BookRix

Round The Strangers' Entrance, And As Soon As The Doors Were Opened Had
Rushed With A Kind Of Savage Curiosity To The Part Of The Hall Where
The Public Was Admitted. Long Before The Trial Was Opened Every Inch
Of Space Was Occupied By A Seething, Excited Crowd. So Great Was The
Interest Created That Many, Who Might Not Have Been Expected To Witness
The Scene, Were So Eager To Be Present That The Officials Were
Inundated With Applications For Admission. Long Before The Court Began
Its Sitting, The Air Was Hot And Tense With Eager Curiosity. Some,
Indeed, Talked Casually And Carelessly, As Though A Murder Trial Were
An Everyday Occurrence, But In The Main The Atmosphere Was Electric.
Men's Faces Were Set And Stern, And More Than One Woman Showed Signs Of
Hysteria. Outside, A Great Throng Of People, Who Were Unable To Gain
Admission, Waited As If Held By A Spell. The Ushers Found Difficulty
In Maintaining Anything Like Order. The Hum Of Voices Was Heard
Everywhere.