Network security was beefed up after that, but CRAP got into the NBC satellite feed in late September and made President Draffy appear to give a rousing speech in favor of cannibalism. Draffy was so furious that he had to be physically restrained before Dr. Grummond could give him an injection to calm him down, and for a week or two there was serious discussion among the staff, in the Cabinet and on Capitol Hill about declaring him incompetent under the Twenty-fifth Amendment.
Later in the year the dissenters went too far: they began to interfere with commercial messages on network holo. CACA was not involved, or said it wasn’t; a new organization called Les Pendules claimed responsibility. In one attack, a woman’s breasts were shown spilling out of her Virginform bra, elongating more and more until they swayed like snakes and hung to her knees. In another, the cheerful young man who was smoking a Marlboro appeared mildly surprised when his cigarette drooped down like toothpaste slowly emerging from a tube, wrapped itself around his neck and set fire to his beard. "Marlboro—formidable!” he cried, just before the flames engulfed his head.
In May the French government issued a decree making interference with a commercial broadcast a capital crime. It was a satisfying but empty gesture: the last execution in France had taken place in 2001, and the last executioner had died three years later.
21
We’ve been watered and bathed by the skies,
Blackened and dried in the sun.
Rooks and ravens have gobbled our eyes,
And plucked out our hairs, every one.
As we twist here, we’re figures of fun,
Blown about by the winds as they run,
Well chastised for all that we’ve done,
Man, lest you be one of our number,
Forswear all the sins you’ve begun;
Pray God to give you sweet slumber.
Francois Villon,
Ballade of the Hanged,
translated by Arthur Raab
The murder trial of Ivan Walter Bolt began on October 9, 2007 in District Court, Judge Van Winkle presiding. The courtroom was filled; holo reporters and camerapersons were present in unusual numbers.
The prosecution introduced the two hikers who had seen Bolt fire the fatal shot, then one of the sheriffs deputies who had arrested Bolt.
In cross-questioning, Ross said, “Deputy Manning, when you entered the property of Ivan Bolt on September the seventh, twenty ought six, did you observe that the property was posted against trespassers?”
“Yes, I did.”
“And did you also observe signs reading, ‘No hunting or trapping’?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Thank you. Now, Deputy Manning, was an inventory made of the articles found on or near the body of Leroy Edward Jameson?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Is this a copy of that inventory?”
“Yes.”
“Will you please read item number eight from that inventory?”
“Item eight. Seven steel traps.”
“Your Honor, we enter this document as Defense Exhibit One.” He took the inventory from the witness and handed it to the bailiff.
“Now, Deputy Manning,” he said, “are those the seven steel traps, commonly known as leghold traps, that you see on the table?”
“I’d have to look at the tags.”
“Please do so.”
The deputy got down and examined the tags on the seven traps. “Yes, they are.”
“Your Honor, we enter the traps as Defense Exhibit Two. We have no further questions of this witness.”
“Redirect, Mr. Llewellyn?”
“Thank you, Your Honor. Deputy Manning, to your knowledge, is trapping a legal activity in this county?”
“Yes, sir, it is.”
“Thank you.”
Llewellyn next introduced the county medical examiner, who verified that the cause of Jameson’s death was a single bullet through the heart, and a firearms expert who testified that the bullet had come from Bolt’s rifle. The rifle and the bullet were entered as exhibits. “The prosecution rests, Your Honor.”
In his turn, Ross introduced a series of character witnesses—Bolt’s pastor, a Boy Scout troop leader, several neighbors. He read into the record favorable reviews of Bolt’s books of nature essays. Llewellyn seemed bored.
Next Ross introduced Dr. Evan Singler, who identified himself as a veterinarian practicing in Multnomah County.
Ross picked up one of the traps from the exhibit table. “Dr. Singler, in your practice have you ever had an opportunity to observe injuries inflicted by traps similar to this one?”
“Yes, I have.”
“Would you describe those injuries, please?”
“A trap like this one closes with enough force to break the leg or foot of a small animal such as a cat. If it’s the foot, usually there’s nothing to be done about it, especially if it’s a kitten—the bones are too small to knit.”
“Will you come down to the table and demonstrate for the jury how this trap actually works, Doctor?”
“All right. This stake is driven into the ground, or sometimes the chain is attached to a tree. The trap has a powerful spring—you can see that it takes a good deal of pressure to open it as I’m doing now. Once it’s locked in the open position, it can be released by a very slight touch on this plate right here.”
“Will you demonstrate that with this pencil, Doctor?”
“Certainly.” Singler took the pencil and touched it cautiously to the plate. The trap leaped off the table and fell back with a clang. Several jurors started.
“Will you open the trap again, please, and show the jury the pencil?”
Singler did so. The pencil was broken and splintered.
“Dr. Singler, can you form any estimate of the pain and agony suffered by an animal caught in a trap like this, sometimes for days at a time?”
“Objection.”
“Sustained.”
“All right. Dr. Singler, have you ever had animals brought to you that have actually gnawed their legs off to escape from a trap like this one?”
“Objection. Calls for a conclusion.”
“Sustained.”
“Dr. Singler, did Ivan Bolt ever bring you an injured animal?”
“Yes, on several occasions.”
“What was the date of the last such occasion?”
“September fifth of last year.”
“What kind of animal was it, and what was the nature of the injury?”
“It was a young raccoon, missing the lower part of one leg.”
“In your professional opinion, what was the cause of that injury?”
“The leg had been gnawed off.”
“Dr. Singler, what did Ivan Bolt tell you about the raccoon when he brought it to you?”
“He said he had found it near a leghold trap on his property. The leg was still in the trap.”
“Did he have any idea who set that trap?”
“He said he thought he knew who had done it.”
“Nothing else? No name?”
“No, but he said he’d seen a trespasser a few days before.”
“What was Ivan Bolt’s attitude toward that person?”
“He was angry.”
“Thank you, Doctor.”
“Mr. Llewellyn?”
“Doctor, you say Ivan Bolt was angry. How angry was he? Was he out of control, behaving irrationally?”