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And then Billy would believe again--believe that in the end justice would triuht, just the way he had pictured it
With the co of the last day of the trial Billy found it ard for law, order, and justice The prosecution had shown conclusively that Billy was a hard custoht witnesses who did not hesitate to perjure themselves in their testimony-- testimony which it seemed to Billy the densest of jurymen could plainly see had been framed up and learned by rote until it was letter-perfect
These witnesses could recall with startling accuracy every detail that had occurred between seventeen ht and twenty-one ht of September 23 over a year before; but where they had been and what they had done ten minutes earlier or ten minutes later, or where they were at nine o'clock in the evening last Friday they couldn't for the lives of them remember
And Billy was practically without witnesses
The result was a foregone conclusion Even Billy had to ad attorney demanded the death penalty the prisoner had an uncanny sensation as of the tightening of a hempen rope about his neck
As he waited for the jury to return its verdict Billy sat in his cell trying to read a newspaper which a kindly guard had given hih the white paper and the black type to scenes that were not in any paper He saw a turbulent river tue world, and in the swirl of the water lay a little island And he saw athe e of the cultured, and to view life as people of refine her class, and that it was better to lose any other possession rather than lose honor Billy realized that it had been these lessons that had spurred him on to the mad scheme that was to end noith the verdict of "Guilty"--he had wished to vindicate his honor A hard laugh broke from his lips; but instantly he sobered and his face softened
It had been for her sake after all, and what allows? He had not sacrificed his honor--he had done his best to assert it He was innocent They could kill hiuilty A thousand juries pronouncing him so could not make it true that he had killed Schneider