american tragedy

Chapter 126 (1)
Chapter 319 (1)
On October [-]th, the weather was gloomy and gloomy. A gust of cold wind blew head-on, as cool as the wind on the first month of the lunar year. It rolled up the withered and fallen leaves into piles. The fallen leaves fluttered like birds.Although many people feel the atmosphere of tragedy and the meaning of struggle in their hearts, and they all vaguely pay attention to the electric chair, but on the other hand, everyone feels like they are on vacation; thousands of farmers, Residents and businessmen in the forest area got into Buick or Ford cars one after another. Among them were peasant couples with children, and some even had babies in their arms.Before the court session, they wandered around the square early, and later, when the court session was about to start, they gathered in front of the county's detention center, hoping to catch a glimpse of Clyde, or gather at the gate of the court closest to the detention center.Anyone needs to enter the courtroom through this door.At that time, they will be able to see Clyde and enter the court at this place, killing two birds with one stone.The old courthouse, the eaves and gutters of the uppermost storey, and on the roofs, happened to be wandering frightenedly about by a flock of pigeons.

Mason and his gang—Earl Newcombe, Burton Burleigh, Zara, Saunders, and a Yemany Coulter law dropout—were busy Arrange the order of the testimony and name the witnesses and callers.These are all here.At this time, almost all the famous local people's prosecutors were in the room in front of the office.There was a burst of hawking outside: "Corn!" "Peanuts!" "Hot Dogs!" Penny!" (This is a copy of Roberta's letter. A buddy of Burton Burleigh stole the letters from Mason's office and resold them to a pornographer in Pinghenton. The The publisher promptly published the letters, along with an outline of the "grand conspiracy" and photographs of Clyde and Roberta)

At the same time, Alvin Belknap and Ruben Jefferson were with Clyde in the prison room where Clyde was held.Clyde was neatly dressed, in exactly the kind of outfit he wanted to throw away.Plus a new tie, new shoes, and a new shirt, all to make him look like he had been so well dressed in Lycurgus.Jefferson was a tall, thin man, still clad in his usual poor, uncomfortable clothes, but every movement, every line, every pose of him impressed Clyde, and there was always something about him. Such a strength as strong as steel.Belknap, on the other hand, was like an Alpagon playboy, and the responsibility for presenting the case and interrogating the prisoner fell on him after the trial.

He was saying, "Now, no matter what anyone says or does at any time, you must never be afraid, never look upset, right, Clyde? You know, at interrogation , we'll be with you the whole time. You sit among us, and you can smile as much as you like, look unconcerned, look extra attentive, but never look scared. look, and, of course, you also understand, don't appear too reckless, or too excited, don't make people think that you don't look serious about this matter. Of course you know, from beginning to end, always show a kind of Amiable gentlemanly temperament and sympathetic attitude, and not afraid, because if we are afraid, we will suffer greatly. Since you are innocent, then you don't even think about the reasons for being afraid, although you are sad. I think that's the end of the matter, and you've figured it all out."

"Yes, sir, I see," Clyde replied. "I'll do as you say. And I didn't hit her on purpose at all, that's a fact. So why should I be afraid to panic?" He glanced at Jefferson.He trusted him the most.In fact, what he had just said was exactly what Jefferson had been trying to pump into his brain for two months.Jefferson caught the wink, approached him, and, fixing his sharp blue eyes of encouragement and approval on Clyde, said:

"You didn't commit a crime! You didn't commit a crime, do you understand, Clyde? That's the way it is, you know it all, and you must always think of it, and you've sworn it yourself. You to me, to Belle Knapp has sworn, and we trust you, too. But because of the circumstances of all this, we cannot at present make the general jury understand or believe what you say, which has nothing to do with the truth of the matter. Not at all. I've told you that. You and I both know what's going on. But in order for you to get a fair trial, we'll have to make something else up, make up something else. , so to speak, in place of the real situation, which is the fact that you didn't hit him on purpose. But if we don't disguise that fact a little, then we can't make them realize it. You get it? Right? ?”

"Understood, sir," Clyde replied.He had always been in awe of the man, and had always been drawn to his charm.

