only two tenants; John North and Andrew Gilmore.

What was the exact nature of his duties? The witness could hardly say;
he was something of a carpenter for one thing, and at the present time
was making certain repairs in the vacant store-room on the ground floor.
Did he take care of the entrance and the two halls? Yes. Had he
anything to do with the rooms of the two tenants on the first floor?
Yes. What?

Sometimes he swept and dusted them and he was supposed to look after the
fires. He carried up the coal, Moxlow suggested? Yes. He carried out the
ashes? Again yes. Moxlow paused for a moment. Was he the only person who
ever carried out the ashes? Yes. What did he do with the ashes? He
emptied them into a barrel that stood in the yard back of the building.
And what became of them then? Whenever necessary, the barrel was carted
away and emptied. How long did it usually take to fill the barrel? At
this season of the year one or two weeks. When was it emptied last? A
week ago, perhaps, the witness was not quite sure about the day, but it
was either Monday or Tuesday of the preceding week. And how often did
the ashes from the fireplaces in Mr. North's and Mr. Gilmore's rooms
find their way into the barrel? Every morning he cleaned out the grates
the first thing, and usually before Mr. North or Mr. Gilmore were up.

Again Moxlow paused and glanced over the room. He must have been aware
that to his eager audience the connection between Mr. North's and Mr.
Gilmore's fireplaces and the McBride murder, was anything but clear.

"Did you empty the ashes from the fireplaces in the apartments occupied
by Mr. North and Mr. Gilmore on Friday morning?" he asked.