Mr. Hay—Is a spring-saw a usual and necessary implement for all wrights and joiners, as well as smiths?
Witness—I have one myself, which I use for cutting off brass knobs and several other purposes.
Mr. Hay—Are old keys and pick-locks usual and necessary implements for wrights and smiths?
Witness—They are.
Mr. Hay—Do you know that a box of old keys was always lying open in the corner of Mr. Brodie’s workshop, to which you and the other men had access?
Witness—There was; and when a key of any of our customers was either broke or spoiled, we could often fit the lock from some of these keys.
[Here the witness was shown the keys libelled on.]
Witness—I never remember to have seen any keys of that kind before.
[Here it was proposed to show the witness a pick-lock, and to ask him whether or not joiners or cabinetmakers kept such an instrument, when the Lord Advocate admitted that it was not uncommon for a cabinetmaker to keep such articles as the above. There were several witnesses cited by Mr. Brodie to prove this fact.]
The exculpatory proof being closed a few minutes after one o’clock of the morning of the 28th day of August, the Lord Advocate then proceeded to address the jury.