On the 13th of the month he had some drinks to steady his, nerves. In the afternoon he went the Wayport Rooms and saw Welsh standing up against the billiard table. Witness pat his hand to his gun and said "Now Welsh, you dirty vermin, where is my gear?" He replied "I ain't got. it, Bill" Witness was pointing the Jgun at Welsh's head then, but he shifted it down towards the heart. He was only trying to frighten him into saying where his clothes. were, He called Welsh a "dirty, jcur™ and Welsh again said he had not got his clothes. Witness then turned round intending to leave the bar, and the gun exploded in his. hand. Welsh "dropped shortly afterwards. but witness: believed he was shamming and went over and prodded him with his foot. He began to realize then that perhaps. the man was injured, and left and went to the Astor Bar, where he handed over the revolver wrapped up in paper to the wer. He was in a state of absolute nervous collapse after that and when he was 3 ested he did not know what he was saying. When went to gaol he believed himself to be on the verge of delirium, tremen.
Thought Safety Catch Down.
Accused had positively had no vention of shooting Welsh; simply wanted to frighten the man, and in fact believed the safety catch was down. Witness had been told that Welsh had been overheard to say, in the Chinese doss house, "'that' Lester was easy. All you had to do was to go to hi house and lift anything he had." At the same time he was alleged to have produced a lot of Leste property in proof thereof, The Crown Advocate, -in his! closing speech, said there could be no doubt in the minds of the jury: now that Lester was the man who fired the shot. His defence—wi that the "revolver. went off ae.
utaily. He asked them could they possibly believe this when they Jconsidered all the evidence. They knew the man had pointed the revolver at Welsh, that he ha threatened him, and that after Welsh dropped he went over and kicked him, saying that he ought to have shot him in the head. If. he only intended to frighten hi victim, why should he load the weapon? Surely it would have been more sensible and more safe have the weapon unloaded.
On the Verge of Delirium Tremens.
Mr. Reader soner, denied tha was intent. The peculiar one, for they shad' to consider the prisoner's state of mind. He was very nearly suffering from delirium tremen; he believed and with reason, that Welsh had robbed him, and altogether he was highly nervous. He believed Welsh was shortly leaving the port, and he went to get the revolver intending purely to frighten Welsh. The explosion rasen accident. "There was no intent to wound whatsoever.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.