His testimony, in substance, was this: 

That he was a friend of the deceased, and had loaned him one thousand dollars to complete a machine upon which he was engaged—­pointing to the unfinished pile in the corner.  That his relations with the deceased and his family (Marcus did not like to mention Pet’s name) were entirely agreeable, until an anonymous letter, charging him with improper motives in visiting the house, had poisoned the mind of the deceased against him. [The giving up of this letter to the coroner, who read it to the jury, and then tossed it over to the reporters for copying, was a hard trial, but Marcus had resolved upon meeting all the troubles of the case halfway.]

The coroner here produced the second anonymous letter, which had been found on the person of the deceased, showed it to Marcus for identification, and then threw it to the reporters, as one would throw a choice bone to a cage full of hungry animals.

Marcus explained that he had made every effort to discover the authorship of the letters, without success; whereupon the coroner shut his eyes knowingly, rolled his quid from right to left, and said that he was “investigatin’ ’em” himself.

QUESTION BY A JUROR.  “Wos the letters postpaid?”

ANSWER.  “They were.”

The juror took the reply into his profoundest consideration.

Marcus, resuming, stated that, on his last visit—­the night of the supposed murder—­he had found Mr. Minford very much disturbed in mind by the unjust suspicions aroused by these letters.  He had accused witness of the vile intentions referred to in them.  Witness had denied the imputations with emphasis.  The discussion was becoming quite warm, when the daughter of the deceased entered the room, and, being worn out with watching by the side of a sick friend, retired to bed in the adjoining chamber.  The conversation, broken off by her entrance, was then continued, much in the same vein.  Mr. Minford was in a distressing state of nervous excitement that evening, and talked loud and wild.  Witness made an effort to keep his temper, and did so, though the peculiar injustice of the accusations were enough to arouse any man’s anger.  He reserved his show of wrath for the author of the anonymous letters, if he could ever catch him.  He would not say that he had not replied to the deceased with some warmth of manner.  But as to threatening him, or hurting one hair of his head, witness had not done it—­so help him God!

QUESTION BY A JUROR.  “Was the key of the door in the keyhole that night?”

ANSWER.  “I don’t know.”

COMMENT BY FACETIOUS JUROR.  “Be me sowl, I thinks that whishkay had more to do with it than the doorkay.  Don’t you, Harry?”

CORONER.  “Bully for you!”

Clothing himself again with dignity, the coroner asked: 

“Der yer mean to say, Mr. Wilkingson, that yer didn’t kill this man?  Remember, now, yer on yer oath!”