THE SENTENCE OF THE COURT
As the court-crier, amid a breathless hush of expectation, loudly called
the name "Annabel Lorimer," a young girl, flushed with embarrassment,
but with brave, gray eyes, rose from a seat in the front row of
spectators and was escorted to the witness-stand by a gentleman,
who evidently was her father, and who remained near her during the
examination that followed. After she had sworn to tell the truth, the
whole truth, and nothing but the truth, had given her name, her place of
residence as that very city, and had blushingly admitted that, although
fifteen years of age, she was unmarried, she was asked to tell what she
knew of the case now on trial.
"We were going to Canada for the summer," she began, "so as to learn how
to travel and get ready for the great journey around the world that papa
and I are going to take this winter. So I went to Hatton to say good-bye
to my aunt Marjorie, who lives in a big, white house, just across from
the common. I could only stay one night, and had to leave on the very
earliest morning train. So I was up pretty early, and was dressing to
go down-stairs, when such shouting and laughing came from the street
that 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 was
Chinese by his pig-tail and by his funny shoes, that were just like the
pictures."
"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 very
gown 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 the
Chinese boy, which seemed to me dreadfully mean, when he was all alone
in a strange place, especially when he stood still and began to look
frightened. Then some more big boys, who had been playing on the common,
came running over, and they all crowded around the Chinese boy and began
to 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, and
pulled at his pig-tail, and ran round and round with it so as to make
him turn and get dizzy, and knocked off his cap, and did everything
horrid they could think of."
"What kind of boys were they?"
"Just the very kind that tie fire-crackers to poor dogs' tails, and kill
pussy-cats with stones, and--swear."
This last word the witness uttered with some hesitation and in a low
tone.
"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, at
the same time pointing to a group of the Hatton muckers who had been
retained 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 who
knocked the Chinese boy down."
"How did he do that?"
"He butted him in the back with his head, while the little, speckled one
was 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? Was
he very fierce, and did he strike at his assailants as if he were trying
to kill them?"
"Oh no, indeed! I'm sure he didn't, because I hoped all the time he
would. 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 he
was a sight."
"Please tell the court what happened after the Chinese boy had been
knocked down."
"I object to that expression," interposed the district attorney, who was
conducting the case for the State; "the witness has expressly stated
that the fall in question was caused by a push and not by a blow. She
also has testified that three individuals went to the ground at the same
time, and we already know from recorded testimony in this case, that the
greatest sufferer from the effects of this fall was not the Chinaman,
but the very smallest and weakest of those whom my learned friend is
pleased to stigmatize as 'assailants,' although it has been repeatedly
and 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' is
objectionable, it is withdrawn; and you may tell us, Miss Lorimer, what
happened 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 the
testimony of this young lady must not be interrupted by squabbles over
technicalities."
"After my young client was _hurled to the ground_," continued Jo's
lawyer, triumphantly, "with the biggest and ugliest-looking of his
assailants on top of him, tell us, Miss Lorimer, what happened next?"
"The big boy scrambled to his feet, and just then Rob Hinckley came
along with a milk-can and drove them all away, and the milk flew all
over everybody. Then Mr. Hinckley and Constable Jones came; but after
that I didn't see any more, because the breakfast-bell rang, and I was
so 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, Miss
Lorimer, since you seem so greatly interested in it?" queried the
district attorney.
