Beverly banner. [volume] (Beverly, N.J.) 1877-1964, 1924-12-12
CHAPTER XV-Continued


Sometimes alone, or with George,
she lunched in the neighborhood of the
Jail, and went back to it Immediately.
Always she saw her husband twice
day, and was back In Port Washing
ton in time to read the paper to the
old captain before dinner.
Mary Cutter, the Doctors lovely
daughter-in-law, had taken 1t upon
herself to befriend Ellen, and during
these terrible days she had never
failed her. And when the trial began
she was always at Ellen's side. George
called at the Main street house on the
first morning, and Mary met them at
the courthouse.
Ellen had never been In court
room before, but she said to herself:
That's the jury-box-that's the wit
ness stand" even with her first quick
glance.
George came In, talking In an under
tone with his associate. He nodded
reassuringly to Ellen. When he went
away again, and disappeared through
bench, she saw Ryan come In.
He had the air of man who had
breakfasted we'll, and who was full of
confidence. Ellen felt a wave of sheer
hate shake her. How free he was !;
how comfortably ready for the days
work And Gibbs-Gibbs would come
in between two guards
'"This is merely the paneling Of the
jury" George had told them; ''it may
take several days. It's long, stupid
business"
With great stirring and murmur-
ing in the room, Gibbs came in, with a
court officer. He was pale, but seemed
neither self-conscious nor nervous, as
he came quickly to his seat at the end
Of one of the tables Then he saw
Ellen, who was only ten feet away.
and who sent him a brave smile.
Ellen's heart was torn within her.
Gibbs, with that little new droop to
his broad shoulders, spectacle for
this staring roomful
Everybody rose, and she rose, too,
of ten, and his honor came promptly
and quietly through door at the
back, to his large chair. A clerk
leaned over him to murmur some mes
sage: he nodded quickly; the clerk
went out. The case of the State
versus Thomas Gibbs Josselyn was
called.
For days the paneling of the jury
dragged on, and the long hours in the
courtroom were wearisome and I'M
eventful. Then suddenly there was a
full jury, and the trial began. Ellen
was dazed by the preliminaries, and
the cross-questioning seemed to her
singularly Irrelevant. George would
ask an apparently unimportant ques-
ton, and nodding. sit down. The dis
trict attorney would jump up with an
other, leading nowhere, as far as Ellen
could see. Between George and Ryan
there was a running fire of hot words.
Ellen was amazed to see them speak
civilly to each other the moment
court adjourned. At luncheon she
the significance of this point or that
The trial lasted for only a day less
than three weeks. Ellen had moved
her place to Gibbs side. and although
they rarely spoke, she knew he was as
much comforted as she was by this
arrangement.
For two days, cruel and exhausting
days, she was on the stand Mary
Cutter and George Lathrop were
amazed at the courage and strength
she found for the ordeal. She had
promised them she would not break
down, but she did for moment, when
Tommy's name was mentioned. And
perhaps that moment, when the sensi-
tive mouth quivered. and the blue
eyes brimmed with tears, was as favor
able to Gibbs cause as any logic or
any eloquence could have been.
For it slowly became evident that
no eioquence and no logic could avail
in defense of a man, young and rich
and handsome, who had turned from
this devoted little wife TO another
woman, who had quarreled with the
generous father who was that other
woman's husband, who had threatened
and brooded over the quarrel.
Day after day the net frightened
about him. Ellen. listening and
watching, sometimes felt as If she
were in an oppressive dream. Oh, it
could not be Gibbs who was trapped
here; 1t could not be Tommy's father
who was the chief figure in one Of the
sensational murder trials of the day
On the afternoon before the final
summing-up, when all the testimony
was in, and II remained only for the
prisoners counsel and the district at
torney to present to the jury their YER
sions of the case, Ellen was spending
an hour with Gibbs. His months Of
confinement and mental distress had
affected his constitution, and a poor
appetite and wakeful nights had add
ed to the misery of his situation