福爾摩斯探案經典:《恐怖谷》第11章Part5

"Of being concerned in the beating of old Editor Stanger at the Herald office. It wasn't your fault that it isn't a murder charge."
"Well, if that's all you have against him," cried McGinty with a laugh, "you can save yourself a deal of trouble by dropping it right now. This man was with me in my saloon playing poker up to midnight, and I can bring a dozen to prove it."
"That's your affair, and I guess you can settle it in court to-morrow. Meanwhile, come on, McMurdo, and come quietly if you don't want a gun aCross your head. You stand wide, Mr. McGinty; for I warn you I will stand no resistance when I am on duty!"
So determined was the appearance of the captain that both McMurdo and his boss were forced to accept the situation. The latter managed to have a few whispered words with the prisoner before they parted."What about--" he jerked his thumb upward to signify the coining plant.
"All right," whispered McMurdo, who had devised a safe hiding place under the floor.
"I'll bid you good-bye," said the Boss, shaking hands. "I'll see Reilly the lawyer and take the defense upon myself. Take my word for it that they won't be able to hold you."
"I wouldn't bet on that. Guard the prisoner, you two, and shoot him if he tries any games. I'll search the house before I leave."
He did so; but apparently found no trace of the concealed plant. When he had descended he and his men escorted McMurdo to headquarters. Darkness had fallen, and a keen blizzard was blowing so that the streets were nearly deserted; but a few loiterers followed the group, and emboldened by invisibility shouted imprecations at the prisoner.
"Lynch the cursed Scowrer!" they cried. "Lynch him!" They laughed and jeered as he was pushed into the police station. After a short, formal examination from the inspector in charge he was put into the common cell. Here he found Baldwin and three other criminals of the night before, all arrested that afternoon and waiting their trial next morning.
But even within this inner fortress of the law the long arm of the Freemen was able to extend. Late at night there came a jailer with a straw bundle for their bedding, out of which he extracted two bottles of whisky, some glasses, and a pack of cards. They spent a hilarious night, without an anxious thought as to the ordeal of the morning.
Nor had they cause, as the result was to show. The magistrate could not possibly, on the evidence, have held them for a higher court. On the one hand the compositors and pressmen were forced to admit that the light was uncertain, that they were themselves much perturbed, and that it was difficult for them to swear to the identity of the assailants; although they believed that the accused were among them. Cross examined by the clever attorney who had been engaged by McGinty, they were even more nebulous in their evidence.
The injured man had already deposed that he was so taken by surprise by the suddenness of the attack that he could state nothing beyond the fact that the first man who struck him wore a moustache. He added that he knew them to be Scowrers, since no one else in the community could possibly have any enmity to him, and he had long been threatened on account of his outspoken editorials. On the other hand, it was clearly shown by the united and unfaltering evidence of six citizens, including that high municipal official, Councillor McGinty, that the men had been at a card party at the Union House until an hour very much later than the commission of the outrage.
Needless to say that they were discharged with something very near to an apology from the bench for the inconvenience to which they had been put, together with an implied censure of Captain Marvin and the police for their officious zeal.
The verdict was greeted with loud applause by a court in which McMurdo saw many familiar faces. Brothers of the lodge smiled and waved. But there were others who sat with compressed lips and brooding eyes as the men filed out of the dock. One of them, a little, dark-bearded, resolute fellow, put the thoughts of himself and comrades into words as the ex-prisoners passed him.
"You damned murderers!" he said. "We'll fix you yet!"

“在先驅報社毆打老主筆斯坦格一案與你有關。別人沒告你殺人之罪，這並不是因爲你不想殺人。”
“啊，假如你們僅是爲了這件事，"麥金蒂微笑着說道，“現在住手，你們可以省很多麻煩。這個人在我酒館裏和我一起打撲克，一直打到半夜，我可以找出十幾個人來作證明。”
“那是你的事，我認爲明天你可以到法庭去說。走吧，麥克默多，假如我不願意槍彈射穿你的胸膛，你就老老實實地走。麥金蒂先生，你站遠點，我警告你，在我履行職責時，決不容許有任何抵抗的。”
馬文隊長的神色如此堅決，以至麥克默多和他的首領不得不接受既成事實。在分手以前，麥金蒂藉機和被捕者低聲耳語道：“那東西怎樣……"他猛地伸出大拇指，暗示着鑄幣機。
“安排好了，"麥克默多低語說，他已經把它安放在地板下安全的隱祕處所。
“我祝你一路平安，"首領和麥克默多握手告別，說道，“我要去請賴利律師，並且親自去出庭辯護。請相信我的話，他們不會扣留你的。”
“我不願在這上面打賭。你們兩個人把罪犯看好，假如他想耍什麼花招，就開槍射擊。我要先把這屋子搜查一下然後再撤。”
馬文隊長搜查了一番，不過顯然沒有發現隱藏鑄幣機的痕跡。他走下樓來，和一干人把麥克默多押送到總署去。天色已經昏黑，颳起一陣強烈的暴風雪，因此街上已經很少行人，只有少數幾個閒逛的人跟在他們後面，壯着膽子大聲詛咒被捕者。
“處決這個該死的死酷黨人！"他們高聲喊道，“處決他！”在麥克默多被推進警署時，他們嘲笑他。經過主管的警官簡短的審問之後，麥克默多被投進普通牢房。他發現鮑德溫和前一天晚上的其他三個罪犯也在這裏，他們都是這天下午被捕的，等候明天審訊。
自由人會的手很長，甚至能伸到監牢裏。天晚以後，一個獄卒帶進一捆稻草來給他們鋪用，他又從裏面拿出兩瓶威士忌酒，幾個酒杯和一副紙牌來。他們就飲酒賭博，狂歡了一夜，絲毫不顧慮明早的事。
他們這樣做什麼麻煩也沒惹出來，案件的結局就是明證。這位地方法官，根據證詞不能給他們定罪。一方面，排字工人和印刷工人不得不承認燈光十分模糊，他們自己也非常混亂慌張，儘管他們相信被告就是其中的人，但很難絕對保證認清行兇者的面貌。經過麥金蒂安排好的聰明的律師一番盤問以後，這些證人的證詞更加含糊不清了。
被害人已經證明說，他遭受突然襲擊時非常震驚，除了記得第一個動手打他的人有一撮小鬍子以外，什麼也說不清。他補充說，他知道這些人是死酷黨黨徒，因爲社會上沒有別的人恨他，由於他經常公開發表評論，長期以來受到該黨黨徒的威脅恫嚇。另一方面，有六個公民，其中包括市政官參議員麥金蒂，出席作證，他們的證詞堅決、一致、清楚地說明，這些被告都在工會打撲克，一直到嚴重違法行爲發生一個多小時以後才散場。
不用說，對被捕的人所受的煩擾，法官說了一些近於道歉的話，同時含蓄地訓斥了馬文隊長和警察多管閒事，便把被告釋放了。
這時法庭內一些旁聽者大聲鼓掌歡迎這一裁決，麥克默多看出其中有許多熟悉的面孔。會裏的弟兄都微笑着揮手致意。可是另一些人在這夥罪犯從被告席上魚貫而出時，坐在那裏雙脣緊閉，目光陰鬱；其中一個小個子黑鬍鬚面容堅毅果敢的人，在那些獲釋的罪犯從他面前走過時，說出了他自己和其他人的想法。
“你們這些該死的兇手！"他喊道，"我們還要收拾你們的！”