Cognism uses Artificial Intelligence to generate a real-time stream of sales triggers used for lead generation, lead enrichment and sales automation

Cognism

Buckle up, folks, because it looks like the web’s latest scandal is about to get your blood boiling. If you’ve been getting more spam than usual lately, it might just be time to thank the shady operators at Soft2Share.com. The operator of the website has been caught red-handed in an outrageous spam scheme attempting to sell unauthorized email lists. Hold on to your keyboards—things are about to get ugly. In what can only be described as a brazen attempt to cash in on email lists, Soft2Share.com has been caught spamming thousands of unsuspecting websites. And how did they do it? By using their own domain email address and Gmail accounts. Let’s dive into the details. Soft2Share.com was caught red-handed attempting to peddle email lists that contain hundreds, if not thousands, of email addresses. And who are these unfortunate email list victims? Private website owners, bloggers, news publications—you name it. If you’ve got an email address and a website, chances are, Soft2Share.com had you on its hit list. Spam Email Subject Line - 10 Million B2B Email Leads From contact@soft2share.com | Clarissa Turner Hi there, I hope you're having a great day. I am a digital marketer and work at Brand Visibility. Just Wondering, are you interested in buying 10 Million verified B2B email leads from the Apollo, Lusha, Cognism, Uplead, Linkedin and ZoomInfo databases?Features: EMEA, NAM, and APAC coverage, validated emails, high accuracy and GDPR compliance. Selling Price: $150 Let me know if you are interested.Regards. - The spammer. One user reported receiving the unsolicited email 17 times (After requesting to stop each time) - After the 17th a response was provided to the stop request - “We use AI for email marketing” - “We:”??? - What a joke! It’s just a freelancer spammer with no shame! Now, you might be wondering why this is such a big deal. After all, spam has been around forever, right? True, but this isn’t just your run-of-the-mill junk email. This is a calculated, aggressive scheme to exploit the personal information of countless individuals and organizations for profit. And it’s not just about annoying emails; it's about privacy violations and a blatant disregard for digital ethics. For bloggers and journalists who rely on email to connect with their audiences, this isn’t just a nuisance—it’s a potential threat to their livelihood. And for private website owners, it’s a breach of security that could open the door to further harassment. What makes this situation even worse is the fact that Soft2Share.com didn’t stop at their own domain. Oh no, they took it a step further by utilizing Gmail accounts to extend their reach. It’s as if they wanted to make sure no inbox was left untouched by their spammy grasp. And let’s not forget the larger implications. When spam emails proliferate, they don’t just annoy—they can lead to serious security risks, including phishing attempts and malware distribution. By selling these lists, Soft2Share.com isn’t just playing with fire; they’re throwing gasoline on it. So, what’s the takeaway from all this? First off, be vigilant. If you’re receiving an uptick in spam, especially if it seems oddly specific or targeted, your email might have ended up on one of these dubious lists. Secondly, it’s time we call out and hold accountable those who profit from our personal data and email addresses. Soft2Share.com may have thought it is operating under the radar, but its actions have lit up the digital world like a neon sign. Hold onto your inboxes, folks, because the Soft2Share.com spam scandal has taken a turn for the absurd. As if flooding inboxes with unwanted emails wasn’t bad enough, it seems the spammer behind Soft2Share.com has now perfected the art of ignoring pleas to stop. Picture this: you've been relentlessly bombarded with spam from Soft2Share.com, and your inbox is overflowing with offers to buy email lists that include thousands of addresses. Frustrated and fed up, you decide to fight back by firing off a polite but firm request to stop the spamming. But what happens? Silence. Crickets. Your emails are swallowed by the void, and the spam continues to pour in, unabated. But wait, there’s more! One particularly fed-up recipient decided to up the ante. They threatened to report Soft2Share.com to the hosting provider, the CAN-SPAM Act administrator, and various spam reporting databases. Surely, such a threat would get a reaction, right? Well, you’d think so. Instead of a professional or even halfway serious response, this beleaguered spam victim received a reply that can only be described as laughably inadequate. The spammer claimed to be from a “large