Chapter 582: The Trial
A week passed in a flash, and the general outline of the Brook Factory was already taking shape.
Within the perimeter walls, all the shacks that needed to be “leveled” were torn down, and the frameworks of the large and small wooden houses that needed to be built were at least up.
In fact, if you don’t include those multi-story, heavy wooden houses that look like villas, the construction period for ordinary wooden houses in America these days is mainly spent on “laying foundations.”
Provided there's enough manpower and materials, as long as the foundation is solid and the pillars are fixed, the remaining walls and floors are “up to individual preference.” Quick builds can be finished in just a day or two, but to live comfortably, ongoing renovations and repairs might be needed year-round—this is often part of the daily life for small-town residents.
The Brook Factory here is for both commercial and residential use. The “workshops” adopt a minimalist style, with floors directly laid by brick and stone on leveled foundations, then four walls and a roof with pillars spaced in between.
The residential wooden houses are a bit more particular. Just for the floor, like the wooden houses in the main camp, a certain height needs to be elevated above the foundation, and then wooden floorboards are nailed onto the framework in sequence. This prevents flooding, and also isolates against pests and dampness from the ground—the last two points are actually Wayne's own guesses, because most slightly better wooden houses in America these days are built this way.
The renovation of the mill, on the other hand, was the slowest. It was originally a brick and stone “cylinder,” and creating safe openings in the walls required skill.
The modification of the windmill's transmission part was even more troublesome. The original large millstone had to be transformed into a “meat grinder” and “mixer,” and many components had to be processed in a factory. Even a slight deviation in size meant taking them back for modification.
Anyway, during the first test run, the new equipment in the mill vibrated like a used washing machine, accompanied by a constant “nails on a chalkboard” sound.
Wayne felt that a low-level haunted house probably wasn't as creepy as that thing was at the time…
Fortunately, the technical personnel from Brook Factory were experienced. For small details that could be handled on-site, they directly used tools like hammers or files. For places where the assembly wasn't quite tight, they tried to “force a miracle” after heating with bellows and charcoal fire, only returning it to the factory if absolutely necessary.
So, counting the days, the construction period was indeed similar to what Miss Mary's brother had predicted; it would take about half a month of work before trial production could officially begin, meaning about another week.
Willie's process of prosecuting the gang members, on the other hand, went more smoothly.
With a prosecutor formally filing charges, existing witnesses and evidence, and the criminals actually remaining local without fleeing, the trial could begin after just one week.
Most criminal trials these days were public, and the three partners of the Detective Agency even took time to attend the first one.
Willie sat next to the prosecutor, neatly dressed in the Detective Agency uniform, with an Agent badge pinned to his chest, and his hair combed like an adult. It must be said, at first glance, he really did look a bit like an upright and decisive young police officer, truly worthy of being the “judgment” of the Detective Agency.
Coupled with Willie's still somewhat youthful demeanor, if he were a lawyer, he might appear a bit “unprofessional,” but as an “investigator” and “witness,” he unexpectedly made people feel “very sincere.”
At least most of the jury members seemed willing to believe Willie's objectivity and impartiality, and even the judge tended to “overrule” when the defense lawyer struggled to raise objections and questions.
“That's strange, I remember the court trials I saw in the West weren’t like this… This case is clearly so straightforward, how can the prosecutor and that defense lawyer still drag it out for so long?”
Lina was getting restless during the recess. Although the criminal facts of that small-time gang member were clear, the defense lawyer was also quite professional, not only repeatedly cross-examining witnesses over trivial details but also constantly arguing with the prosecutor over legal provisions.
If this hadn't been Willie's “court debut,” Lina would probably have already quietly left by now.
Wayne, as an experienced “insider,” explained to Lina: “America's trial system has been largely established since the colonial era. The normal process is like this. In the West, it’s because they generally don't credit the sophistry of outside thugs, so sometimes a verdict can be reached based solely on the townspeople's accusations, and lawyers don't usually go into the legal details.”
Inessa seemed to have some understanding of this aspect. “Now it's time for the jury to deliberate, so according to the normal process, next we need to wait for them to discuss a result, and then the judge will pronounce the sentence?”
“Mm.” Wayne nodded, then added, “The power to determine ‘guilt’ legally belongs to the jury. The judge can only sentence those found guilty; otherwise, they can only declare an acquittal. And as a counterpart to this power, jury members usually cannot speak in court, only allowed to silently observe or ask questions indirectly through the judge.”
Lina clearly wasn't concerned with legal details. “So how long do they still need to deliberate? Both prosecution and defense took half the morning; surely the jury won't make us wait another half day?”
“That’s hard to say…” Wayne scratched his hair. “Almost all states in America require the jury's unanimous decision before a guilty verdict can be pronounced. If it's quick, a result might come in a few minutes, but if even one jury member has a different opinion, deliberations could drag on for an entire day.
“There’s no strict time limit for this. In some cases, because the jury cannot reach a unanimous opinion, but the prosecution is very firm, the trial might be repeatedly opened until the prosecution can no longer provide new evidence and has to withdraw the charges, or until the defendant explicitly pleads guilty.”
—In a sense, some cases with significant public opinion end up with an acquittal, or the defendant cannot bear the ultra-long detention and litigation and eventually has to accept the “plea bargain” offered by the prosecutor. Part of the root cause lies here.
Lina’s expression fell. “Just a small-time gang member, and it takes this long? Do you Americans not have your own lives? Or do you like to watch trials as if they were stage plays?”
This complaint was quite to the point.
The America Federation prided itself on being founded on the rule of law, and Americans at this time were indeed quite active in participating in legal construction.
Volunteering to be registered as a “jury candidate” actually comes with no compensation. Which case's jury member they will become is determined by the court's selection, not by their own choice. The final jury list must also undergo exclusive confirmation by both prosecution and defense lawyers to prevent the verdict from being influenced by the prejudices of some members.
So, this is almost a “public service activity,” not only difficult to profit from unexpectedly, but also requiring the expenditure of personal time and potential travel expenses.
But many American gentlemen are still very willing to participate.
And there are often quite a few “onlookers” observing trials. Some are connected to one of the parties in the case, some are journalists, some are newcomers and self-learners who want to pursue a legal career, but the highest proportion among them are usually those who come to “purely gawk.”
—Anyway, they are strangely enthusiastic; perhaps they really just come to watch a big show.
“Look on the bright side, particularly major cases actually follow a similar process.” Wayne could only shrug at this. “So now you know why, when I was Sheriff, I liked to hand thugs over to the town judge and then be done with it.”
Lina's brows were still furrowed. “I do know why you let Willie handle this… By the time he finishes prosecuting all those gang members one by one, he’ll probably be as old as you.”
Wayne wasn't that heartless: “It won't be that bad… Some cases can have several criminals tried together. I think in about half a year, Willie should be able to, with the prosecutor, initially sweep through the Dock Area and send the easier-to-catch gang members to prison.”
“And what about the rest? Is there no way?” Inessa asked.
“Hmm…”
Even Wayne found this question difficult to answer. “The remaining cases will probably be more troublesome… You see, even James Damody, who is on Bishop Tiriel's list, if he doesn't confess himself, the existing evidence might not even be enough to try him.”
Inessa thought for a moment. “So if the court can't try him, we'll need to secretly find an opportunity to act?”
Huh? Oh, no… Wait,
Wayne was momentarily stumped by Inessa's question, and then he felt that his understanding of the definition of “order” maintained by the Hunter Association seemed to have a slight deviation.
Inessa was indeed an “honest person,” but the simple “good and evil” in an honest person's eyes seemed to be different from “guilty or not guilty” in a legal sense…
