________________
FRAGMENTS OF A PRISONER'S DIARY
It was clear that this was not caused by any of the blows that killed the man; nor would any chance murderer select such a part for dealing blows with the purpose of killing the victim. Evidently, the tell-tale blow was delivered after the man had been killed or overwhelined, for ventilating the repugnance to certain behaviour of the holy man which had supplied the motive of the murderer's act. The judge himself seized upon that interesting piece of evidence which, in his legalistic opinion, established the guilt of the accused, in spite of the circumstantial nature of the entire evidence against him, and, at the same time, showed that he had acted under grave provocation, thus entitling him to leniency of punishment.
There is no doubt that the boy killed the holy man ; and it is also clear why the murder was committed. The question is : morally, who was the criminal ? If one must pay the penalty for a crime committed, did not the murdered man only get his desert? The punishment was excessive ? Well, that, deliberately, on sober consideration, inflicted on the boy, was no less so. The boy was admittedly driven to the crime. It might be argued that the boy could have left the holy man if he did not like complying with his demand. But that would simply be condoning the hateful behaviour of the holy man. As if he was morally justified in making the demand, because he gave the boy his daily bread. Besides, utter destitution 232
