The Cost of Testimony

The Thicket

This flow follows witnesses who convert private suffering into information, warning, or demands for justice.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

Jimmie Sue's Disclosure Jimmie Sue's Disclosure from "The Thicket". Information from the Brothel Knowledge Jimmie Sue identifies Fatty Worth and explains that he may still be in the brothel.

Jimmie Sue's Disclosure from "The Thicket". Information from the Brothel Knowledge Jimmie Sue identifies Fatty Worth and explains that he may still be in the brothel.

Information from the Brothel Knowledge Jimmie Sue identifies Fatty Worth and explains that he may still be in the brothel. Risk Her information exposes her to retaliation from Steve and Katy. Agency She turns a sexual transaction into a strategic act that enables her escape.

Fatty's Testimony Fatty's Testimony from "The Thicket". Truth Under Pain Coercion Fatty Worth speaks only after Shorty and Eustace Cox subject him to torture.

Fatty's Testimony from "The Thicket". Truth Under Pain Coercion Fatty Worth speaks only after Shorty and Eustace Cox subject him to torture.

Truth Under Pain Coercion Fatty Worth speaks only after Shorty and Eustace Cox subject him to torture. Reliability His information is useful but compromised by self-preservation and deliberate omission. Consequence The posse advances through testimony that is both necessary and morally contaminated.

Spot's Warning Spot's Warning from "The Thicket". News from the Jail Escape Spot leaves Sylvester to warn Sheriff Winton that Fatty Worth has escaped.

Spot's Warning from "The Thicket". News from the Jail Escape Spot leaves Sylvester to warn Sheriff Winton that Fatty Worth has escaped.

News from the Jail Escape Spot leaves Sylvester to warn Sheriff Winton that Fatty Worth has escaped. Bargain He demands payment for information and negotiates five dollars. End His insistence on being compensated makes his later murder especially bitter.

Efrem's Account Efrem's Account from "The Thicket". Testimony of the Mutilated Disclosure Efrem tells the posse how Cut Throat Bill destroyed his farm and mutilated Ella.

Efrem's Account from "The Thicket". Testimony of the Mutilated Disclosure Efrem tells the posse how Cut Throat Bill destroyed his farm and mutilated Ella.

Testimony of the Mutilated Disclosure Efrem tells the posse how Cut Throat Bill destroyed his farm and mutilated Ella. Purpose He lacks the courage to pursue the outlaw but wants others to do what he cannot. Effect His testimony gives the hunt a collective moral dimension.

The Sawmill Rumor The Sawmill Rumor from "The Thicket". Knowledge by Hearsay Lead A sawmill owner confirms that Fatty Worth and Cut Throat Bill passed through the region.

The Sawmill Rumor from "The Thicket". Knowledge by Hearsay Lead A sawmill owner confirms that Fatty Worth and Cut Throat Bill passed through the region.

Knowledge by Hearsay Lead A sawmill owner confirms that Fatty Worth and Cut Throat Bill passed through the region. Distortion The group invents a circus story to obtain information from him. Meaning The pursuit advances through rumor, performance, and lies as much as through tracking.

the first afternoon in No Enterprise

during his captivity in the shack

after Katy's jailbreak

during the stay in Livingston

after leaving Livingston