firm”—argued that her actions were perfectly “fine and ethical marketing.” Seriously? This is the spin we’re getting? The response continued in a bewildering fashion, asserting that there was absolutely no need for opt-in permissions or agreements—because who needs pesky legalities when you're making a quick buck off spam, right? And just when you thought it couldn’t get any more absurd, the spammer threw in a veiled threat of legal action. As if any self-respecting legal team would back a freelancing spammer trying to make a few dollars from dodgy email lists. So, let’s dissect this debacle. The so-called “large firm” is actually just a freelancer with questionable ethics and a severely misguided understanding of marketing practices. The email lists being peddled are clearly harvested and then distributed without consent, and the defenses being offered are as flimsy as wet tissue paper. It’s comical and infuriating all at once. On the one hand, we have a spammer who thinks they can just sweep aside legal obligations and ethical standards with a dismissive wave. On the other, we have an industry that’s clearly in need of stricter regulations and more robust enforcement to tackle these digital parasites. Ladies and gentlemen, if you’re looking for a poster child for the digital parasites dragging our online world into the muck, look no further than Soft2Share.com. This slimy operation is a textbook case of everything that’s wrong with the darker corners of the internet. Their modus operandi? Selling email lists stuffed with thousands of addresses so they can spam even more unsuspecting victims. The audacity of these spammers knows no bounds. Despite repeated cease-and-desist requests from frustrated recipients, Soft2Share.com continues to ignore pleas for sanity. Instead of addressing their unethical behavior, they’ve opted to brush off complaints with laughable justifications. So, next time you encounter spam, remember that it’s not just a nuisance—it’s a symptom of a much larger problem. And let’s be clear: operators like Soft2Share.com are at the heart of this problem. They’re the parasites feeding off the health of our digital world, and it’s up to all of us to push back. Note - None of the email addresses contained in the email lists attempting to be sold via spam emails authorized the list provider from soft2share to be mounted in the documents. The contacts in the lists were scraped while the spammer states they are GDPR compliant. Buckle up, folks, because it looks like the web’s latest scandal is about to get your blood boiling. If you’ve been getting more spam than usual lately, it might just be time to thank the shady operators at Soft2Share.com. The operator of the website has been caught red-handed in an outrageous spam scheme attempting to sell unauthorized email lists. Hold on to your keyboards—things are about to get ugly. spam scheme In what can only be described as a brazen attempt to cash in on email lists, Soft2Share.com has been caught spamming thousands of unsuspecting websites. And how did they do it? By using their own domain email address and Gmail accounts. Let’s dive into the details. Soft2Share.com was caught red-handed attempting to peddle email lists that contain hundreds, if not thousands, of email addresses. And who are these unfortunate email list victims? Private website owners, bloggers, news publications—you name it. If you’ve got an email address and a website, chances are, Soft2Share.com had you on its hit list. Spam Email Subject Line - 10 Million B2B Email Leads From contact@soft2share.com | Clarissa Turner Hi there, I hope you're having a great day. I am a digital marketer and work at Brand Visibility. Just Wondering, are you interested in buying 10 Million verified B2B email leads from the Apollo, Lusha, Cognism, Uplead, Linkedin and ZoomInfo databases? Features : EMEA, NAM, and APAC coverage, validated emails, high accuracy and GDPR compliance. Features Selling Price: $150 Let me know if you are interested. Regards. - The spammer. One user reported receiving the unsolicited email 17 times (After requesting to stop each time) - After the 17th a response was provided to the stop request - “We use AI for email marketing” - “We:”??? - What a joke! It’s just a freelancer spammer with no shame! Now, you might be wondering why this is such a big deal. After all, spam has been around forever, right? True, but this isn’t just your run-of-the-mill junk email. This is a calculated, aggressive scheme to exploit the personal information of countless individuals and organizations for profit. And it’s not just about annoying emails; it's about privacy violations and a blatant disregard for digital ethics. For bloggers and journalists who rely on email to connect with their audiences, this isn’t just a nuisance—it’s