Trial for Murder story
In the 19th century, Charles Stubbs is a perfectly ordinary citizen, until one day he sees the terrifying spirit of a murdered old man appear to him. Shortly thereafter, he is summoned to be head of the jury on a murder trial, where a man called Higgins is accused of murdering an old man after he was caught cheating with his wife. Stubbs does not want to attend, but when the ghost appears to him again, he decides to accept the task. At the trial, Higgins complains about Stubbs being on the jury, despite the two never having met - since it is revealed that the apparition of Stubbs holding a noose appeared to him in jail every night. During the trial, both Stubbs and the defense lawyer, as well as a prostitute trying to provide an alibi for Higgins, keep seeing glimpses of the ghost, and eventually even the last opposing jury member is convinced of Higgins' guilt, and he is found guilty. Later, when Stubbs reads in the papers about Higgins' execution, the ghost appears to him a final time, nodding thanks, then fading away, having been put to rest. Directed by: Peter Sykes. Story by: David Lawrie, based on the short story by C.A Collins and Charles Dickens.
12 total · 3 choice · 2 major · 7 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| ghost | choice | The ghost of the recently murdered Mr. Venables recurringly appeared to Charles, seeking to draw him into the trial of Mr. Venables' killer and ensure that justice was ultimately served. In his final visitation, the ghost gave Charles a nod of approval over Mr. Venables' murderer having been recently hanged for the crime. |
| the desire for justice | choice | One gathers that the ghost of Mr. Venables was incapable of resting in peace until justice was meted out to Mr. Venables' killer. |
| vengeance from beyond the grave | choice | The ghost of the recently murdered Mr. Venables recurringly appeared to Charles, seeking to draw Mr. Venables' into the trial of his killer and ensure that justice was served. In his final visitation, the ghost gave Charles a nod of approval over Mr. Venables' murderer having been recently hanged for the crime. |
| murder | major | Higgins was tried, convicted, and ultimately hanged for the murder of Mr. Venables. |
| what it is like in a legal proceeding | major | Higgins was tried by jury for the murder of Mr. Venables. He was found guilty for the crime and ultimately hanged. This was much to the approval of Mr. Venables' ghost. |
| capital punishment | minor | Higgins was hanged for the murder of Mr. Venables, according to the newspaper report. |
| extramarital affair | minor | The prosecution argued that Higgins murdered Mr. Venables after Mr. Venables caught Higgins cheating with his considerably younger wife. Charles had suspicions that his wife, Alice, was cheating on him with a younger man. |
| fear | minor | Charles was scared stiff upon his first visitation by the ghost of the murdered old man, Mr. Venables. |
| husband and wife | minor | Charles had several interactions with his wife, Alice. In one such interaction, he scoffed at the notion of women jurors. In another, he called into question her faithfulness to their marriage. |
| prostitution in society | minor | While testifying at Higgins' trial, Mrs. Perkins was shamed by the prosecution for drawing a second income from sex work. |