"Because I didn't know anything about it until this morning. Then papa
read about it in the paper, and said he had no doubt that if the truth
were known it would turn out that the Chinese boy had been wantonly
abused by a lot of cowardly young ruffians, just because he was weak
and helpless, which was getting more and more to be the American way
of doing things. I didn't like to hear him say that, and told him I
believed I had seen that very trouble the morning I was in Hatton; only
I had forgotten all about it, because so many other things began to
happen that same day, and have been happening ever since. I said, if
those were the same boys, they were not real, true Americans at all, but
just a lot of mean imitations, and if the law people only knew what I
did, they would punish them instead of Rob Hinckley, and the Chinese
boy who had been abused. He asked what I meant, and I told him all I
could remember. Then he telephoned to that gentleman (pointing to Jo's
lawyer), who came to the house and asked me questions. Then we drove
here in a carriage, because it was late. So if you punish anybody, I
hope it will be those wicked imitation American boys; because one time
that big, ugly looking one set his dog on my tortoise-shell kitty when
we were visiting Aunt Marjorie, and threw stones at her when she ran up
a 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 hated
him, and knew just what he would do when he found a China-boy, or any
one else he could abuse without a chance of getting hurt himself. He did
it, 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 that
statement, which I shall allow to go on record without comment. I
shall also pass, without attempt at refutation, her silly naming of
those naturalized citizens, who, with their brawn and muscle, their
unremitting industry and their sturdy independence, constitute the
strongest bulwark of our glorious republic, for she is but a child,
speaking from the ignorance of childhood. Thus we are well content to
rest our case upon the evidence, with a certain confidence that the
court, in its wisdom, will give us a verdict in accordance with the
facts."
With this the attorney sat down. The girl witness, wondering whether she
had most helped or harmed the cause she had espoused, was allowed to
take her seat, and Jo's lawyer rose to address the court.
"Your honor," he said, "I need not suggest to one so well versed
in proverbial philosophy, that truth, sometimes unpalatable, but
always bluntly outspoken, is a universally admitted characteristic of
childhood. Into the dark mazes of numberless famous law cases, as in the
one we now are concluding, has the revealing light of truth been thrown
by the untutored testimony of children. I could not wish a stronger
witness to the justice of our cause than the fearless little lady who
has just now given her evidence in our behalf. Upon it, therefore, we
confidently rest our cause, with a well-grounded conviction that it is
sufficient to assure a verdict in our favor."
As the lawyer sat down, our lads realized that the critical moment
in which their fate was to be decided had arrived; and they awaited
the words of the judge with mingled hope and anxiety. For a moment an
impressive silence reigned in the court-room, and all eyes were turned
upon the judge as he glanced over his pencilled notes. Finally he looked
up, removed his spectacles, and, fixing a kindly gaze upon the two
young men, said:
"It is hardly necessary to state that the unimpeachable testimony of
the last witness in the case of State _vs._ Joseph Lee _et al._ has
completely altered the point of view from which it must be regarded,
and causes the decision of the court to be quite different from what
it would have been yesterday. I now find the defendant, Joseph Lee,
to have been a victim instead of an aggressor, and to have suffered
shameful persecution at the hands of a mob of young ruffians, who have
been happily termed 'imitation Americans.' This term is most soothing
to the pride of all real Americans, who are unwilling to believe that
any of the true stock would dishonor the name by assaulting the helpless
and innocent. This being the situation, the decision of the court in
the case of Joseph Lee is that he be honorably acquitted of the charges
brought against him."
This decision was received with looks of scowling consternation by the
muckers present, and with murmurs of applause from the better class of
spectators. This quickly was silenced by the court officers, and the
judge continued:
"The case of Robert Hinckley, however, proves more serious, since it
is evident that he did make an assault with a weapon, and without the
excuse of self-defence, upon the bodies of certain persons named in
the indictment, who are entitled to legal redress for the same. Of
this offence the court, therefore, finds Robert Hinckley guilty and
sentences him"--at this point poor Rob turned very pale, while his
heart sank like lead--"to pay a fine," continued the judge, "of one cent
to each and every one of the aggrieved parties whose names appear in the
indictment. At the same time the court wishes to express its thanks to
Mr. Robert Hinckley for the fine manner in which, forgetful of his own
danger, he hastened to defend a helpless foreigner from persecution by a
set of unmitigated young scoundrels. Officer, call the next case on the
calendar."
"Oh!" gasped Rob, as the friends of our lads gathered about them with
congratulations at this happy ending of their troubles; "does he really
mean 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."