ir financial
difficulties forced upon him by fire and panic, and who only yesterday
made an offer to the city that, if he were allowed to continue in
uninterrupted control of his affairs he would gladly repay as quickly as
possible every dollar of his indebtedness (which is really not all his),
including the five hundred thousand dollars under discussion between him
and Mr. Stener and the city, and so prove by his works, not talk, that
there was no basis for this unfair suspicion of his motives. As you
perhaps surmise, the city has not chosen to accept his offer, and I
shall try and tell you why later, gentlemen. For the present we will
proceed with the testimony, and for the defense all I ask is that you
give very close attention to all that is testified to here to-day.
Listen very carefully to Mr. W. C. Davison when he is put on the stand.
Listen equally carefully to Mr. Cowperwood when we call him to testify.
Follow the other testimony closely, and then you will be able to judge
for yourselves. See if you can distinguish a just motive for this
prosecution. I can't. I am very much obliged to you for listening to me,
gentlemen, so attentively."

He then put on Arthur Rivers, who had acted for Cowperwood on 'change
as special agent during the panic, to testify to the large quantities
of city loan he had purchased to stay the market; and then after him,
Cowperwood's brothers, Edward and Joseph, who testified to instructions
received from Rivers as to buying and selling city loan on that
occasion--principally buying.

The next witness was President W. C. Davison of the Girard National
Bank. He was a large man physically, not so round of body as full and
broad. His shoulders and chest were ample. He had a big blond head, with
an ample breadth of forehead, which was high and sane-looking. He had
a thick, squat nose, which, however, was forceful, and thin, firm, even
lips. There was the faintest touch of cynical humor in his hard blue
eyes at times; but mostly he was friendly, alert, placid-looking,
without seeming in the least sentimental or even kindly. His business,
as one could see plainly, was to insist on hard financial facts, and
one could see also how he would naturally be drawn to Frank Algernon
Cowperwood without being mentally dominated or upset by him. As he took
the chair very quietly, and yet one might say significantly, it was
obvious that he felt that this sort of legal-financial palaver was above
the avera