The Glass Village

Judge Shinn held up his hand, and after a moment, good-naturedly, they listened.

“With the consent and cooperation of the Governor of our state, neighbors, you are going to have your chance to demonstrate that Shinn Corners is as strong for protecting the rights of an accused murderer as you are for asserting your own. Governor Ford has just empowered me to conduct the trial of Josef Kowalczyk in Shinn Corners.”

They murmured their approval.

“I assume,” the Judge continued dryly, “you consider me qualified. But so that there will be no misunderstanding, will you signify that you consent to my sitting in this case, and that you will abide by my rulings without argument except as they are properly argued by prosecutor and defense counsel?”

“Let’s call a town meetin’,” said Burney Hackett.

“No need for that,” said Hube Hemus indulgently. “Trial’s got to have a judge, and a judge’s got his prescribed powers. All those in favor say aye!” There was a roar of ayes. “All those opposed motion carried. Go ahead, Judge.”

“Then I set the trial of Josef Kowalczyk as beginning Monday morning, the seventh day of July, at ten o’clock A.M. That’s tomorrow morning, late enough so the chores can be got out of the way. The place of the trial will be Aunt Fanny Adams’s house. We’ll all be more comfortable there, and we’ll have the additional advantage of being on the scene of the crime, so that exhibits need not be toted from one place to another. Is that agreeable to everyone?”

They were pleased. Johnny thought, Crafty old conniver. You’ve set it in the one place calculated to reassure them.

“The first thing we will do tomorrow morning,” the Judge went on, “is empanel a jury. The law states that the accused must be tried by a jury of his peers, consisting of twelve legal voters of good character, sound judgment, and fair education, aged at least twenty-five, plus an alternate in case one of the twelve takes sick or otherwise cannot continue as a juryman during the trial. There will have to be a bailiff to take charge of the prisoner and keep order in the courtroom, a clerk of the court to keep the record of the trial, a prosecutor, and a defense attorney. The accused will be given the opportunity to select his own counsel and, if he does so, you must abide by his choice. If he has no preference, the court will appoint counsel to defend him; and in that case, I shall have to call in a lawyer from outside at town expense. Is that understood?”

They looked at Hubert Hemus.

Hemus reflected. “Aya. He’s got to have his lawyer. But who’s goin’ to prosecute?”

“Good question, Hube,” said the Judge, still more dryly. “I’ll have a suggestion on that point at the proper time, one that I’m sure will meet with everyone’s approval.”

He looked around. “All qualified voters will be present in the living room of Aunt Fanny Adams’s house by a quarter of ten tomorrow morning. Court will convene at ten sharp. And now, neighbors, I think we’ve held up church long enough, don’t you, Mr. Sheare?”

The women and children trooped into the church. The men conferred in low tones; then Tommy and Dave Hemus were given instructions and came down off the steps to take posts before and behind the little white building, trailing their guns negligently. Eddie Pangman and Drakeley Scott hurried up the walk and out into Shinn Road. They halted in the middle of the intersection. Eddie Pangman faced east, in the direction of Cudbury; Drakeley Scott faced west, in the direction of Comfort. Both boys were in high spirits. They joked to each other over their shoulders.

The men of Shinn Corners stacked their guns carefully outside the church and went in to their Sunday worship.

Three...

Judge Shinn was preoccupied during the service. Almost as preoccupied, Johnny observed, as Mr. Sheare. The minister mumbled throughout, and during the singing of the hymns he stood with eyes closed as if communing with the only Authority that had never failed him. To the Judge’s frank relief, Mr. Sheare dispensed with his sermon.

Johnny found his thoughts wandering to the man in the cellar. Kowalczyk was probably a Roman Catholic, and if he was devout this imprisonment in the coalbin of a Low Protestant church during a sacred service must seem to him a cruel and unusual punishment. No Latin, strange-sounding hymns, a priest who dressed like other men...

He dismissed Kowalczyk with an effort.

After the service the Judge conferred with Ferriss Adams. Then he took Hube Hemus aside. He was talking earnestly to Elizabeth Sheare when Millie Pangman waddled over and hovered.

“Yes, Millie, what is it?”

“Your Sunday dinner’s goin’ to be awful late, Judge,” the farmer’s wife said timidly. “I’ve got my own family’s dinner to get, and what with everythin’ that’s happened and all—”

“It’s all right, Millie,” the Judge barked. “We’ll manage,” and he turned back to Mr. Sheare.

Millie Pangman drew little Deborah away, crushed. Johnny went up to her. “Now don’t you worry about our dinner, Mrs. Pangman. I’ll fix it.”