Rao-Singh would have upon these nine good men—and three good women—and true. The newspapers had played up the glamorous Oriental angle of the case with great colorful effect. These people in the jury box were not over-intelligent and probably superstitious. Would they believe some Oriental curse would fall upon them if they did not assist this absent Indian potentate in his revenge? Stranger things had happened during Kendall's long experience in the courts.
The trial opened and proceeded with clocklike regularity and precision after the noon recess. The morning had been consumed in assembling the jury. Special Attorney Banning called Rao-Singh's major-domo, Dhinn, as the first witness. Dhinn told of coming upon Dudley Drake standing, a gun in his hand, over the wounded body of his master. He identified Dudley and the gun. Kendall waived cross-examination.
Rao-Singh's other three servants testified, through an interpreter, as to their rôles in the affair, and Kendall asked them a few inconsequential questions tending to show that they had not been present as soon after the shooting or seen as much as they had declared. He succeeded in impugning the veracity of the witnesses somewhat but accomplished little.
Officer Delaney was called.
