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I heard a sound fro over, I was astounded to see one of the jurors, old Lester Johnson, a retired teller fro So taken was he by Jonah’s presentation that he was applauding The sound was very loud in the room

Then there was a louder sound: the gavel co down BANG!

My father juoddamn mind?”

Chapter 104

“WELL, WELL, WELL,” Maxwell Hayes Lewis said slowly Then he rose fro statement

Those three words were all it took for me to realize what he was up to

Leas appropriating the style of Clarence Darrow, a Chicago labor lawyer renowned all over the nation as the “lawyer’s lawyer” Darroas the most effective courtroom presenter of the day, his style casual, colloquial, at tiht homey, with ample doses of country wisdom and sentiment tossed in

Lewis scratched his head, then slid his hand down, cupping his face in his hand, squeezing his cheek, as if he were sitting in his study, lost in thought

Then he appeared to notice the jury for the first time, and ambled over

“Now, Mr Curtis here says, and I quote, ‘the pursuit of justice knows no color The pursuit of justice admits only that which is fair, and honest, and true’ ”

He turned around and stared hard at Jonah But when he spoke, his voice was gentle “Thank you for saying that, Mr Curtis All I have to say to that is, Amen”

The jurors visibly relaxed The lawyer had brought them to a point of tension, then eased up

“But let me tell you fellohere Mr Curtis and I are absolutely not in agreement,” he said

Lewis’s face was glistening with perspiration, and he hadn’t been talking a esture that afforded him a dramatic pause

“We are not in agreeht riders galloping in and shooting up a house in a frenzy of violent and lawless behavior I have another version of that story to tell you Now, the story I have to tell you is about eight upstanding white citizens of Pike County Three of them we