On Wednesday, the Harness prosecution, which has occu- pied Mr.
Hannay at the Marlborough Street Police Court for a great number of days, ended in the discharge of the defendants. Mr. Hannay stopped the calling of witnesses for the defence, as he felt sure that no jury would convict on the charge of conspiracy to defraud. "He should not have allowed the case to go on for such a long period, had it not been that there was a great deal in the conduct of the business of which no honest man could approve. The practice of extracting large sums of money from persons who went to consult Mr. Harness, was most reprehensible for, although the management at Oxford Street had some reason to believe in the value of their appliances, they must have known that they could not be successful in every case." At the same time, he remarked that several of the witnesses called by the prosecution were indifferent witnesses, as their memory appeared to have failed them. "For the defence, a number of witnesses of education and good sense were called, who stated that the treatment they received cured them." We see no reason to differ from Mr. Hannay's judg- ment as a whole ; but he is hardly fair to the electricians when he reproves them for saying that "these things could not cure," when "witnesses swore that they did cure them." There is nothing incompatible in the two statements. Heal- ing by faith and bread-pills is a common experience in the medical profession. Again, "he completely recovered in spite of old Jones's treatment" is a criticism often passed by one doctor on another.
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