witness and had him read its broken sentences to the jury, and
after he had done so, asked him if he had any idea to what it referred
or for whom it was intended, but the witness denied any knowledge on the
subject.

The defence having concluded, the prosecution endeavored upon re-direct
examination to restore the force of the direct testimony, but without
much success; the damage was done, and the witness was no longer capable
of assisting in its repair.

Littell had scored, and that on the first occasion on which he had taken
any serious part in the proceedings, and it must be, I thought, that the
jury would now await his words with even increased interest. He
continued sparing of them, however, permitting witness after
witness--Van Bult and Davis among them--to leave the stand without
cross-examination or with only a few casual questions.

Nothing new was developed until Belle Stanton was cross-examined. Her
direct testimony had been a mere repetition of that which she had given
before the Coroner's jury, but Littell,--regardless of the strict
limitations of cross-examination--directed his questions to the matter
of White's supposed trouble, of which it seemed possible she might have
some knowledge, and his course was justified by the results.

She corroborated Benton's testimony as to White's disturbed mental
condition and went so far as to testify that he cherished some bitter
feeling towards some one. She said that this much she had learned from
his own lips and was sure of, and also that his feeling in the matter
was becoming daily more acute, but she denied having any knowledge of
its cause, or of the identity of the person. She, too, when shown the
letter, was unable to say for whom it was intended, but she expressed
the opinion that its contents were suggestive of some of the things
White had said when talking of his trouble. Nothing more definite than
this could be obtained from her, as she disclaimed recollection of any
exact words used by him, and said it was all only an impression she had
gathered almost unconsciously from disconnected remarks which he had
dropped at different times. "He had been drinking a good deal before his
death," she added in explanation, "and was not always quite himself";
and Littell, having attained his object of enforcing upon the attention
of the jury these apparent secrets in White's life, did not pursue the
cross-examination further.

I had looked for him to question her