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!"

Chapter 5--The Darkest Hour

If anything had been needed to give an impetus to Jack McMurdo's
popularity among his fellows it would have been his arrest and
acquittal. That a man on the very night of joining the lodge should have
done something which brought him before the magistrate was a new record
in the annals of the society. Already he had earned the reputation of a
good boon companion, a cheery reveller, and withal a man of high temper,
who would not take an insult even from the all-powerful Boss himself.
But in addition to this he impressed his comrades with the idea that
among them all there was not one whose brain was so ready to devise a
bloodthirsty scheme, or whose hand would be more capable of carrying
it out. "He'll be the boy for the clean job," said the oldsters to one