Summary

In his trial for the death of Oakeshott, Smith is represented by a lawyer named William Smith (who is not related to the protagonist.) Together, they prepare Smith’s defense. Smith wishes to simply tell the truth, which is that he did not mean to kill Oakeshott. However, the lawyer says that this is not an entertaining enough story and will therefore fail to capture the interest and sympathies of the courtroom. The lawyer says that their only option is to posthumously assassinate Oakeshott’s character with the help of false testimony from none other than the Captain. In the trial, the Captain delivers false testimony, saying that Oakeshott attempted to sexually seduce and then accost Smith. In his own testimony, Smith only says that he did not mean to hurt or kill Oakeshott. At Judge De Lancey’s urging, the jury finds Smith...