Jo Daviess' Client

This dime novel by Mrs. M. V. Victor depicts a frontier murder trial in Bourbon County, Kentucky. Young William Wood, son of a Methodist minister, faces execution for allegedly stealing valuable gray carriage horses from Squire Ringgold. Evidence against him includes testimony from Dan Smith, a merchant trader who witnessed suspicious activity near the stable, and Squire Ringgold's account of the unlocked stable and Wood's nighttime absence. Wood claims he was raccoon hunting and that his stable key was stolen from his jacket. Sallie Ringgold, the squire's daughter and schoolteacher, testifies reluctantly but declares her belief in Wood's innocence. The hostile crowd of settlers, desperate to eliminate horse-theft gangs plaguing the region, appears determined to convict. A tall stranger in hunter's costume observes the proceedings. An execution rope hangs visibly outside the courthouse as the jury deliberates.