american tragedy

Chapter 145 (1)
Chapter 326 (1)
All that remains from the trial is the testimony of eleven witnesses, four for Mason's side, seven for Clyde's side, one of the seven being Dr. Salter of Rehobbs, Roberta's body He happened to be in Great Berton the day he was carried into the shed.According to him, the scars might have been an accident, as Clyde confessed, and that Miss Alden was conscious when she fell into the water, and not unconscious, as the prosecution would have the jury believe.Hearing this, Mason questioned the gentleman about his medical background. Unfortunately, his background was not prominent. After graduating from a second-rate medical school in Oklahoma, he has been practicing medicine in small towns.In addition, it has no connection with the crimes Clyde is charged with.He happened to walk by on the day Roberta's body was brought from Great Burton to Ken Lodge.

He testified very earnestly on oath that he had seen the unevenness of the road as he was passing that same morning, and this cross-examination led Belknap to reason that Roberta's facial wound was particularly bad, and that this might have been the cause. Sincerely.This bit of evidence, however, was later refuted by Mason's witness, the driver of the Lutz funeral home.He also testified on oath with equal earnestness that he saw no unevenness in the road.Also Richie and Whigan testified that, as far as they could tell from the way they had noticed, Griffiths had been prudent and successful in his work for Griffiths & Co.He was never found to be in any business wrongdoing.Then a few insignificant witnesses said that as far as he saw his social behavior, he was very cautious, regular, and careful, and they didn't know whether he had done anything wrong.Unfortunately, when Mason interrogated them, he immediately pointed out the fact that they had never heard of Roberta Alden and her misfortune, and they did not know about Clyde's dealings with her. .

Afterwards, both sides showed their abilities to justify themselves, express their support, or defend many small but important arguments that were difficult to resolve. It was Belknap's turn to make the final defense for Clyde. He argued for a whole day, speaking very carefully, and the whole theme was the same as his first argument at the beginning, repeating every point.And emphasizing how, unconsciously and quite innocently, Clyde's intercourse with Roberta had led to such misfortune, he now again submits that Clyde's early poverty had caused, or at least nourished, his soul. Physical and moral cowardice.Then there were some new opportunities to climb up, but passed away, which affected his "perhaps too susceptible to outside influences, too erotic, too impractical and fanciful mind." There is no doubt that he It was for Miss Alden.But on the other hand, the confession inspired by the defendant's counsel has amply shown that, in the end, he did not wish the public and the honorable jury to believe in such cruelty and evil.There are many people in the world who are in love and would not be hanged for it.Was the child legally guilty of the crime he was charged with? To find out, the jury had to pay attention to another point: the poor girl's love affair with the young man, although the results were tragic, but The jury must not be influenced by ordinary people to conclude with confidence that the young man committed the crime specified in the indictment. How can there be no relationship between the sexes sometimes without one party to the other?

This is followed by a lengthy, detailed attack on the circumstantial nature of the evidence in this case, that no part of the alleged crime has been seen or heard by anyone, and that only Clyde himself can put him in the bizarre The situation is explained clearly.After he made this point, Clyde couldn't recall the question of the price of the Great Patton boat, the question of him stopping to hide the tripod, the question of him being so close to Roberta that he didn't save her, etc. However, Belknap was a pushover or a pure coincidence, or a misremembering.As for Clyde's failure to save her, Belknap said that Clyde himself was dizzy, flustered and frightened, "just when he should never have hesitated in his life, he fatally—hesitated for a moment, but he didn't." Sinned without this." This is indeed a powerful appeal, although it is a sophistical appeal, it cannot be said that it is without merit and power.

Then Mason spoke, firmly convinced that Clyde was the most ruthless and vicious kind of murderer.He spent the day unraveling the cobwebs of big lies and flimsy arguments.The defendant's defense attempted to draw the jury's attention to the indissoluble and impossible chain of well-substantiated evidence that the prosecution had cited to prove that the "bearded adult" was A "murderer with blood on his hands," in fact he was.He also spent hours recounting the words of some of the witnesses, and hours upon hours berating Clyde, and recounting Roberta's misery in such a way that the jury and the audience almost wept.Between Bernard and Jefferson, Clyde thought, that after such a clever and artificial restatement of the evidence it seemed impossible for the jury to acquit him.

