However, the Australian evidence came in time. Numbers of witnesses
had to be called who not only were not in our brief, but were never
dreamed of. For instance, there was the Danish perjurer Louie, who
swore he picked up the defendant at sea when the _Bella_ went down.
Instead of this man going away after he had given his evidence, he
remained until two gentlemen from the City, seeing his portrait in the
Stereoscopic Company's window in Regent Street, identified him as a
dishonest servant of theirs, who was undergoing a sentence of penal
servitude at the time he swore he picked Roger up. He received five
years' penal servitude for his evidence.
I had pledged myself to the task, which extended over many months more
than I ever anticipated. At every sacrifice, however, I was bound to
devote myself to the case, and did so, although I had to relinquish a
very large portion of my professional income.
What made things worse, there was not only no effort made to curtail
the business, but advantage was taken of every circumstance to prolong
it. The longer it was dragged out the better chance there was of an
acquittal. Had a juryman died after months of the trial had passed,
the Government must have abandoned the prosecution. It would have been
impossible to commence again. This was the last hope of the defence.
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