CHAPTER VII
THE SENTENCE OF THE COURT
As the court-crier, amid a breathless hush of expectation, loudly calledthe name "Annabel Lorimer," a young girl, flushed with embarrassment,but with brave, gray eyes, rose from a seat in the front row ofspectators and was escorted to the witness-stand by a gentleman,who evidently was her father, and who remained near her during theexamination that followed. After she had sworn to tell the truth, thewhole truth, and nothing but the truth, had given her name, her place ofresidence as that very city, and had blushingly admitted that, althoughfifteen years of age, she was unmarried, she was asked to tell what sheknew of the case now on trial.
"We were going to Canada for the summer," she began, "so as to learn howto travel and get ready for the great journey around the world that papaand I are going to take this winter. So I went to Hatton to say good-byeto my aunt Marjorie, who lives in a big, white house, just across fromthe common. I could only stay one night, and had to leave on the veryearliest morning train. So I was up pretty early, and was dressing togo down-stairs, when such shouting and laughing came from the streetthat I looked out of the window. There were a lot of boys, all running,and one of them was a Chinese. I never saw one before, but I knew he wasChinese by his pig-tail and by his funny shoes, that were just like thepictures."
"Can you tell how he was dressed?" asked Jo's lawyer.
"Yes, he had on a long, blue frock, without any waist-band."
"Like this?" suggested the lawyer, at the same time holding up the verygown Jo had worn on that eventful morning.
"Yes, just the same; only at first it wasn't torn."
"Thank you. Now you may proceed with your story."
"Well, while I was looking I saw that the other boys were teasing theChinese boy, which seemed to me dreadfully mean, when he was all alonein a strange place, especially when he stood still and began to lookfrightened. Then some more big boys, who had been playing on the common,came running over, and they all crowded around the Chinese boy and beganto abuse him."
"What do you mean by abusing him? What did they do?"
"Why, they hit him, and pushed him from one side to the other, andpulled at his pig-tail, and ran round and round with it so as to makehim turn and get dizzy, and knocked off his cap, and did everythinghorrid they could think of."
"What kind of boys were they?"
"Just the very kind that tie fire-crackers to poor dogs' tails, and killpussy-cats with stones, and--swear."
This last word the witness uttered with some hesitation and in a lowtone.
"Would you know any of those boys again if you should see them?"
"Yes, I'd know the two I see sitting over there," replied Annabel, atthe same time pointing to a group of the Hatton muckers who had beenretained in court as witnesses.
"How can you identify them?"
"Because the little one has such very red hair, and so many freckles,and the other is so big and ugly looking; besides, he is the one whoknocked the Chinese boy down."
"How did he do that?"
"He butted him in the back with his head, while the little, speckled onewas pulling at his pig-tail in front, and they all went down together."
"Now tell me, Miss Lorimer, what the Chinese boy did all this time? Washe very fierce, and did he strike at his assailants as if he were tryingto kill them?"
"Oh no, indeed! I'm sure he didn't, because I hoped all the time hewould. He only seemed horribly frightened, and kept trying to get away;only they wouldn't let him."
"Did you see any of the other boys throw anything at him?"
"Yes, mud--lots of it--and stones; and they tore his clothes until hewas a sight."
"Please tell the court what happened after the Chinese boy had beenknocked down."
"I object to that expression," interposed the district attorney, who wasconducting the case for the State; "the witness has expressly statedthat the fall in question was caused by a push and not by a blow. Shealso has testified that three individuals went to the ground at the sametime, and we already know from recorded testimony in this case, that thegreatest sufferer from the effects of this fall was not the Chinaman,but the very smallest and weakest of those whom my learned friend ispleased to stigmatize as 'assailants,' although it has been repeatedlyand conclusively proved during this trial that they were the assailed.Therefore I object to the expression 'knocked down.'"
"Objection admitted," growled the judge.
"Very well," said Jo's lawyer, "since the expression 'knocked down' isobjectionable, it is withdrawn; and you may tell us, Miss Lorimer, whathappened after my young client was hurled to the ground."
"Your honor, I object," broke in the district attorney.
"Objection overruled," said the judge, sharply, "and I insist that thetestimony of this young lady must not be interrupted by squabbles overtechnicalities."
"After my young client was _hurled to the ground_," continued Jo'slawyer, triumphantly, "with the biggest and ugliest-looking of hisassailants on top of him, tell us, Miss Lorimer, what happened next?"
"The big boy scrambled to his feet, and just then Rob Hinckley camealong with a milk-can and drove them all away, and the milk flew allover everybody. Then Mr. Hinckley and Constable Jones came; but afterthat I didn't see any more, because the breakfast-bell rang, and I wasso late that I had to get dressed as quick as I could."
"That is all, your honor, and the other side is welcome to our witness,"said Jo's lawyer.
"Why did you not come forward sooner to testify in this case, MissLorimer, since you seem so greatly interested in it?" queried thedistrict attorney.
