Chapter 24 Chapter 4 Virtue as Evidence

Arrest Joam.Dacosta's, that is, Joam.Gallard's order was issued by the judge acting for Ribeiro, who will serve as chief judge of Amazonas until he is replaced. The deputy judge is called Vicente.Jarry Gates.He was short in stature and brusque, and forty years in the law had done nothing to soften him to criminals.He had tried many such cases, tried and sentenced many outlaws, and it seemed to him that no accused, whoever he might be, could be innocent.Of course, he will not judge against his conscience, but his conscience is wrapped in a thick armor and will not be easily cut by accidents in the trial or defense testimony.Like many criminal judges, he often expressed his displeasure with the leniency of the jury, and when the accused was brought before him after the investigative questioning, the initial trial, he considered all the speculations to prove the guilt of the accused tenfold.

However, this Jerry Gates is by no means a villain.He was nervous, restless, chattering, shrewd, perceptive, and very peculiar in appearance: a huge head on a short frame, disheveled hair that might have looked better in an old fashioned wig, eyes He is sharp and can penetrate people like a screw. He has a high nose. If the nose can move, he will definitely dance. His two protruding ears are even sharper than hearing aids. His hands often keep beating on the judgment table, as if A pianist is practicing silently. His upper body is too long and his legs are a little short. When he sits majestically on the judge's bench, his feet will keep closing and separating for a while.

In his private life, Judge Jarry Gates was a ruthless bachelor who never neglected his diet, loved whiskey, was proficient at chess, and was especially good at jigsaw puzzles, riddles, crossword puzzles, redraw puzzles, reverse anagrams, letter combination puzzles, and Various other word games, like some European judges, he likes guessing as his main pastime, both as a hobby and as a professional habit, and the rest of the time he spends reading criminal law books without letting go. It can be seen that this is a different person, and it can also be seen that the death of Judge Ribeiro has a great impact on Joam.What a loss to D'Acosta because now his case will be in the hands of this stern judge.

In this case, Jarry Gates had a simple task.He didn't have to investigate, he didn't have to pre-trial, he didn't have to listen to lawyers, he didn't have to ask for a jury verdict, he didn't have to invoke the provisions of the penal code, he didn't even have to pronounce a sentence.For the unfortunate owner of an Iquitoshi estate, these formalities were unnecessary.As early as twenty-three years ago, Joam.Da Costa was arrested, tried, and sentenced for participating in the Tijuca robbery. The sentence of that year is still valid, and it is impossible to ask for any reduction of sentence, nor is it possible to appeal and request amnesty.In short, all that needs to be done now is to confirm his identity and wait for the execution order to be executed in Rio de Janeiro.

However, Joam.D'Acosta would no doubt proclaim his innocence, the sentence was unjust.The judge must hear his plea, whatever his opinion on it.The question is what evidence the prisoner will produce to support his claim.In the past, he failed to present evidence in court, can he present it now? It was this that the interrogation focused on. It must be admitted, however, that this is a curiously rare case: a lucky fugitive, living in safety abroad, willingly surrenders everything and surrenders himself to a judiciary of which his past experience has made him fearful Therefore, even judges who have long been accustomed to various accidents in judicial trials are interested in this case.Is it tired of life of brazen stupidity, or is it a whim of conscience that makes Tijuca's prisoners demand justice at all costs?Admittedly, the problem is weird.

Joam.The day after Da Costa's arrest, Judge Jari Gates came to the prison where the prisoners were held in St. Son Street. The prison, formerly a monastery of the Mission, was situated on the banks of one of the main rivers in the city.This building is not commensurate with the later new use. In the past, a group of people who were willing to be isolated from the world lived here, but now they are some involuntary prisoners.Joam.D'Acosta's room was nothing like the bleak cells of modern correctional prisoners.Once upon a time, this was the monk's room, with one window and no shutters.There was a railing on the window, an open space outside the window, a stool in one corner, a broken bed in the other corner, a few rough utensils, and nothing else.

At about eleven o'clock in the morning on August 25th, Joam.From this room D'Acosta was escorted to the interrogation room (formerly, it was the common hall of the monastery). Judge Jarry Gates sat in a high-backed chair at the edge of his desk, with his back to the window, so that his face was in the dark and the defendant's face was in the light.The clerk was sitting at the other end of the table, with a pen in his ear, and with the indifference of a judicial official, he was about to record the content of the interrogation. Joam.Da Costa was led into the house, and the judge motioned for the guard who had brought him to back off.

