admitted that he, Rerdell, wrote the words and put them in the mouth of the Attorney-General:
You shall be well taken care of.