Part 25 (1/2)
”Yes, sir, I could.”
When the lawyer for the other side arose to cross-examine Alex he smiled somewhat derisively.
”You are a friend of the defendant, are you not?” he asked significantly.
”Yes, sir; and so know his sending over the wire unusually well,”
responded Alex, cleverly turning the point of the question.
The lawyer shrugged his shoulders, and put the next question with sarcasm. ”And, now, do you mean to stand there and tell this court that the clicks--the purely mechanical clicks--made over a telegraph wire by an operator miles away will sound different to the clicks made by any other operator?”
”I do,” said Alex quietly. ”And I am ready to demonstrate it.”
”Oh, you are, are you? And how, pray?”
”Three other operators from the Exeter office are in the court-room, with a set of instruments and a battery. Let them place the instruments on the table down there; blindfold me, then have them and Jack Orr by turns write something on the key. I'll identify every one of them before he sends a half-dozen words.”
A wave of surprise, then smiles of incredulity pa.s.sed over the crowded room.
”Very well,” agreed the lawyer readily. ”Set up the instruments.”
The three Exeter operators came forward, and the prosecutor, producing a handkerchief, himself stepped into the witness-box and proceeded to bind Alex's eyes. That done, to make doubly sure, he turned Alex face to the wall.
When the lawyer returned to the counsel-table the proceedings were momentarily interrupted by a whispered consultation with his a.s.sistant, at the end of which, while the spectators wondered, the latter hastened from the room.
Curiosity as to the junior counsel's mission was quickly forgotten, however, as the prosecutor then called Jack Orr to the table beside the telegraph instruments, and stood Jack and the three Exeter operators in a row before him.
”Now,” said he in a low voice, ”each of you, as I touch you, step quietly to the key, and send these words: 'Do you know who this is?'”
A moment the lawyer paused, while spectators, judge and jury waited in breathless silence, then reaching out, he lightly touched one of the Exeter men.
”Do you know who this is?” clicked the sounder.
All eyes turned toward Alex. Without a moment's hesitation he answered, ”Johnson.”
The operator nodded, and a flutter pa.s.sed over the court-room.
”Huh! A guess,” declared the prosecutor audibly, and still smiling confidently, he touched another of the Exeter operators. The instruments repeated the question.
”Bradley,” said Alex promptly.
The flutter of surprise was repeated. Quickly the prosecutor made as though to touch the third Exeter man, then abruptly again touched Bradley.
”Bradley again,” said Alex.
A ripple like applause swept over the crowded room. With tightening lips the prosecutor turned again toward the third Exeter operator. At the moment the door opened, and he paused as his a.s.sistant reappeared, with him two young ladies.
The newcomers were operators from the local commercial telegraph office.