Summary

In “The Case for the Defence” by Graham Greene, a journalist narrates the outcome of a murder trial. The accused, Mr Adams, was initially considered guilty beyond a doubt by the public opinion. He was put on trial for murdering a woman with a hammer, in her own house. The public opinion thought of him guilty because there were five witnesses who placed him at the victim’s house the night of the murder. The first to see the man had been Mrs Salmon, a neighbour of the victim. She had seen the man outside the victim’s house, throwing a hammer. Then, he had also been spotted by other neighbours, Henry MacDougall, who almost ran him over with his car, and Mr Wheeler.

All in all, the man looked guilty and Mrs Salmon’s testimony during the trial seemed to have made this clear for everyone. However, when the defence counsellor questioned her, an unexpected thing happened. The counsel made the woman...