Evening star., 1926-12-05

that was the safest way after all.
September u at 1920 PIMA boy
came running down the aisle with
basket full Of sandwiches and chew
ing gum-another one with pink edi-
tons Of the evening paper-it was ex-
actly like q ball game or a circus.
Outside the snow was falling - you
could see it on the window panes-the
lights were all blazing in the court
room. 1t might last all night; juries
often did that-they-
Room Breaks Into Confusion.
Suddenly. mysteriously, incredibly.
| the courtroom was all in motion. No
one had come through the doors. No
voice had been lifted. but as surely as
| though they had been tossed out of
their seats by some gigantic hand
the crowd was in flight. One STAN
| pede towards the door from the occu-
| pants of the seats. another stampede
| from the door to the empty seats. A
| hundred voices crying, regardless of
law or order.
Keep that phone line open.' Dor
othy. Dorothy" Have Stan take the
| board!" "Where's Larry? Larry
"Get Red. get Red. for Gods sakeH'
That's my chair, snap out Of it,"
Watch for that flash-Bill's going
to signal" Dorothy Get to that
door,
! And silence as sudden as the tumult
Through the door at the right, this
time were coming three dark. tran
quill figures. and through the door at
the left the black-robed figures of
the judges. The clock over the court
room door stood at $40.
| "Is there an officer at that door,"
1 T)o ,,I,a art1 fo ho n
anger. "Officers, take that door. No
one in Of 1t or out Of it until the
verdict has been delivered" There
are despairing eyes exchanging fran
tic queries. The last edition goes to
| press at Z. What about the last edi-
ton? Hurry. hurry!' But Judge
Parker, who is the ambassador OF the
ma ajestic law, is quite unhurried.
II have a few words to say to the
OCCUPANTS of this courtroom. Ii at
the conclusion of the verdict there is
a demonstration of any kind. applause
or otherwise, the offender will be
brought before me and dealt with as
being in contempt Of court. Oncers'
hold the door"
! Through the little door behind the
dais hurries Senator Case, GREATNESS
overcoated, hat in hand. $50 it Is he
l
Through the other door---their door
| for the last time-file IL tired men.
eaunt. solemn eyed, haggard, the
farmers. teamsters, blacksmiths and
merchants. who hold in their awkward
| hands the power Of life and death.
Slowly they form semi.circle under
the statue of justice.
"Gentlemen of the jury. have you
| agreed on a verdict!
| A deep chorus, I'VE have"
Foreman, what do you find as to
what do you find as to William
Stevens?"
"Not guilty"
what do you find as to Frances
Hall?"
mot guilty"
All Over at O'Clock.
For a. moment no one moved. no
| one stirred, no one breathed. And
then one Of the members of the fourth
estate forgot the majesty Of the law
| and remembered the ma jesty of the
press. Three minutes to 7--three min.
| utes to make the last edition-an en-
| terprising representative OF one of
tabloids lost his loyal head completely
and entirely and ran amuck. His rush
| for the zealously guarded door was
intercepted by five jealous guardians.
There were stentorian shouts Of "Sit
down." "Keep quiet" Take your
hands off," and for the last time in
the trial the three who had been ac-
cused of the murder Of Eleanor Mills
and Edward Hall were forgotten.
Quiet, pale, unobtrusive, they sat
| smiling at each other over the final
tumult of the law and the press.
| The clock over the courtroom door
stood at z. The Hall-Mills murder
| trial was over.