So Tige was allowed to remain where he was, though every now and then he expressed his disapproval of the proceedings by a low growl.
Bill, who fortunately was able to read, identified the “Friend-in-Need” note, and described how it came into his possession.
Then Captain Ellis read the note aloud, and handed it to the clerk of the court to be filed as evidence.
The appearance of Bill and Tige on the witness-stand was as good as a circus to the spectators, and they appreciated it thoroughly.
Now they wondered what new sensation was in store for them, but they were not allowed to wonder long. The opposing counsel had hardly finished his cross-examination of Bill, whose answers were such as to completely baffle him, when Captain Ellis said:
“Now, your Honor and gentlemen of the jury, I am about to place upon the stand a person who was actually present at the famous wrestling-match so graphically described by both my client and Mr. Watkins. As their accounts differ very materially from each other, it is possible that the testimony of this witness may indicate which version of the affair is the true and which the false one. Is Jacob Allen in court? and, if so, will he please step forward?”
There was a moment of waiting, during which the spectators exchanged looks of surprise. Then, from the extreme back part of the room, Jacob Allen, the leader of the late strike, the man for whose arrest a reward was offered, appeared among them, and the crowd made way for him to pass.
As he stepped to the stand and turned a fearless gaze upon those before him, the lawyer for the company sprang to his feet and said:
“I object, your Honor, to the testimony of this man being received. His recent outrages have placed him in the position of a criminal for whose apprehension the company that I have the honor to represent offers a large reward, and for whom officers are now in search. In the name of the President of the A. & B. Railroad Company, I demand his immediate arrest.”
“Your Honor,” said Captain Ellis, “if I am not mistaken, Mr. Allen has in his possession a paper that not only relieves him from all fear of arrest, but grants him unconditional pardon for any alleged act of wrong committed against the A. & B. Railroad Company.”