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I was going to pay it in at the first opportunity before the office closed that evening. I was more than usually busy that day, as I was the only Registrar's clerk in the Office. Mr. Aide-vier, the other clerk, being engaged on Bailiff's duties.
About 4:20 in the afternoon, I was reminded that I had not paid the money into Court by a clerk from the Solicitor's office. I could not pay the money to the Sheriff at the time without neglecting some work I was doing for the Registrar, but I called out to Mr. Sales to know if he was making the list out and instructed him not to include the summons against my brother, as I had the money to pay into Court. I was told that the Registrar would not sign the list if altered, but a clean copy must be made. And I was asked by Mr. Sales to make the copy myself, as I could write much faster.
I accordingly made the copy, which delayed me 10 minutes only, and when my other work was finished, I paid the money to the Sheriff. This was at 5 minutes past four.
Under the above circumstances, I humbly submit that my brother's name could not, strictly speaking, have been rightly included in the list, and that I may be freed from the charge of improperly altering the list. If I have committed any offence in this respect, I have done so in ignorance and not wilfully, nor could the same have happened if I had not been pressed with work, because otherwise I should have been able and should have paid the money earlier in the day, when the summons would have been withdrawn from those to be entered in the list and could not have appeared in the list.
I further humbly submit that whatever fault I have committed...