a potential threat to their livelihood. And for private website owners, it’s a breach of security that could open the door to further harassment. What makes this situation even worse is the fact that Soft2Share.com didn’t stop at their own domain. Oh no, they took it a step further by utilizing Gmail accounts to extend their reach. It’s as if they wanted to make sure no inbox was left untouched by their spammy grasp. And let’s not forget the larger implications. When spam emails proliferate, they don’t just annoy—they can lead to serious security risks, including phishing attempts and malware distribution. By selling these lists, Soft2Share.com isn’t just playing with fire; they’re throwing gasoline on it. So, what’s the takeaway from all this? First off, be vigilant. If you’re receiving an uptick in spam, especially if it seems oddly specific or targeted, your email might have ended up on one of these dubious lists. Secondly, it’s time we call out and hold accountable those who profit from our personal data and email addresses. Soft2Share.com may have thought it is operating under the radar, but its actions have lit up the digital world like a neon sign. Hold onto your inboxes, folks, because the Soft2Share.com spam scandal has taken a turn for the absurd. As if flooding inboxes with unwanted emails wasn’t bad enough, it seems the spammer behind Soft2Share.com has now perfected the art of ignoring pleas to stop. Picture this: you've been relentlessly bombarded with spam from Soft2Share.com, and your inbox is overflowing with offers to buy email lists that include thousands of addresses. Frustrated and fed up, you decide to fight back by firing off a polite but firm request to stop the spamming. But what happens? Silence. Crickets. Your emails are swallowed by the void, and the spam continues to pour in, unabated. But wait, there’s more! One particularly fed-up recipient decided to up the ante. They threatened to report Soft2Share.com to the hosting provider, the CAN-SPAM Act administrator, and various spam reporting databases. Surely, such a threat would get a reaction, right? Well, you’d think so. Instead of a professional or even halfway serious response, this beleaguered spam victim received a reply that can only be described as laughably inadequate. The spammer claimed to be from a “large firm”—argued that her actions were perfectly “fine and ethical marketing.” Seriously? This is the spin we’re getting? The response continued in a bewildering fashion, asserting that there was absolutely no need for opt-in permissions or agreements—because who needs pesky legalities when you're making a quick buck off spam, right? And just when you thought it couldn’t get any more absurd, the spammer threw in a veiled threat of legal action. As if any self-respecting legal team would back a freelancing spammer trying to make a few dollars from dodgy email lists. So, let’s dissect this debacle. The so-called “large firm” is actually just a freelancer with questionable ethics and a severely misguided understanding of marketing practices. The email lists being peddled are clearly harvested and then distributed without consent, and the defenses being offered are as flimsy as wet tissue paper. It’s comical and infuriating all at once. On the one hand, we have a spammer who thinks they can just sweep aside legal obligations and ethical standards with a dismissive wave. On the other, we have an industry that’s clearly in need of stricter regulations and more robust enforcement to tackle these digital parasites. Ladies and gentlemen, if you’re looking for a poster child for the digital parasites dragging our online world into the muck, look no further than Soft2Share.com. This slimy operation is a textbook case of everything that’s wrong with the darker corners of the internet. Their modus operandi? Selling email lists stuffed with thousands of addresses so they can spam even more unsuspecting victims. The audacity of these spammers knows no bounds. Despite repeated cease-and-desist requests from frustrated recipients, Soft2Share.com continues to ignore pleas for sanity. Instead of addressing their unethical behavior, they’ve opted to brush off complaints with laughable justifications. So, next time you encounter spam, remember that it’s not just a nuisance—it’s a symptom of a much larger problem. And let’s be clear: operators like Soft2Share.com are at the heart of this problem. They’re the parasites feeding off the health of our digital world, and it’s up to all of us to push back. Note - None of the email addresses contained in the email lists attempting to be sold via spam emails authorized the list provider from soft2share to be mounted in the documents. The contacts in the lists were scraped while the spammer states they are GDPR compliant.

