"Now we know where we stand," explained the foreman. "In view of the fact that nine of us are for conviction and only three for acquittal it seems to me that it is up to the minority to give their reasons for not agreeing with the majority. I see by your ballot, Mr.--er--Mr. Sandusky, that you are in favor of acquitting--" "My name is I. M. Pushkin," interrupted Juror No. 7. "I wrote it plain enough, didn't I?" "The initials confused me," explained the foreman. "Well, let's hear why you think he ought to be acquitted." "I know what it is to be hungry, that's why. I see the time when I first come to this country when I didn't have nothing to eat for two-three days at a time, and ever'body tellin' me to go to hell out of here when I ask for a job or when I tell 'em I ain't had nothing to eat since yesterday morning and won't they please to help a poor feller what ain't had nothing to eat since yesterday morning, and--" Six or seven voices interrupted him. It was Juror No. 4, salesman, who finally succeeded in getting a detached question to him. "As I was saying, where do you get any evidence that he WAS hungry?" "I guess you wasn't paying much attention to the evidence," retorted Mr. Pushkin. "Didn't you hear that lawyer say, over and over yet, how he was almost starved to death? Didn't--Wait a minute!--didn't you hear him say to that deaf witness that the prisoner fell down like a log when he push him in the face? Just push him,--nothing else. Didn't you hear that?" "Sure I heard it. We all heard it. But what EVIDENCE is there?" "Evidence? My gracious, ain't that enough? Ain't one man's word as good as another's? And say, let me ask you this: Is there any evidence that he wasn't almost starved to death! Well! Humph! I guess not. There ain't a single witness that says he wasn't hungry--not one, I tell you. You can't--" "Didn't all them policemen swear that he was as husky as--" "Say, you can't believe a policeman about anything. It's their business. That's what their job is. I know all about those fellers. Why, long time ago when I first come to this country, I told a hundred policeman I was almost starved to death and say, do you think they believed me? You bet they didn't. They told me to get a move on, get the hell out of this, beat it,--you bet I know all about them fellers. I--" The foreman interrupted Mr. Pushkin. "So you want to acquit the defendant because his lawyer said he was hungry,--is that it?" "I don't blame nobody for stealing when he is almost starved to death and got a wife and children almost starved to death too because he cannot get a job yet. You bet I don't. I don't--" "Well, of all the damned--" "Can you beat this for--" "I've heard a lot of--" The foreman rapped vigorously with an inkwell, splashing the fluid over his fingers and quite a considerable area of table-top.