Summary

The day of the court case arrives. Absalom’s lawyer, Mr. Carmichael, pleads not guilty on Absalom’s behalf to the crime of murder, as Absalom did not intend to kill Arthur Jarvis. Absalom testifies that one of the other two accused, Johannes Pafuri, suggested the time and place of the house burglary because he knew no one would be home. Absalom describes tying handkerchiefs over their mouths and entering the house, where they encountered the servant, Richard Mpiring. Johannes knocked Mpiring out with an iron bar he was carrying. Absalom was not expecting Jarvis to enter the room, and he shot him out of fear. He buried the revolver on a plantation, and prayed for forgiveness. Absalom tells the judge he carried the revolver because he had heard Johannesburg was dangerous, and he only had a single bullet in it at the...