The first witness brought to the stand by the prosecution was S. S. Shoemake. He came up with an air of boldness and majesty not easily described. Calm, deliberate, and with an external appearance of the perfect gentleman, he gave his testimony with elegance and beauty of language, almost sufficient “to deceive the very elect.” His testimony, such as it was, was pretty much confined to a pretended conversation betwixt the defendant and himself during the journey together while under circumstances of arrest; to the effect that the defendant had confessed to him that the names given in the life of Copeland, were not at all reliable, and that the authenticity of the work was entirely valueless. This pretended conversation was wholly a concocted fabrication of his own to serve the ends of the prosecution. But the character of this man in a few more minutes elicited, will satisfy the reader as to what amount of credit his testimony was worth. His then uninterrupted evidence being given, the next ordeal was his cross-examination by the counsel for the defence. The envelope alone, which at first contained the John R. Garland letter, was handed to him with this question asked: “Did you address this envelope?” After looking at it for a while he answered: “I believe this to be my hand-writing.” He was next asked if he had at any previous time addressed a letter or communication of any sort to the Sheriff of Perry county, Mississippi. He answered that he had no recollection whatever of addressing a letter to the Sheriff of Perry county, Mississippi, who was then seated at the bar before the Court. The John R. Garland letter itself was next handed to him, with the request to state to the Court and Jury if he was the writer of said letter, which had been written and mailed at DeKalb, Mississippi. Here Shoemake hesitated and faltered considerably; and, in a moment, seemed to be fully conscious of the complete wreck before him. A transition so sudden from the heights of promising success to the most forlorn and abject condition of reverse, was too much for him to surmount. In this instance, he manifested a great reluctance to, or desire to evade giving a direct answer, but being forced by the Court to give a definite reply, he answered at last with emphatic words that he was not the writer or author of the John R. Garland letter. Now, for the succeeding and successful conflicting testimony.