Soft2Share.com Caught Red-Handed In Large Spam Scheme

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A term that’s a popular theme of discussion among people today is ‘ (AI)’. There’s no doubt that AI has played the role of a catalyst in transforming industries and reshaping how people interact with technology in today’s world. artificial intelligence As the horizons of artificial intelligence expand, the distinctions between conventional AI and ground-breaking Generative AI become more pronounced, signaling a trans-formative era in intelligent computing. AI enables machines to model or make improvements as per the abilities of the human mind. Right from self-driving cars to entry of generative AI tools like , AI has become a part of daily life and something companies spanning diverse industries are investing in. ChatGPT and Google’s Bard In essence, both General and Generative AI bring formidable strengths to the table, but they’re not without their challenges. Recognizing these strengths and limitations allows for a balanced perspective, ensuring that as we harness AI’s capabilities, we remain cognisant of its potential pitfalls. So, let’s explore the way the two are different from each other and reshaping the future technological landscape. Generative AI vs. AI: Key Differences Generative AI Artificial Intelligence (AI) Meaning It’s a subset of AI and generates content (text, code, and image, audio, video and other data) instantly in response to a prompt. AI are computer systems than can perform simple to highly complex tasks requiring human intelligence, logical reasoning, and speech-recognition, problem-solving and decision-making. Function It dives into massive repositories of existing content and uses that information for generating new content. It identifies consistent trends in the data they are trained on to make similar patterns as per prompts provided by the user. AI combines large amounts of data and uses algorithms and computational power to recognize patterns, improve decision-making and bolster business outcomes. It uses machine learning to train algorithms with data enabling systems to continue learning and improve performance on their own as per experience. Use Professionals like writers, graphic designers, software developers, artists and musicians utilise it for augmenting their productivity. It has shown immense potential in areas like creative writing, sound editing, image editing and suggesting variations to existing designs. AI applications are endless across various sectors and industries. It is used as an expert system in the healthcare industry to diagnose diseases, identify treatments, and suggest drug dosages. Financial industries are also deploying AI to offer financial advice, decide whether or not to approve a loan application and detect and flag activities in banking and finance for fraud detection. Applications ChatGPT, Midjourney, DALL-E, DeepDreem, StyleGAN, Midjourney, etc. and Bard. AI is also used in smartphones that uses facial recognition for unlocking and voice assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri. Methodology Leverages neural networks and often employs machine learning techniques like Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs). Uses various algorithms, such as machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing (NLP), and computer vision. Limitations Can create a variety of content types. Capable of understanding and responding to human language. Future prediction Identifies patterns and uses this knowledge to create unique new forms. Leverages historical and current data to identify patterns and make predictions. Generative AI vs. AI: Use Cases There are numerous current and potential use cases for both generative AI and AI (traditional) across various industries and domains. Here are some examples of their applications. Generative AI It can produce contextually relevant and easy-to-understand creative and academic content on various topics. It can compose emails, create structure of articles and prepare annual reports. Text Generation: It can create new realistic images and also enhance or completely transform existing images. Image Generation and Editing: It can write lyrics, compose original music tracks and produce new melodies. Music Composition: It can be used for generating realistic videos of people acting. Video Synthesis: It can spot underlying patterns in the dataset and create new designs. Fashion Design: Traditional AI AI can be used to forecast weather and finances based on historical data. Predictive Analytics: Depending on user’s behavior and preferences, AI-based systems can recommend products or content in sync with users’ interests. Product recommendation: Voice assistants like use AI. is used by these applications to interact with customers and offer assistance. Chatbots and Voice Assistants: Siri, Alexa, Chatbots, and Google Assistant Natural language processing Video games use AI for controlling non-player characters (NPCs). These characters can make decisions within the gaming environment. Video Games: Summary The two technologies, Generative AI and Traditional AI, symbolize two unique approaches in the AI domain. While Generative AI excels in creativity, handling uncertainty, and new applications, Traditional AI excels in efficiency, interpretability, and specific task-solving. The two approaches have their inherent strengths and weaknesses, however, their futuristic role in the AI landscape displays immense potential for major advancements and changing applications. The advances in technology have made the two technologies compelling and critical. AI being mature and flexible is the backbone of several industries, Generative AI breaks the limits of machine capability permitting them to make, innovate, and copy in a manner that was earlier believed to be only in the hands of humans. Right from identifying patterns to producing new content, from specific task solutions to the rise of machine creativity, AI is on a path which is filled with promise and challenges. Similar to many changing technologies, the solution lies in making use of its strengths and at the same time addressing its weaknesses.

