The Barrel MysteryFlynn, William J. (William James)
General
The Barrel Mystery
Flynn, William J. (William James)
Detective and mystery stories; Fiction
Q. Did he tell you what you had to say?
A. He said, "How many times a week do you want to say that you saw
him?" I answered once a week. "I want to make my testimony as light
as possible," I told him, "so as not to get into trouble with the
Court." He said that once a week was probably too little; "make it
twice a week," he said. And I said, if I remember rightly, I saw him
twice a week.
Q. Did he tell you the time and the period?
A. He told me the period from the latter part of December to the early
part of March. Of course I could not testify further than that.
Q. Was Dr. Brancato there?
A. I was all alone.
Terranova said to me that when his brother (Morello) comes out of the
Tombs I was to tell him just what I was going to testify to in Court.
This in order to keep Morello from getting mixed up in his testimony,
and also for the additional purpose of keeping Morello's mind at ease
in the courtroom. Terranova told me to come along with him, and he
made me stand in the corner there until he (Morello) came out, and I
was to say he had rheumatism.
Q. He said that; did Terranova tell Morello you were going to testify?
A. We had arranged that.
Q. When did you first see him?
A. When they were bringing him down from the Tombs to the courtroom.
Q. Did Terranova speak to Morello?
A. Yes. He first spoke to Morello.
Q. And he told him that you were willing to testify for that period?
A. Yes.
Q. Then what did you say to Morello?
A. "I am going to testify for you, that you had rheumatism for that
period, from the latter part of December to the first part of March."
Q. Up to the time you left for Rochester?
A. Yes. He said, "Don't fear; we are out; there is no danger at all;
you need not fear, and I tell you that I was not out of the house at
all; nobody saw me and nobody will know the difference, because I was
as pale as a ghost at the time."
Q. They did not know we had eight men watching them at the time--
A. I came the first time, was here two days and was not called; I hung
around the Court and finally had to go back to Rochester and look
after my business.
Q. When did you first see Dr. Brancato?
A. The second time I came down to New York.
Q. Did you know that he was going to testify too?
A. Terranova told me--
Q. What did he say?
A. "He is going to testify that you were in consultation." Terranova
took me from the courthouse here to Dr. Brancato.
Q. That is Nick Terranova?
A. Yes.
Q. What did you do down in Brancato's office?
A. We simply agreed as to what we were going to say; that is the time
Dr. Brancato told me "we are up against it."
Q. On the quiet?
A. On the quiet.
Q. Was Terranova there?
A. He was in the outside room.
Q. Did he tell you how you would fix it up--he did not treat Morello?
A. No. Morello was not sick; he had no rheumatism, but complained all
the time of pains.
Q. Did Dr. Brancato tell you he had not treated him?
A. We did not argue about that. It was understood.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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