314 MY SPOUTING HOLIDAYS 



We had a few moments' general conversation, and 

 presently, after leaving, I said to my friend : 



' What crimes are those prisoners charged with ?' 



He stared at me in some surprise. 



' Those are not prisoners ; they're witnesses, I 

 reckon. The prisoners are on the other side of 

 the gaol.' 



It was now my turn to be astonished. 



6 What are they locked up for ?' I inquired. 



4 Wai, they've got to give evidence in a shootin 

 case next session,' was the explanation. He went 

 on : ' The court don't sit for five months yet ; and if 

 the witnesses who saw what happened were not kept 

 under lock and key, they might be miles away from 

 here when the time came for the trial, and there'd be 

 no evidence on which to convict.' 



' Do you mean to say,' I asked, ' that these inno- 

 cent people will be locked up in these cages for five 

 months merely to make sure of their presence as 

 witnesses at a trial ?' 



* That is so,' was the calm reply ; and 1 began to 

 feel thankful that it had not been my unlucky fate 

 to be the involuntary witness of some act of 

 violence. 



My western friend was apparently quite unable to 

 see any injustice in thus forcibly detaining innocent 

 bystanders for a lengthened period in order to insure 

 their presence as witnesses for the prosecution in a 

 criminal case. 



' 1 guess they're out of luck,' was his only comment. 



But to return to the trial of the train-robber. The 

 gaol and also the court-house of Rawlins were in those 

 days simple and unpretentious wooden buildings. 

 The prisoner was well guarded, but otherwise treated 