Exploring the Creative Frontiers of Generative AI Alongside Robust Traditional AI

Phineas Redux by Anthony Trollope, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . CONFUSION IN THE COURT. here CONFUSION IN THE COURT. On the following morning it was observed that before the judges took their seats Mr. Chaffanbrass entered the Court with a manner much more brisk than was expected from him now that his own work was done. As a matter of course he would be there to hear the charge, but, almost equally as a matter of course, he would be languid, silent, cross, and unenergetic. They who knew him were sure, when they saw his bearing on this morning, that he intended to do something more before the charge was given. The judges entered the Court nearly half an hour later than usual, and it was observed with surprise that they were followed by the Duke of Omnium. Mr. Chaffanbrass was on his feet before the Chief Justice had taken his seat, but the judge was the first to speak. It was observed that he held a scrap of paper in his hand, and that the barrister held a similar scrap. Then every man in the Court knew that some message had come suddenly by the wires. "I am informed, Mr. Chaffanbrass, that you wish to address the Court before I begin my charge." "Yes, my lud; and I am afraid, my lud, that I shall have to ask your ludship to delay your charge for some days, and to subject the jury to the very great inconvenience of prolonged incarceration for another week;—either to do that or to call upon the jury to acquit the prisoner. I venture to assert, on my own peril, that no jury can convict the prisoner after hearing me read that which I hold in my hand." Then Mr. Chaffanbrass paused, as though expecting that the judge would speak;—but the judge said not a word, but sat looking at the old barrister over his spectacles. Every eye was turned upon Phineas Finn, who up to this moment had heard nothing of these new tidings,—who did not in the least know on what was grounded the singularly confident,—almost insolently confident assertion which Mr. Chaffanbrass had made in his favour. On him the effect was altogether distressing. He had borne the trying week with singular fortitude, having stood there in the place of shame hour after hour, and day after day, expecting his doom. It had been to him as a lifetime of torture. He had become almost numb from the weariness of his position and the agonising strain upon his mind. The gaoler had offered him a seat from day to day, but he had always refused it, preferring to lean upon the rail and gaze upon the Court. He had almost ceased to hope for anything except the end of it. He had lost count of the days, and had begun to feel that the trial was an eternity of torture in itself. At nights he could not sleep, but during the Sunday, after Mass, he had slept all day. Then it had begun again, and when the Tuesday came he hardly knew how long it had been since that vacant Sunday. And now he heard the advocate declare, without knowing on what ground the declaration was grounded, that the trial must be postponed, or that the jury must be instructed to acquit him. "This telegram has reached us only this morning," continued Mr. Chaffanbrass. "'Mealyus had a house door-key made in Prague. We have the mould in our possession, and will bring the man who made the key to England.' Now, my lud, the case in the hands of the police, as against this man Mealyus, or Emilius, as he has chosen to call himself, broke down altogether on the presumption that he could not have let himself in and out of the house in which he had put himself to bed on the night of the murder. We now propose to prove that he had prepared himself with the means of doing so, and had done so after a fashion which is conclusive as to his having required the key for some guilty purpose. We assert that your ludship cannot allow the case to go to the jury without taking cognisance of this telegram; and we go further, and say that those twelve men, as twelve human beings with hearts in their bosoms and ordinary intelligence at their command, cannot ignore the message, even should your ludship insist upon their doing so with all the energy at your disposal." Then there was a scene in Court, and it appeared that no less than four messages had been received from Prague, all to the same effect. One had been addressed by Madame Goesler to her friend the Duchess,—and that message had caused the Duke's appearance on the scene. He had brought his telegram direct to the Old Bailey, and the Chief Justice now held it in his