Part 4 Summary and Analysis

In chapter twenty-seven, it seems that Ed will remain locked up for the rest of his life though it will probably be in a mental hospital for the criminally insane rather than in jail. The people of Plainfield are angry at the thought that Ed might in this way escape the justice they believe he deserves. Before making the final decision, Ed is sent for a month-long stay at Central State Hospital where he is to be evaluated for his sanity. There are two major issues now on the agenda of those involved in the legal proceedings - whether cemetery plots should be exhumed to verify Ed's story of grave robbing and who should fit the bill for the continuing cost of the investigation. It's noted that Ed wasn't particularly smart about the murders of Bernice Worden and Mary Hogan and...