varying distances. A microscopic examination showed that
certain discolorations around the bullet-hole (claimed by the
defence to be burns made by the powder) were, in fact, grease
marks, and that the shot must have been fired from a distance
of about fifteen feet. The defendant was convicted on his own
story, supplemented by the evidence of the witness who made
the tests.

The most obvious and first requirement is, as has been said,
to find the direct witnesses to the facts surrounding the
crime, commit their statements under oath to writing, so that
they cannot later be denied or evaded, and make sure that
these witnesses will not only hold no intercourse with the
other side, but will be on hand when wanted. This last is not
always an easy task, and various expedients often have to be
resorted to, such as placing hostile witnesses under police
surveillance, or in some cases in "houses of detention," and
hiding others in out-of-the-way places, or supplying them with
a bodyguard if violence is to be anticipated. When the proper
time comes the favorable witnesses must be duly drilled or
coached, which does not imply anything improper, but means
merely that they must be instructed how to deliver their
testimony, what answers are expected to certain questions, and
what facts it is intended to elicit from them. Witnesses are
often offended and run amuck because they are not given a
chance upon the stand to tell the story of their lives. This
must be guarded against and steps taken to have their
statements given in such a way that they are audible and
intelligible. A few lessons in elementary elocution are
generally vitally necessary. The man with the bassoon voice