A WOMAN AT BAY (Nick Carter Mystery) by John R. Coryell

Author:John R. Coryell [Coryell, John R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9788075834201
Publisher: Musaicum Press
Published: 2017-06-09T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter XIV.

Black Madge Gives Judgment

Table of Contents

It was a strange scene upon which the light of a huge camp fire shone that night, in the mountain retreat of the outlaws.

A stake had been set in the ground, and to this Patsy was tied, so that all could see him plainly. Somewhat to one side, on a huge rustic chair, made by one of the men, the queen was seated in state, ready to act as judge at the trial that was to begin, and Cremation Mike was selected as prosecuting attorney.

A jury of twelve of the men had been drawn, only it was a foregone conclusion that they would bring in their verdict according as the queen should direct.

Handsome acted as master of ceremonies, and around them was gathered the entire membership of Black Madge’s hobo gang—as villainous a looking crew as might be imagined.

As yet, no one had been appointed to defend Pat, and now Madge raised one hand, when she was ready to begin the trial, and she announced:

“There is no one who has offered to act as attorney for the prisoner. This trial will afford you some amusement, my men. We will have a good time out of it, anyhow, before we hang him. I will appoint counsel for him.”

They were all silent, waiting, and presently she spoke again.

“I will name the old man there, Bill Turner, as counsel for the defense. Will you defend the man, Turner?”

“I’ll try to, madam, though I don’t know anything about the case. He may be guilty for all I know. What is he charged with?”

“With being a spy.”

“If you want me to defend him, I’ll do my best.”

“Go ahead, then. Let the trial begin,” she ordered.

The prosecution took up the case; that is, Cremation Mike got upon his feet and began to make a speech to the jury. He said:

“We’ve got proof enough that the man is a spy, ain’t we, mates? We all know what happened down there in the swamp, the time that Nick Carter got among us, and carried away Black Madge almost before our eyes, and we none the wiser for it. We know how Nick Carter set the cottage afire after drugging Madge, and how then he fixed up a dummy in one of the windows, so that we would think that she was burning up. We know that, don’t we, mates?

“And don’t we know that there were four men who came to our camp in the swamp at the same time, and who came together? Wasn’t one of that four Nick Carter himself? And were not two others of that same four Nick Carter’s assistants? And who was the fourth one of that four? Why, it was that cove there, tied to the stake, and waiting for you to hang him.

“Would he have been in that sort of company if he hadn’t been made out of the same kind of cloth? Didn’t he come there with that other outfit? Didn’t we prove—that is, didn’t

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