They Hanged My Saintly Billy (53 page)

mills
.
I
do
not
remember
that
I
used
the
words
'twenty
times'
.

Serjeant shee
.
Had
you
said
one
word
about
this
sickness
in
your depositions
before
the
Coroner?

mills
.
It
never
occurred
to
me
then;
it
occurred
to
me
three
days afterwards.

Serjeant shee
.
Did
you
state
this
before
the
Coroner:
'I
tasted
the broth
on
the
Sunday
before
Cook's
death;
it
was
not
made
in
this house;
I
thought
the
broth
very
good
after
I
had
tasted
it;
I believe
some
broth
had
been
sent
over
on
the
Saturday;
nothing peculiar
was
in
the
taste
of
the
broth'?

mills
.
No,
I
could
not
taste
anything
peculiar
.

Serjeant shee
.
If
you
tasted
it,
and
if
it
made
you
sick,
and
if
you vomited
frequently
in
the
course
of
the
afternoon,
why
did
you not
mention
that
to
the
Coroner?

mills
.
It
never
occurred
to
me;
I
did
not
think
it
was
the
broth
at
the time.

Serjeant shee
.
You
stated
yesterday
you
saw
a
pill-box
in
the
Hotel on
the
Monday
night,
which
was
sent
over
there
about
eight o'clock,
wrapped
up
in
paper?

mills
.
Yes.

Serjeant shee
.
And
that
you
placed
it
on
the
dressing-table
of
Cook's

bedroom?

mills
.
Yes.

Serjeant shee
.
And
that
on
that
same
evening
you
saw
Palmer
in Cook's
room
between
nine
and
ten
o'clock?

mills.
Yes.

S
erjeant shee
.
Did
you
say
a
word
about
that
before
the
Coroner?
mills
.
I
might
do.

S
erjeant shee
.
Don't
you
remember
that
you
made
no
such
statement
before
the
Coroner
?

mills
.
Perhaps
I
was
not
asked
the
question;
I
did
not
say
anything, only
when
I
was
asked.

S
erjeant shee
.
Will
you
now
swear
he
was
there
between
nine
and ten
o'clock
?

mills
.
Yes;
he
brought
ajar
of
jelly
and
opened
it.

S
erjeant shee
.
About
how
long
after
nine
will
you
swear
to
his presence
there?

mills
.
I
cannot
remember;
I
should
fancy
it
was
nearer
to
ten
than nine.

S
erjeant shee
.
You
say
it
was
half-past
ten
when
you
left
Cook,
but

you
cannot
recollect
whether
Palmer
was
still
there?

mills
.
I
cannot
.

S
erjeant shee
.
Then
you
have
no
certain
recollection
of
seeing
him

after
that
time?

mills
.
Not
until
he
was
fetched
over
about
midnig
ht.

S
erjeant shee
.
Do
you
know
when
Cook
took
the
pills?

mills
.
I
do
not.

S
erjeant shee
.
You
stated
yesterday
that
you
asked
him
on
the Tuesday
morning
what
he
thought
the
cause
of
his
illness
was. Did
he
reply:
'The
pills
which
Palmer
gave
me
at
half-past ten'?

mills
.
Yes.

S
erjeant shee
.
Did
you
tell
the
Coroner
that?

mills
.
No.

S
erjeant shee
.
Since
Mr
Cook's
death,
have
you
been
questioned
by anyone
respecting
what
you
said
about
these
pills
before
the Coroner?

mills
.
Yes,
by
a
Dr
Collier.
He
came
to
see
me
at
Hitchingley.

S
erjeant shee
.
Did
you
tell
Dr
Collier
that
the
gentlemen
in
London had
altered
your
evidence
on
that
point,
and
that
it
was
now
to
be: '
Cook
said
the
pills
which
Palmer
gave
him
at
half-past
ten
made him
ill'?

mills
.
I
did
not
tell
him
that
the
gentlemen
had
altered
my
evidence
.
S
erjeant shee
.
Did
you
say
that
the
evidence
had
since
been
altered by
anybody?

mills
.
It
had
been
altered
by
myself
since;
because
Mr
Cook's
words

had
occurred
to
me.

S
erjeant shee
.
Did
you
say
to
what
gendeman
you
had
given
this

information?

mills
.
No,
because
I
did
not
remember,
except
that
I
met
him
at Dolly's.

S
erjeant shee
.
So
an
unknown
gentleman
came
to
you
at
Dolly's!

Did
he
tell
you
from
whom
he
came?

mills
.
No,
he
asked:
"Will
you
answer
a
few
questions?'
I
said:

'
Certainly.'
He
did
not
tell
me
his
name,
neither
did
I
ask
it.

S
erjeant shee
.
Did
he
ask
you
many
questions
?

mills
.
Not
very
many.

S
erjeant shee
.
Did
he
write
down
your
answers
?