Then there were several witnesses who swore to
inconsequent things, such as waiters at the Hotel Central, and the
doctor who had examined Cortlandt.
For once in his careless life the young man realized that he was
face to face with something bigger and stronger than his own
determination, and it daunted him. He began to see that he had
underestimated these foreigners, for it seemed an easy matter to
convict an innocent man in these Central American courts. He
recalled certain ridiculous stories of Spanish justice which he
had laughed at; he remembered Mrs. Cortlandt's vivid tale of an
execution she had once beheld in the court-yard of Chiriqui
prison; and suddenly he decided to cable for Darwin K. Anthony--
the one man who was strong enough to save him.
When it came time for him to speak, he told a straight story about
his own actions on that night, and he was corroborated by Allan;
but he knew that their words had little weight against that other
testimony. Of course, he was remanded for trial, and that night
the newspapers of the city were crowded with columns of
sensational reading-matter bearing upon the crime.
Anson, the lawyer, gave him a ray of encouragement as he left.
"Don't go too much on this hearing," he said.
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