"That's why, as I've been telling you, we've made up another view of the conversion. It's not entirely true from a time perspective, but it's true that you've been converted on board. Yes, and that's our real reason. However, in this particular case, no one would believe that. So it's just that we moved on and changed our minds, you know? Move to Before you boarded the boat. Although we also understand that this is not true, but they accused you of beating her on purpose, which is not true. They will never send you to the electric chair for such a false thing, At least not without my consent." He looked at Clyde again, and they looked at each other for a moment, then said, "That's the truth, Clyde. It's not like buying taro or clothes with money, but You have to take potatoes and soybeans to check out. You do have a lot of money to pay, but because they have some incredible ideas, they don’t believe your money is real. If this happens, you will have to move out of potatoes or soybeans Come, and we were just about to give them the beans. We hold you innocent, though. You swore to me, whatever you were made to do then, but in the end, you didn't mean to Hit her. That alone is enough as far as I'm concerned, you're innocent."

It was the fantasy he had had of those thoughts of his own, and he insisted on infecting Clyde with it.So, at this point, pulling at the hem of his jacket and staring into his nervous, flustered brown eyes, he said very convincingly and firmly: "Now, whenever you feel flustered, Or weak words, or when you step on the witness stand and feel like Mason has you stumped, I want you to remember one thing, which is to just say to yourself, 'I'm not guilty! I'm not guilty ! Unless I am really guilty, I cannot be convicted and sentenced in public and reasonable!' If that doesn't restore your confidence, then look at me. I'm standing there. If you feel flustered, Then look at me and look into my eyes as I look into yours now, and you will understand that I ask you to be strong and do what I tell you now, and we ask you to swear, You just swear even if it seems like you're lying, even if you have something in your mind about it. I can't let you be convicted of something you didn't do just because you missed the chance to swear on something that was true I was sentenced, as long as I do my best, I can’t do it. That’s all, that’s all I have to say.” At this point, he happily and kindly patted him on the back, and Clay De was strangely encouraged, too, to feel that it would be easy to do as he said, and that it would be done, at least for the moment.

Then Jefferson took out his watch, glanced first at Belknap, then out of the window beside him, and saw the assembled crowd, a group of stone steps outside the courthouse. up; another group, journalists and men and women, crowded tightly in front of the corridor of the detention house, waiting intently to photograph Clyde or anyone connected with the case.Jefferson continued calmly:

"Well, I think the time has almost passed. It seems that all the people in Kadalaki County want to squeeze in, and we can have a large audience." Then, he asked Clay De turned around and said, "Hey, you won't be frightened by these people, Clyde, these people are nothing, just some country bumpkins who come to the city to watch a play."

In this way, Belknap and Jefferson went out.Claude and Sissel come in to guard Clyde.The two lawyers walked, whispering and whispering, into a square of brown grass and then into the courtroom.

After they entered the court, less than 5 minutes had already arrived.There were Slack and Sissel in front, and Kraut and Swink in the back, but two additional assistants were added to each side to prevent any commotion or demonstration.Clyde also came, and he tried to look serious and frank, but because there were so many fierce and unfamiliar faces around-some men wore thick raccoon fur coats, ordinary hats, and mustaches; or in the shabby, old, grotesque clothes traditionally worn by the peasants of the neighborhood; accompanied by their wives and children, and all in quaint and Looking at him with strange eyes, his heartbeat suddenly accelerated, as if someone might shoot a bullet with a gun at any time, or someone would rush over with a knife. concern.But that was not the case, and now there were only shouts: "Here he comes!" "Here he is!" "Do you believe a man of his kind would do such a thing?"

The camera clicked, the flashes flashed wildly, and the people protecting him stood shoulder to shoulder with him, and he felt his heart sink.

Then there were five steps of brown stone, and he came to an old court door, and then inside, a flight of steps in the house, leading to a big, long, high-ceilinged, brown room. hall.On the left and right, and on the east-facing side behind, were tall, heavy, domed windows of bright glass, through which streamed in streams of sunlight.At the west end, there is a protruding pulpit, on which there is a dark brown desk carved with patterns.Behind it, above which hangs a portrait, on both sides, namely the north and south, and at the back of the hall, are rows of stools, each taller than the last, all full of people, leaving an empty space in between Also packed.When he walked in, they all leaned forward, craned their necks, looked at him with piercing eyes, and there was a buzz of conversation from time to time.He approached a door, passed the door, and entered the large space inside, only to hear a hissing sound for a while, and in the room he found Belknap and Jefferson sitting at a table. , with a chair apparently reserved for him in the middle.In addition, he sees or feels faces and eyes that he does not want to see.

But now he saw it: sitting directly across from him, at another table in the same square circle, under the protruding pulpit just to the west, was Mason and what he seemed to remember So a few people—Burton, Burleigh, Earl New Chaircloth.But there was one other person whom he didn't seem to know.All four turned their heads and stared at him together as he walked past.

Just around them was a group of male and female journalists and sketching art reporters.

(End of this chapter)