how he was almost starved to death? Didn't--Wait a minute!--didn't
you hear him say to that deaf witness that the prisoner fell down
like a log when he push him in the face? Just push him,--nothing
else. Didn't you hear that?"

"Sure I heard it. We all heard it. But what EVIDENCE is there?"

"Evidence? My gracious, ain't that enough? Ain't one man's word as
good as another's? And say, let me ask you this: Is there any
evidence that he wasn't almost starved to death! Well! Humph! I
guess not. There ain't a single witness that says he wasn't hungry--
not one, I tell you. You can't--"

"Didn't all them policemen swear that he was as husky as--"

"Say, you can't believe a policeman about anything. It's their
business. That's what their job is. I know all about those fellers.
Why, long time ago when I first come to this country, I told a
hundred policeman I was almost starved to death and say, do you
think they believed me? You bet they didn't. They told me to get a
move on, get the hell out of this, beat it,--you bet I know all
about them fellers. I--"

The foreman interrupted Mr. Pushkin.

"So you want to acquit the defendant because his lawyer said he was
hungry,--is that it?"

"I don't blame nobody for stealing when he is almost starved to
death and got a wife and children almost starved to death too