Chapter 10 Summary

Rufus Buckley, District Attorney, reads with relish the newspaper accounts that mention his name. He is even happy that Brigance has disparaged him. At least he is now getting some publicity. He harbors no ill will against Jake, and he recognizes Jake's ability to manipulate the press, just as Lucien Wilbanks taught Jake. Rufus, age forty-one, with nine years on the job, has political ambitions that go all the way to Washington, D.C., and he needs a conviction in a big, messy murder trial to establish his name statewide. He is "loud, abrasive, and sanctimonious," and he boasts a ninety-percent conviction rate. The press is awaiting Rufus Buckley in the Polk County Courthouse, where he asserts that Jake Brigance is an able defense attorney, but he is confident he will get a conviction. He will seek the death penalty.

Back in Jake's...