hand. The lawyer's clerk who had accompanied Madame Goesler had telegraphed to the Governor of the gaol, to Mr. Wickerby, and to the Attorney-General. Sir Gregory, rising with the telegram in his hand, stated that he had received the same information. "I do not see," said he, "that it at all alters the evidence as against the prisoner." "Let your evidence go to the jury, then," said Mr. Chaffanbrass, "with such observations as his lordship may choose to make on the telegram. I shall be contented. You have already got your other man in prison on a charge of bigamy." "I could not take notice of the message in charging the jury, Mr. Chaffanbrass," said the judge. "It has come, as far as we know, from the energy of a warm friend,—from that hearty friendship with which it seemed yesterday that this gentleman, the prisoner at the bar, has inspired so many men and women of high character. But it proves nothing. It is an assertion. And where should we all be, Mr. Chaffanbrass, if it should appear hereafter that the assertion is fictitious,—prepared purposely to aid the escape of a criminal?" "I defy you to ignore it, my lord." "I can only suggest, Mr. Chaffanbrass," continued the judge, "that you should obtain the consent of the gentlemen on the other side to a postponement of my charge." Then spoke out the foreman of the jury. Was it proposed that they should be locked up till somebody should come from Prague, and that then the trial should be recommenced? The system, said the foreman, under which Middlesex juries were chosen for service in the City was known to be most horribly cruel;—but cruelty to jurymen such as this had never even been heard of. Then a most irregular word was spoken. One of the jurymen declared that he was quite willing to believe the telegram. "Every one believes it," said Mr. Chaffanbrass. Then the Chief Justice scolded the juryman, and Sir Gregory Grogram scolded Mr. Chaffanbrass. It seemed as though all the rules of the Court were to be set at defiance. "Will my learned friend say that he doesn't believe it?" asked Mr. Chaffanbrass. "I neither believe nor disbelieve it; but it cannot affect the evidence," said Sir Gregory. "Then send the case to the jury," said Mr. Chaffanbrass. It seemed that everybody was talking, and Mr. Wickerby, the attorney, tried to explain it all to the prisoner over the bar of the dock, not in the lowest possible voice. The Chief Justice became angry, and the guardian of the silence of the Court bestirred himself energetically. "My lud," said Mr. Chaffanbrass, "I maintain that it is proper that the prisoner should be informed of the purport of these telegrams. Mercy demands it, and justice as well." Phineas Finn, however, did not understand, as he had known nothing about the latch-key of the house in Northumberland Street. Something, however, must be done. The Chief Justice was of opinion that, although the preparation of a latch-key in Prague could not really affect the evidence against the prisoner,—although the facts against the prisoner would not be altered, let the manufacture of that special key be ever so clearly proved,—nevertheless the jury were entitled to have before them the facts now tendered in evidence before they could be called upon to give a verdict, and that therefore they should submit themselves, in the service of their country, to the very serious additional inconvenience which they would be called upon to endure. Sundry of the jury altogether disagreed with this, and became loud in their anger. They had already been locked up for a week. "And we are quite prepared to give a verdict," said one. The judge again scolded him very severely; and as the Attorney-General did at last assent, and as the unfortunate jurymen had no power in the matter, so it was at last arranged. The trial should be postponed till time should be given for Madame Goesler and the blacksmith to reach London from Prague. If the matter was interesting to the public before, it became doubly interesting now. It was of course known to everybody that Madame Goesler had undertaken a journey to Bohemia,—and, as many supposed, a roving tour through all the wilder parts of unknown Europe, Poland, Hungary, and the Principalities for instance,—with the object of looking for evidence to save the life of Phineas Finn; and grandly romantic tales were told of her wit, her wealth, and her beauty. The story was published of the Duke of Omnium's will, only not exactly the true story. The late Duke had left her everything at his disposal, and, it was hinted that they had been privately