The financial side of the affair was troubling the officials of the county. The trial had been a long and expensive one. It had cost many thousand dollars, and there was talk of grounds for an appeal. With four other trials yet to come, it became apparent that Shoshone County would be bankrupt long before the finish. Roswell, acting for a group of friends, went to the prosecuting attorney. “Look here, Haight. You’re up against it. Maybe you’ve got evidence to convict these boys. Maybe you haven’t.” “There’s no maybe about that—I have,” Haight broke in grimly. “Well, say you have. That ain’t the point. The county can’t stand the expense of all those trials. You know that. What are you going to do about it?” “Going right ahead with the trials. We begin with Brad Rogers to-morrow.” “Oh, well! We got to be reasonable—all of us. Now here’s my proposition: Let me talk with the boys and their lawyers. If I could get them to plead guilty it would save a heap of trouble all around.” Haight had looked at the matter from this angle before. He nodded. “All right. See what you can do, Mr. Roswell. If they will save us the expense of trying them, I think I can arrange for life imprisonment.” “For all of them?” demanded the cattleman shrewdly. “For all the rest of them.” “How about Rowan?” “He’s not included. We’ve got to make an example of him. He led the raid.” Roswell fought it out with the lawyer for an hour, but on this point Haight stood firm. McCoy had to pay the extreme penalty for his crime. That was not even open to argument. The old cattleman called at once upon the leading lawyer for the defense, and with him visited the cell of Yerby. The Texan was greatly depressed at the issue of the trial. He could not get over his bitterness at the part Silcott had played. “I reckon he’s up at the ho-tel eating fried chicken and watermelon. Well, he’s welcome. I wouldn’t swap places with him. Neither would Mac. We all had our chance to do like he done.” “No, Silcott’s still in jail. He asked Matson to keep him there till the trials are over and he can light out. I expect he don’t like to trust himself outside. Some of the boys are a mite vexed at him.” Roswell came abruptly to the object of his call. “Sam, we got to face facts. Haight has the goods on you boys. He’ll sure convict you.” “Looks like,” agreed the Texan dejectedly. “We’ll have to fix up a compromise. If you’ll all plead guilty Haight is willing to call it life imprisonment.” “What do the other boys say?” “They are willing, I reckon, to take the best terms they can get.” “I’d as lief be dead as locked up in jail for the rest of my life.”