Evening star., 1912-10-06

iIeHt AS the prosecution made 1tS case
his triumph became fierce and fearful to
behold, then, when the defense began its
crafty efforts he grew furiOuSly lndlg-
nant: mighty rage shook him: he
swelled and choKed with resentment
What do You think?'' he inquired one
day They're proving alibis, one by
one. It's Infamous
mony to offset the effect of our wit
| nesses!'' Blake told him.
But DreuX looked upon the efforts OF
the opposing lawyers as a personal az
front. and so declared himself.
why, they're trying to make you out
a liar! That's what it amounts to. The
law never intended that gentleman S
word should be disputed. If | were the
judge I'd close the case right now and
instruct the sheriff to hang all the prls-
oners, including their attorneys"
They'll never be acquitted"
Bernie shook his head moroSely.
There's rumor of jury fixing l
hear one of the talesmen was approach
ed with bribe before the trial.
Il can scarcely believe that
I'll bet it's true just the same. II Id
| known what they were up to I'd have
got on the jury myself. I'd have taken
| their money, then I'd have fixed 'em!'
You'd have voted for eleven hemp
necktieS, eh?'
I'D have hung each man twice
| Although Blake at first refused to credit
| the rumors Of corruption, the following
days served to verify them, for more
| than one talesman confessed to receiving
| offers. This caused a sensation, which
i grew as the papers took up the matter
and commented editorially. A leading
witness for the state finally told of an ef-
| fort to intimidate him, and men began
| to ask if this was destined to prove as
! rotten as other Malta cases In the past.
A feeling of unrest, of impatience. began
to manifest itself. vague threats We're
voiced. but the idea of a bribed or ter
| rOriZed jury was so prepOsterous that
| few gave credence to it. Nevertheless
the closing days of the trial were weight
| ed heavily with suspense. Not only the
city, but the country at large hung upon
| the outcome. So strongly had racial an
| tipathy figured that Italy took note OF
the case and it assumed an international
| Importance. Biased accounts were ca
| bled abroad. which led to an uneasy stir
| in ministerial and consular quarters.
| During the exhaustive arguments at the
close of the trial Norvin and Bernie sat
| together When the opening attorneys
| for the prosecution had finished Dreux
| exclaimed, triumphantly:
We've got 'em. They can't escape
after that
But when the defense. in turn, had
closed. the little man revealed an indig-
nant face to his companion. saying:
Lord! They're as good as free! Well
| never convict on evidence like that
| Once more he changed.-under the spell
| of the mastery states attorney, and de-
clared, with fierce exultance:
What did I tell you? They'll hang
every mothers son of 'em. The jury
won't be out an hour
! The jury was out more than an hour.
even though press and public declared
| the case to be clear. Yet, knowing that
| the eyes Of the world were upon her.
| New Orleans went to sleep that night
serene in the certainty that she had vim
dicated herself, had upheld her laws, and
proved her ability to deal with that or
ganiZed lawlessness which had SO long
been blot upon her fair name.
Soon after court convened the follow
ing morning the jury sent word that it
had reached a verdict, and the courtroom
quickly filled. Rumors of Caesar Ma
ruff s double identity had gone forth; it
was limited that he was none other than
the dreaded BelisariO Cardi, that genius
of thousand crimes. who had held all
Sicily in fear. This report supplied the
last touch of dramatic interest.
Blake and Bernie We're in their places
before the prisoners arrived Every face
in the room was tense and eXpectant;
even the calloused attendants felt the
hush and lowered their voices in defer
ence. Every eye was strained toward
the door behind which the jury was con-
cealed. There came the rumble of the
prison van below the tramp Of feet upon
the hollow stairs. and into the dingy,
high-ceilinged hall Of justice filed the ac-
cused. manacled and doubly guarded.
Maruffi led. his black head held high;
Normando brought up the rear, support
ed by two officers. He was racked with
terror, his body hung like sack, mois-
ture of foam and spittle lay upon his
lips When he reached the railing of the
prisoners box he. clutched it and resisted
loosely, sobbing in his throat, but he was
thrust forward into a seat, where he col
lapsed.
The judge and the attorneys We're in
their places when deputy sheriff swung
open the door to the jury room and the
twelve good men and true appeared
AS if through the silence of a tomb they
went to their stations, while eleven pairs
of black Sicilian eyes searched their
doWncaSt features for a sign Larubio,
the cobbler, was paper-white above his
smoky beard; Di Marcos swarthy face
was green, like that of corpse; his
companions We're frozen in various atti-
tudes Of eager, dreadful waiting. The
only sound through the scuff and tramp
of the Jurors feet was Normandos luna
tic mur1nuring AS for the leader OF the
band he sat as if craven in stone. but
despite his iron control pallor had crept
beneath his skin.
Blake heard Bernie whisper:
"Look! They know they're lost
Gentlemen of the jury, have you
agreed upon a verdict?" came the voice
of the judge.
He passed a document up to the bench
and silently the court examined it.
The seconds We're now creeping min
utes. Normandos ceaSeesS mumbling
was like that of man distraught by
torture A hand was used to silence
him. The spectators We're upon their feet
and bent forward in attention. the Gordon
of officers closed In behind the accused
as If to throttle any act of desperation.
The Judge passed the verdict down to
the minute clerk, who read, in a clear,
distinct monotonous tone:
'Celso Fabbri Frank Normando, mis-
trial Salvatore di Marco, Frank Garcia,
Giordano Bolla''-the list of names SEEM
ed Observation-Disclosures Cressi, Lo-
renzo Cardoni, Caesar Maruffi''-he paused
for an instant while time halted-'not
guilty.
After the first moment of stunned stu
pefaction a murmur of angry disapproval
ran through the crowd; it was not loud.
but hushed as if men doubted their
senses and were seeking cOrrOboration OF
their ears. From the street below, as the
Judgment was flashed to the waiting
hundreds, came an echo, faint. uniformed
like the first vague stir that runs ahead
of a tempest.
The shock Of Norvin Blake's amaze
ment, in part, blurred his memory of
that dramatic tableau, but certain de-
tails stood out clearly afterward For
one thing, he heard Bernie DreuX gig
Cling like an overwrought woman, while
through his hysteria ran a stream Of
shocking curses. He saw one of the
Jurors rise, yawn and stretch himself,
! then rub his bullet head. smiling. mean
| while, at the Cressi boy. He saw Caesar
Marufh turn full to the room behind him
and search for his own face. When their
eyes met light of devilish amusement
1t, u