"Because I didn't know anything about it until this morning. Then paparead about it in the paper, and said he had no doubt that if the truthwere known it would turn out that the Chinese boy had been wantonlyabused by a lot of cowardly young ruffians, just because he was weakand helpless, which was getting more and more to be the American wayof doing things. I didn't like to hear him say that, and told him Ibelieved I had seen that very trouble the morning I was in Hatton; onlyI had forgotten all about it, because so many other things began tohappen that same day, and have been happening ever since. I said, ifthose were the same boys, they were not real, true Americans at all, butjust a lot of mean imitations, and if the law people only knew what Idid, they would punish them instead of Rob Hinckley, and the Chineseboy who had been abused. He asked what I meant, and I told him all Icould remember. Then he telephoned to that gentleman (pointing to Jo'slawyer), who came to the house and asked me questions. Then we drovehere in a carriage, because it was late. So if you punish anybody, Ihope it will be those wicked imitation American boys; because one timethat big, ugly looking one set his dog on my tortoise-shell kitty whenwe were visiting Aunt Marjorie, and threw stones at her when she ran upa tree, and would have killed her if Rob Hinckley hadn't made him stop."
"So you already were prejudiced against the boy, whom you describe as'ugly looking,' before you saw him in collision with this Chinaman."
"I don't know what you mean," replied Annabel; "but, of course, I hatedhim, and knew just what he would do when he found a China-boy, or anyone else he could abuse without a chance of getting hurt himself. He didit, too, and now I hope he'll be shut up in prison forever and ever."
"Your honor," said the district attorney, with a well-satisfied smile;"I think the animus of this witness is sufficiently shown by thatstatement, which I shall allow to go on record without comment. Ishall also pass, without attempt at refutation, her silly naming ofthose naturalized citizens, who, with their brawn and muscle, theirunremitting industry and their sturdy independence, constitute thestrongest bulwark of our glorious republic, for she is but a child,speaking from the ignorance of childhood. Thus we are well content torest our case upon the evidence, with a certain confidence that thecourt, in its wisdom, will give us a verdict in accordance with thefacts."
With this the attorney sat down. The girl witness, wondering whether shehad most helped or harmed the cau
se she had espoused, was allowed totake her seat, and Jo's lawyer rose to address the court.
"Your honor," he said, "I need not suggest to one so well versedin proverbial philosophy, that truth, sometimes unpalatable, butalways bluntly outspoken, is a universally admitted characteristic ofchildhood. Into the dark mazes of numberless famous law cases, as in theone we now are concluding, has the revealing light of truth been thrownby the untutored testimony of children. I could not wish a strongerwitness to the justice of our cause than the fearless little lady whohas just now given her evidence in our behalf. Upon it, therefore, weconfidently rest our cause, with a well-grounded conviction that it issufficient to assure a verdict in our favor."
As the lawyer sat down, our lads realized that the critical momentin which their fate was to be decided had arrived; and they awaitedthe words of the judge with mingled hope and anxiety. For a moment animpressive silence reigned in the court-room, and all eyes were turnedupon the judge as he glanced over his pencilled notes. Finally he lookedup, removed his spectacles, and, fixing a kindly gaze upon the twoyoung men, said:
"It is hardly necessary to state that the unimpeachable testimony ofthe last witness in the case of State _vs._ Joseph Lee _et al._ hascompletely altered the point of view from which it must be regarded,and causes the decision of the court to be quite different from whatit would have been yesterday. I now find the defendant, Joseph Lee,to have been a victim instead of an aggressor, and to have sufferedshameful persecution at the hands of a mob of young ruffians, who havebeen happily termed 'imitation Americans.' This term is most soothingto the pride of all real Americans, who are unwilling to believe thatany of the true stock would dishonor the name by assaulting the helplessand innocent. This being the situation, the decision of the court inthe case of Joseph Lee is that he be honorably acquitted of the chargesbrought against him."
This decision was received with looks of scowling consternation by themuckers present, and with murmurs of applause from the better class ofspectators. This quickly was silenced by the court officers, and thejudge continued:
"The case of Robert Hinckley, however, proves more serious, since itis evident that he did make an assault with a weapon, and without theexcuse of self-defence, upon the bodies of certain persons named inthe indictment, who are entitled to legal redress for the same. Ofthis offence the court, therefore, finds Robert Hinckley guilty andsentences him"--at this point poor Rob turned very pale, while hisheart sank like lead--"to pay a fine," continued the judge, "of one centto each and every one of the aggrieved parties whose names appear in theindictment. At the same time the court wishes to express its thanks toMr. Robert Hinckley for the fine manner in which, forgetful of his owndanger, he hastened to defend a helpless foreigner from persecution by aset of unmitigated young scoundrels. Officer, call the next case on thecalendar."
"Oh!" gasped Rob, as the friends of our lads gathered about them withcongratulations at this happy ending of their troubles; "does he reallymean it?"
"Yes," replied the lawyer who had defended them, "he really means it,and if you haven't two cents in your pocket, I'll pay the fine myself."