Olan Thorensen - Cast Under an Alien Sun

It was over in less than ten minutes. Adjudicator Carys consulted briefly with Sistian and Vorwich, then announced, “The verdict is that there being no other witnesses or evidence, it cannot be concluded for certain that the cow was stolen. Therefore, the accused is not considered guilty of theft. However, since the supposed sale was not registered with the local registrar or witnessed, and since original ownership of the cow is supported by several witnesses, the accused is required to deliver the cow or one of approximately equal value to the accuser. If a different cow, the value will be determined by the local magistrate.”

Yozef whispered to Cadwulf, “So, if the cow was actually sold, the original owner gets the cow back because the buyer didn’t have proof of sale, and the owner keeps the money paid for the cow?”

Cadwulf looked disgusted. “The accuser has done this before and likely is lying about the sale, but the law is clear. You must have proof of sale, either written or witnessed. Otherwise, it’s not recognized. The buyer in this case was foolish to deal with the seller.”

“Next case,” announced the adjudicator.

A man and a woman rose and came before the judges. They stood well apart, with a rugged-looking man in his mid-thirties standing between them.

“The man in the middle is Magistrate Denes Vegga. He enforces laws around the Abersford area and serves to support the court.”

The sheriff , Yozef assigned the title.

The woman’s right arm was in a splint, she had several bruises on her face, one eye was swollen shut, and she limped when she rose to stand. Boyerman Vorwich read from a paper in front of him. “Hulda Camrin accuses her husband, Yuslir, of beating her and their two children repeatedly and asks for justice.” He stopped reading and addressed the husband, “What do you say to these charges, Ser Camrin?”

Your ’onor, I only beat ’er when she deserves it. A man ’as to keep order in his ’ouse, and she is lazy and doesn’t do ’er duties in cookin’, caring for the ’ouse, and our bed. As for the kids, she spoils ’em and tries to turn them ’gainst me. I then ’as no choice but to beat ’em.”

Yozef leaned right and whispered in Cadwulf’s ear. “Am I hearing right? The man seems to speak differently than everyone else.”

Cadwulf kept his eyes on the proceedings, using a hand to direct a mumble back to Yozef. “He’s from Nyvaks Province on the far north Caedellium. You can tell them by how they don’t pronounce some first letters, like most other clans.”

It was Adjudicator Carys who rejoined the defendant, “Granted that a man has the right to maintain order in his family by reasonable means, the question before this court is whether the punishments given were justified or not.”

So much for women’s lib , Yozef thought. I assume there’re going to be quite of few more differences in the justice system here compared to the U.S .

Carys turned to the abbot. “Abbot Beynom, you have a report on experiences with this family?”

“Yes,” said the abbot, casting a stern eye at the husband. “Ser Camrin has been admonished numerous times in the past about excessive violence against his family. I and several other brothers have counseled him repeatedly. He has appeared twice before this court on similar charges. In those cases, the accusations were brought by medicants who had treated his wife or children for beatings. In neither case would the wife admit her husband had beat her. She said she ‘fell.’ It was believed by all she was lying, either because she was afraid or still didn’t want to get him in trouble.”

No prohibition for hearsay evidence or opinion instead of facts.

Carys addressed the wife. “Sen Camrin, on the current treatment by the medicants you told them, and then later Magistrate Denes, that your injuries were caused by a beating from your husband. Do you still assert this as fact?”

The wife edged next to Magistrate Vegga and looked around him at her husband. Then she took several deep breaths. “I do, Ser. He’s just beat me too much. I’m afraid he’s goin’ to hurt the children even more. Gettin’ worse all the time. I don’t want to be married to him no more.”

The husband flushed, glared at her, and started to say something, until Vegga barked, “No talking until the adjudicator asks you a question!”

And no objections from the defense—not that he has his own advocate.

The adjudicator continued talking to the wife. “In two previous instances, you have testified that your injuries resulted from your own accidents and not beatings by your husband. Do you still say the same?”

The wife’s face took on a defensive and somewhat fearful look. “Your Honor … I … I was scar’d. He’d threatened to beat me and the kids worse if I said anything. What was I to do?”

“What you were to do is tell the truth. You deliberately lied to the court at those times.”

Carys consulted the paper in front of him. “I see here that the witnesses include the medicants who treated Sen Camrin this time and in the previous instances, several people who have seen Ser Camrin strike his wife in public, and Abbess Beynom, who testifies her observations on both the husband and wife in this case.”

So, self-incrimination and conflicts of interest with witnesses are also okay. Perry Mason would not be happy.

“Ser Camrin, are there witnesses to show you do not regularly beat your wife?”

Yozef almost choked. It’s the old joke. “When did you stop beating your wife?”

“I already said, I only beat ’er when she needs it! It’s my right and duty as ’er ’usband.”

The adjudicator looked at his assistant. “Let the record show the accused has no witnesses.”

A sullen Ser Camrin glared at the judges, then shot another dangerous look at his wife.

The three judges conferred among themselves for four to five minutes, then turned back to the audience.

The adjudicator wrote something on paper in from of him, cleared his throat, and spoke to the accused, the accuser, and the rest of the attendees.

“It is determined that Yuslir Camrin has continued to abuse his wife and children, despite repeated counseling and warnings. From witness statements and the record, we see no reason to think Ser Camrin would stop this behavior if given more chances to change. Therefore, we have no choice but to consider him a habitual abuser of this family. To protect that family, this court now dissolves the marriage between Yuslir Camrin and his wife, Hulda Camrin. Ser Camrin is never to have contact with his former wife or children again.”

Well, it simplifies custody battles or visitation rights.

“To assure that this does not happen, Ser Camrin is banished from the Abersford area for the rest of this life. Sen Camrin is ordered to move nowhere where her ex-husband lives, if she wishes to remain under the protection of this court, unless she remarries and is therefore under her new husband’s protection.”

The man turned red and shouted, “I’ve spent ten years workin’ that farm! All the work I’ve put into it and I’m to be sent ’way with nothin! It ain’t fair!”

“We recognize that the farm inherited by Hulda Camrin from her family was significantly improved by Yuslir Camrin,” Boyerman Vorwich answered. “Therefore, it is reasonable for him to receive compensation. It is ruled that ownership of the farm, which was transferred to Yuslir when he married Hulda, is to be transferred back to Hulda. To compensate Yuslir, Hulda is ordered to give Yuslir one quarter of the farm’s value, either in coin or deed to land equivalent to that value. The local registrar will work out the details with Hulda and Yuslir.”