Criminals -- Fiction; Social problems -- Fiction; United States -- Social conditions -- 1865-1918 -- Fiction
"Why, Mr. Reder, we said the judge said we could infer. Don’t you
remember?"
Church looked into his face hopefully, and waited.
Broadwell got slowly to his feet, and moved toward the little group
deliberately, importantly, as if he alone could explain.
"Here, have my chair, Mr. Reder," said Broadwell with intense
politeness.
"No, nefer mind," said Reder, afraid to move.
"What the judge said," Broadwell began, "was simply this. He said that
if it was to be inferred from all the facts and circumstances adduced in
evidence--"
"Besides," Church broke in, "that old woman said he _was_ the fellow,
down at the police station--it was in the paper, don’t you remember?"
"Oh, but the judge said we wasn’t to pay attention to anything like
that," said Grey.
"Well, but he said we could infer, didn’t he?"
"Just let me speak, please," insisted Broadwell, "His Honor went on to
say--" he had just recalled that that was the proper way to speak of a
judge, and then, the next instant, he remembered that it was also proper
to call the judge "the Court," and he was anxious to use both of these
phrases. "That is, the Court said--" And he explained the meaning of
the word "infer."
Reder was listening attentively, his head bent, his hand resting on his
hip. Broadwell talked on, in his low insinuating tone. Reder made no
reply. After a while, Broadwell, his eyes narrowing, said softly,
gently:
"Gentlemen, shall we not try another ballot?"
Menard got up wearily, his hat in readiness again. The jurors began
rummaging among the scraps for ballots.
A street-car was just scraping around the curve at the corner, its
wheels sending out a shrill, grinding noise.
"Great heavens!" exclaimed McCann, taking out his watch, "it’s five
thirty! Morning! We’ve been here all night!"
Outside the city was still wrapped in a soft thick darkness. Eades was
sleeping soundly; his mother, when she kissed him good night, had patted
his head, saying, "My dear, brave boy." Marriott had just sunk into a
troubled doze. Glassford was snoring loudly in his warm chamber;
Koerner and his wife were kneeling on their bed, their hands clasped,
saying a prayer in German, and over in the jail, Archie was standing
with his face pressed against the cold bars of his cell, looking out
across the corridor, watching for the first streak of dawn.
XX
Marriott awoke with a start when the summons came. The jury had agreed;
his heart leaped into his throat. What was the verdict? He had a
confused sense of the time, the world outside was dark; he could have
slept but a few minutes, surely it was not much later than midnight. He
switched on the electric light, and looked at his watch. It was
half-past six--morning. He dressed hurriedly, and went out.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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