The body was well nourished, and the vital organs sound.

Undoubtedly she had been murdered.
Bates followed, and evoked a snigger by the outspokenness of blunt Sussex.
"I hauled 'um in," he said, "an' knew it wur a dead 'un by the feel of the rope." The coroner was not curious.

He merely wished to put on record the time and manner in which Mr.Grant summoned assistance.
Then P.C.Robinson entered the box, and contrived to bring about the second "incident." He told how, "from information received," he went to The Hollies, and found Mr.Grant standing near the river with a dead body at his feet.
"One side of Mr.Grant's face was covered with blood," he went on.
If the policeman was minded to create a sensation, he certainly succeeded.

A slight hum ran through the court, and then all present seemed to restrain their breathing lest a word of the evidence should be lost.

The mention of "blood" in a murder case was a more adroit dodge than Robinson himself guessed, perhaps.