Then, from his high seat, Oberworth gave the final instruction to the jury: "Strictly speaking, gentlemen, all evidence is more or less circumstantial Facts, or facts given by an eyewitness. An eyewitness testifies, of course, on the basis of the circumstances."

"If there are any substantial facts in this case that are in any way inconsistent with the crime, it is your responsibility to presume that the accused is innocent."

"And it must be remembered that evidence should never be disbelieved just because it is circumstantial, and circumstantial evidence is often more reliable than direct evidence."

"We have said a great deal here about the importance of motive in this case, but you must remember that the proof of motive is by no means essential to a conviction. One may wish to state that a motive is a circumstance by which A crime, but we don't ask people to prove that motive."

"If the jury finds that Roberta Alden fell overboard by accident or inadvertently, and the defendant did nothing to save her. That doesn't make the defendant guilty, and the jury must find the defendant 'not guilty'. In If, on the other hand, the jury finds that the defendant in any way at the time and place willfully caused, or contributed to, the fatal event, or by a blow, or otherwise, then the jury must find the defendant guilty. "

"I'm not saying that you must agree to your judgment, but I would like to remind you that none of you should have the attitude that after careful consideration, you find that you are wrong and refuse to give in."

Thus Judge Oberworth spoke to the jury in a solemn and instructive manner from his high seat.

Then, the point being made, by five o'clock in the afternoon the jury was hurrying out of the courtroom.Clyde was immediately escorted to his cell before the audience was allowed to retire.The sheriff has been worried, for fear that Clyde will be sniped.After being escorted back, Clyde waited for a full five hours.During this time, he walked up and down in his cell, either pretending to read a book, or pretending to rest.Kraut and Sissel, secretly entrusted by the reporters of the various papers, were cunning and silent watchers to tell them Clyde's attitude towards the matter.

Meanwhile, Judge Oberworth, Mason, Belknap, Jefferson, and their associates and friends, were eating and drinking in their respective rooms at the Bridgeburg Middle Hotel, while anxiously awaiting the jury. The unanimous opinion reached, and hope that the sentence will be delivered immediately, whatever the outcome of the sentence.

Meanwhile, the twelve jurors—farmers, clerks, proprietors, etc.—were once again studying the brilliant arguments advanced by Mason, Belknap, and Jefferson.Of the twelve, however, only one—Samuel Upham, a grocer (who was politically opposed to Mason and admired Jefferson's demeanor)—had a great deal of respect for Belknap and Jefferson. Fuxun expressed sympathy.He therefore pretended to have doubts about the integrity of Mason's evidence, and so after five votes he was threatened with exposing him if the jury disagreed and the case hung in the balance. would arouse public outrage. "We're going to kill you, and the masses will know exactly what attitude you're taking. Don't try to get away with it." Since his North Mansfield grocer was doing well, he made up his mind at once that it would be best It is better to restrain the thoughts of opposing Mason and agree.

Then there was four solemn knocks on the door leading from the jury room into the courtroom, and it was the foreman, Foster Lunt, a cement, lime, and stone trader, who That big fist is knocking on the door.Upon hearing the knock on the door, the hundreds of people crowded in the hot and stuffy courtroom after dinner, although many of them had never left the courtroom at all, were awakened from their drowsiness. "What is this? What's the matter? The jury is preparing to make a report? How did it decide?" Men, women, young and old, rushed to the seats near the railing.The two police officers standing guard at the door of the jury room shouted: "All right, all right! The trial will begin as soon as the judge arrives." Over here, and ran all the way to the Bridgeburg Central Hotel to inform Judge Oberworth and all the others.

(End of this chapter)