The murders took place on the morning of August 12. The Grand jury met late in September, and found an indictment against Singleton. The trial began on the 16th of November.

The confinement was terrible. Accustomed to regular exercise as I was, I suffered mentally and physically. I heard nothing from Elsa Lee, and I missed McWhirter, who had got his hospital appointment, and who wrote me cheering letters on pages torn from order-books or on prescription-blanks. He was in Boston.

He got leave of absence for the trial, and, as I explained, the following notes are his, not mine. The case was tried in the United States Court, before Circuit Judge Willard and District Judge McDowell. The United States was represented by a district attorney and two assistant attorneys. Singleton had retained a lawyer named Goldstein, a clever young Jew.

I was called first, as having found the bodies.

"Your name?"

"Ralph Leslie."

"Your age?"

"Twenty-four."

"When and where were you born?"

"November 18, 1887, in Columbus, Ohio."

"When did you ship on the yacht Ella?"

"On July 27."

"When did she sail?"

"July 28."

"Are you a sailor by occupation?"

"No; I am a graduate of a medical college."

"What were your duties on the ship?"

"They were not well defined. I had been ill and was not strong. I was a sort of deck steward, I suppose. I also served a few meals in the cabin of the after house, when the butler was incapacitated."

"Where were you quartered?"

"In the forecastle, with the crew, until a day or so before the murders. Then I moved into the after house, and slept in a storeroom there."

"Why did you make the change?"

"Mrs. Johns, a guest, asked me to do so. She said she was nervous."

"Who slept in the after house?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Turner, Miss Lee, Mrs. Johns, and Mr. Vail. The stewardess, Mrs. Sloane, and Karen Hansen, a maid, also slept there; but their room opened from the chartroom."

A diagram of the after house was here submitted to the jury. For the benefit of the reader, I reproduce it roughly. I have made no attempt to do more than to indicate the relative positions of rooms and companionways.

                                _____

                       Forward |_____|Compartment

    ___________________________|_____|______________________________

    \ bath  \                  |_____|                    /        /

     \___ ___\                 |_____|                   /Turner's/

  Mrs.\       \                                         /room_ __/

John's\                                               /____/   /

  room  \       \             Main  Cabin             /    /   /

         \___ ___\                                   /    /_ _/bath

    Mrs.  \       \                                 / Vail's /room

  Turner's \___    \                               /________/

     room   \  \                                  /  ______/linen

             \  \____\                           /__/store/

        bath  \  \    \                         /__ room /

               \  \    \                       /___/____/

                \__\                          /general /

         Miss    \       \                   /supplies/

           Lee's  \       \                 /________/

             room  \_______\______    _____/________/butler's

                    \_maid's\  Chart Room          / pantry

                     \\ room    used as library   /

               bunk---\\ ___  \ and lounge____   /

                       \_\__\__\_________|____|_/

                          bunk    (wheel)|____|

"State what happened on the night of August 11 and early morning of August 12."