Explore "The Bells of Sydney" by J.D. Hennessey on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
I suppose it is as natural for a man as for animals to hunt--to try by skill and cunning, and misrepresentation and trickery, to catch something. So the angler drops his fly for the unwary fish, and the trapper fixes his bait for the unsuspecting animal. The devil is said to hunt for men, and men hunt for their fellows, often very necessarily. But not infrequently, quite careless of the man's guilt or innocence, the police will prejudge a case, and urged on by the instinct to hunt, and professional habit, will move heaven and earth to scrape together evidence which will secure a conviction.
My anxiety increased as the day of trial drew nearer, for I heard from the Doctor that it was whispered in legal circles that the police were determined, if possible, to have my other self hanged. It was a matter of professional pride. The facts seemed indisputable. There were several witnesses of the actual assault, and they regarded the evidence as sufficiently complete; besides, another alleged criminal had shortly before given them the slip, and there hadn't been a hanging in Sydney for six months.