Throughout the trial of both men, Henry Francis was an interested
spectator. The court-room seemed to have a fascination for him, although
he was now a rich man with important demands upon his time. It was
whispered about that the Pennsylvanians had spent a hundred thousand
dollars hunting the criminals down; and some people were fanciful enough
to see in Henry Francis the highwaymen's Nemesis. He made a very
dignified Nemesis indeed. He looked grave and thoughtful, and his newly
acquired wealth lent dignity to his refined countenance.
But it occurred to John Keeler that somehow it appeared as if Francis
imagined himself sitting at his own trial. He seemed to show an almost
eager interest in the subterfuges and the raising of legal dust by means
of which counsel for the defense endeavored to blind the eyes of the
jurors. Keeler hardly dared to let his fancy run on to logical
conclusions. It seemed too much like condemning a man without giving him
a trial. Yet he could not help being haunted by the thought that some
thieves are too shrewd to assume the risks of highway robbery. In his
own mind this thought constituted the one valid argument against capital
punishment.
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