Birchill
consented to the plan, and when on the night of the 18th August he
broke into the house he found the murdered body of Sir Horace in the
library. That was the full extent of the prisoner's connection with
the crime. To the superficial and suspicious mind it might seem an
improbable story, but to an earnest mind it was a story that carried
conviction because of its simple straightforwardness--its crudity, if
the jury liked to call it that. It lacked the subtlety and the finish
of a concocted story. The murder took place before Birchill reached
Riversbrook on his burglarious errand.
"It is my place," added Mr. Holymead, in concluding his address, "to
convince you that my client is not guilty, or, in other words, to
convince you that the murder was committed before he reached the house.
It is only with the greatest reluctance that I take upon myself the
responsibility of pointing an accusing finger at another man. In crimes
of this kind you cannot expect to get anything but circumstantial
evidence. But there are degrees of circumstantial evidence, and my duty
to my client lays upon me the obligation of pointing out to you that
there is one person against whom the existing circumstantial evidence is
stronger than it is against my client.
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