Judge Jarry Gates looked at the defendant for a long time.Joam bowed to him in a respectful manner, without condescension or condescension, and he waited in silence for questions. What is your name?asked Judge Jarry Gates. Joam.Dacosta. your age? Fifty-two years old. your address? Peru, Iquitos village. What's your surname? Galar, that's my mother's last name. Why do you use this last name? Because for twenty-three years, I have been trying to evade the Brazilian police. The answer is very clear, obviously, Joam.D'Acosta was determined to confess, both past and present, in a way Judge Jarry Gates was not accustomed to, his nose straighter than usual.

Why, he continued, did the Brazilian judicial authorities pursue you? For in 1826 I was sentenced to death for the Tijuca Diamond Heist. Then, you admit that you are Joam.Da Costa? I am Joam.Dacosta. He answered these questions very calmly and briefly.Therefore, the small eyes hidden under the lids of Judge Jarry Gates seemed to say: This case is going well! But now comes the clichéd question, to which all the defendants have the same answer, which is to claim their innocence. Judge Jarry Gates' hand began to tap on the table lightly, making a slight trill. Joam.Da Costa, he asked, what are you doing in Iquitos?

I am a manor and I manage a very large farm. Is it prosperous? Extremely prosperous. When did you leave the estate? about nine weeks ago. Why? To that, sir, Joam.D'Acosta said, I made an excuse.But actually I have my own purpose. What excuse? Bring a boatload of driftwood and assorted Amazonian produce to Pala. ah!So what was your real motive for leaving, Judge Jarry Gates asked. When he asked this question, he thought to himself: Finally, we are back on the old road of denying crimes and lying! The real motive, Joam.Da Costa said firmly that I am determined to surrender myself to the judiciary of my country.

Surrender yourself!The judge cried out, jumped from his chair, and surrendered himself? Yes! Why? Because I'm tired of the anonymity of this lie; tired of not being able to give my wife and children what is due to them; and finally, sir, because for what? Because I am innocent! I expected you to say that!Judge Jarry Gates thought to himself. Tapping his fingers on the table more vigorously, he nodded to Joam.D'Acosta, the meaning is clear: keep talking!Tell your story!I know what it's about, but I don't want to stop you from having fun! Joam.D'Acosta was well aware of the judge's intentions for this little encouragement, but he didn't want to get to the bottom of it.He narrated all his experiences, concisely and calmly, without missing any circumstances before and after the trial.He neither particularly emphasized that he led a respectable and respectable life after his escape; nor that he took his duties seriously as head of the family, husband and father.He only emphasized one thing, that no one forced him to come to Manao to request a retrial of the case and restore his reputation. Judge Jarry Gates, always prejudiced against the defendant, did not interrupt him.He just kept opening and closing his eyes, as if he had heard the same story ninety-nine times;When D'Acosta put his memoir on the table, he didn't even touch it. Have you finished?he asks. Yes, sir. You maintain that you left Iggy Todds and came here to request a reopening of your case? I want nothing else. Who can prove it?Who can prove that you will voluntarily surrender if no one informs you and you are arrested? At least one document, sir, is not in my possession, but its authenticity cannot be doubted. what document? My letter to your predecessor, Judge Ribeiro, in which I inform him of the date of my arrival. ah!Have you ever written a letter? Yes, the letter should have been delivered here, and it will be delivered to you shortly! Really?Judge Jarry Gates said suspiciously, You ever wrote to Judge Ribeiro? Before becoming Chief Justice, JoamDa Costa said that Judge Ribeiro had been Vera.Ricardo's lawyer.In the Tijuca case, he acted as my defense attorney.He firmly believed that I was innocent.He tried his best to save me.Twenty years later, when he was Chief Justice of Manao, I told him who I was, where I lived, and what I planned to do.His trust in me is as strong as ever.On his advice, I left the estate and came here to demand justice in person.But he died suddenly, and I may have no hope, if Judge Jarry Gates can't treat me like Judge Ribeiro! The judge almost jumped up uncharacteristically when he was called by first and last name to his face, but he finally managed to control himself and just murmured: Too much, really too much! Obviously, doubts arose in the judge's heart, but he did not show any surprise. Just then, a guard entered the house and handed a letter to the judge. He tore open the seal and took out a letter from the envelope.He opened the letter, read it, frowned, and said: Joam.D'Acosta, I don't want to hide from you that this is the letter you just mentioned to Judge Ribeiro; it was forwarded to me.So there's no reason to doubt what you've said at this point. Not only that, Joam.D'Acosta said that everything I have just told you cannot be doubted. well!Joam.D'Acosta, said Jerry Gates excitedly, you profess your innocence; but all the accused say so!At the end of the day, you just made some moral proof!Do you have physical evidence now? Maybe there is, sir.Joam.Da Costa said. Hearing this sentence, Judge Jarry Gates stood up.Tell him that this was too unexpected, and he walked around the house two or three times before he calmed down.