Journal 85

Yates spent most of last evening at the jail discussing the trial with his sister. He left early this morning before I had the chance to talk to him. He left me a note with instructions to meet him at the trial building. I dropped David and Aleece off at the preschool and then walked over to the trial building. Yates met me at the door. He looked worried and a bit frustrated. The first thing he said was that he was sorry. Playing dumb, I said “About what?” He surprised me by saying “for bringing you here.”  I thought he was going to mention my journal. “Does this mean I can go back home to Bear Country?” I was only kidding because I truly was expecting his answer to be NO. He surprised me again by saying that if I helped his sister get a fair trial he would let me and my friends go home, including Hemy.  No pressure!

A few hours later, Yates and I with several of the top officers from Fort Shasta entered the courtroom. General Scott began the trial by saying that a trial wasn’t necessary. His wife was obviously guilty and he was prepared to pass sentence.  The crowd in the room suddenly got very noisy. Yates stood up and objected. He asked General Scott to step down from the bench. General Scott refused. The other officers stood up and one at a time asked for General Scott to step down. The General said there wasn’t anyone else in the room qualified to be the judge.  Yates said that I was qualified. I was a gang leader and impartial to these hearings. The other officers agreed. General Scott stepped down and I stepped up. Ten officers took their places on the jury.

The trial only lasted a few hours. Witnesses from both sides had a chance to speak their minds, including the General. Yates’s sister never denied her guilt. The jurors left the room and came back within thirty minutes time with a verdict of guilty and a plan for restitution. The officers on the jury considered the crime of adultery a serious matter. They suggested that Yates’ sister spend the next year performing the dirty jobs that no one else wanted to do around Fort Shasta. The officers also dissolved her marriage to General Scott. She will give a public apology. I agreed with the verdict and the suggested restitution.

General Scott disagreed with the outcome of the trial. He went ballistic and started ranting and raving about the scum of society. He said she was getting off easy. He wanted his wife dead. He said he didn’t want her hanging around undermining his authority.  Yates asked General Scott to be quiet. He was making himself look bad. The General continued yelling, then dove at his wife, and tried to strangle her.

General Scott was relieved of his duties as leader of Fort Shasta by the other officers.