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Inside the courtrooe Everett Corbett

During the course of the trial, he had expelled four colored woalle

ry for reacting too loudly He had found three reporters in conte terms to his dictatorial ways And he had sent an old coloredone defendant’s testimony

The first thingreaffirmed his imperial status

“Noe are ready to deliver this case to the jury,” he said “The testih Outside interest has been reentlemen of the jury, we have come to the crux of the matter You have to let the facts speak for themselves You will now hear froument about how you’ll decide Then you’ll hear the same from Mr Lewis And finally, it will be entirely up to you, the jury, to make your decision, as the framers of the Constitution intended Mr Curtis?”

Jonah rose with an impassive face “Your Honor, the jury has heard quite a lot fro to let ue Mr Benjamin Corbett deliver the summation for the state”

Chapter 120

I GOT TO MY FEET, a little wobbly in the legs The dumb-founded faces of ave me at least some pleasure

It took ht to speak, and there was nothing he could do about it He smiled, crossed his arms, and sat back in his chair

“I wondered if ere ever going to hear from Counselor Corbett,” he said “Of course, as his father, I have heard a great deal fro that pleasure with the rest of you”

Appreciative laughter rolled through the room I had no choice but to smile and try for a little joke of my own “And, of course, as the proud son of my father, I can only say I have done at least as ,” I said “I have learned a great deal that way”

“Please proceed, Mr Corbett,” my father said, “and let us decide for ourselves if that is true”

The audience laughed again My old dad had definitely won the first round

I wondered what he saw, peering down at raduate, a well-known Washington defense lawyer? Did he see a hteousness, ambition?

No He saw a boy crying when he fell off his rocking horse, a child furiously resisting a spoonful of the hated mashed carrots He didn’t see me He saw a powerless boy