“Yes.  I found the body of the deceased lying in her bed, which had apparently not been disturbed.  She had been dead about ten hours, and rigidity was complete in the limbs but not in the trunk.  The cause of death was a deep wound extending right across the throat and dividing all the structures down to the spine.  It had been inflicted with a single sweep of a knife while deceased was lying down, and was evidently homicidal.  It was not possible for the deceased to have inflicted the wound herself.  It was made with a single-edged knife, drawn from left to right; the assailant stood on a hassock placed on a box at the head of the bed and leaned over to strike the blow.  The murderer is probably quite a short person, very muscular, and right-handed.  There was no sign of a struggle, and, judging by the nature of the injuries, I should say that death was almost instantaneous.  In the left hand of the deceased was a small tress of a woman’s red hair.  I have compared that hair with that of the accused, and am of opinion that it is her hair.”

“You were shown a knife belonging to the accused?”

“Yes; a stencil-knife.  There were stains of dried blood on it which I have examined and find to be mammalian blood.  It is probably human blood, but I cannot say with certainty that it is.”

“Could the wound have been inflicted with this knife?”

“Yes, though it is a small knife to produce so deep a wound.  Still, it is quite possible.”

The coroner glanced at Mr. Horwitz.  “Do you wish to ask this witness any questions?” he inquired.

“If you please, sir,” was the reply.  The solicitor rose, and, having glanced through his notes, commenced:  “You have described certain blood-stains on this knife.  But we have heard that there was blood-stained water in the wash-hand basin, and it is suggested, most reasonably, that the murderer washed his hands and the knife.  But if the knife was washed, how do you account for the bloodstains on it?”

“Apparently the knife was not washed, only the hands.”

“But is not that highly improbable?”

“No, I think not.”

“You say that there was no struggle, and that death was practically instantaneous, but yet the deceased had torn out a lock of the murderess’s hair.  Are not those two statements inconsistent with one another?”

“No.  The hair was probably grasped convulsively at the moment of death.  At any rate, the hair was undoubtedly in the dead woman’s hand.”

“Is it possible to identify positively the hair of any individual?”

“No.  Not with certainty.  But this is very peculiar hair.”

The solicitor sat down, and, Dr. Hart having been called, and having briefly confirmed the evidence of his principal, the coroner announced:  “The next witness, gentleman, is Dr. Thorndyke, who was present almost accidentally, but was actually the first on the scene of the murder.  He has since made an examination of the body, and will, no doubt, be able to throw some further light on this horrible crime.”