married just before the Duke's death. Of course Madame Goesler became very popular, and the blacksmith from Prague who had made the key was expected with an enthusiasm which almost led to preparation for a public reception. And yet, let the blacksmith from Prague be ever so minute in his evidence as to the key, let it be made as clear as running water that Mealyus had caused to be constructed for him in Prague a key that would open the door of the house in Northumberland Street, the facts as proved at the trial would not be at all changed. The lawyers were much at variance with their opinions on the matter, some thinking that the judge had been altogether wrong in delaying his charge. According to them he should not have allowed Mr. Chaffanbrass to have read the telegram in Court. The charge should have been given, and the sentence of the Court should have been pronounced if a verdict of guilty were given. The Home Secretary should then have granted a respite till the coming of the blacksmith, and have extended this respite to a pardon, if advised that the circumstances of the latch-key rendered doubtful the propriety of the verdict. Others, however, maintained that in this way a grievous penalty would be inflicted on a man who, by general consent, was now held to be innocent. Not only would he, by such an arrangement of circumstances, have been left for some prolonged period under the agony of a condemnation, but, by the necessity of the case, he would lose his seat for Tankerville. It would be imperative upon the House to declare vacant by its own action a seat held by a man condemned to death for murder, and no pardon from the Queen or from the Home Secretary would absolve the House from that duty. The House, as a House of Parliament, could only recognise the verdict of the jury as to the man's guilt. The Queen, of course, might pardon whom she pleased, but no pardon from the Queen would remove the guilt implied by the sentence. Many went much further than this, and were prepared to prove that were he once condemned he could not afterwards sit in the House, even if re-elected. Now there was unquestionably an intense desire,—since the arrival of these telegrams,—that Phineas Finn should retain his seat. It may be a question whether he would not have been the most popular man in the House could he have sat there on the day after the telegrams arrived. The Attorney-General had declared,—and many others had declared with him,—that this information about the latch-key did not in the least affect the evidence as given against Mr. Finn. Could it have been possible to convict the other man, merely because he had surreptitiously caused a door-key of the house in which he lived to be made for him? And how would this new information have been received had Lord Fawn sworn unreservedly that the man he had seen running out of the mews had been Phineas Finn? It was acknowledged that the latch-key could not be accepted as sufficient evidence against Mealyus. But nevertheless the information conveyed by the telegrams altogether changed the opinion of the public as to the guilt or innocence of Phineas Finn. His life now might have been insured, as against the gallows, at a very low rate. It was felt that no jury could convict him, and he was much more pitied in being subjected to a prolonged incarceration than even those twelve unfortunate men who had felt sure that the Wednesday would have been the last day of their unmerited martyrdom. Phineas in his prison was materially circumstanced precisely as he had been before the trial. He was supplied with a profusion of luxuries, could they have comforted him; and was allowed to receive visitors. But he would see no one but his sisters,—except that he had one interview with Mr. Low. Even Mr. Low found it difficult to make him comprehend the exact condition of the affair, and could not induce him to be comforted when he did understand it. What had he to do,—how could his innocence or his guilt be concerned,—with the manufacture of a paltry key by such a one as Mealyus? How would it have been with him and with his name for ever if this fact had not been discovered? "I was to be hung or saved from hanging according to the chances of such a thing as this! I do not care for my life in a country where such injustice can be done." His friend endeavoured to assure him that even had nothing been heard of the key the jury would have acquitted him. But Phineas would not believe him. It had seemed to him as he had listened to the whole proceeding that the Court had been against him. The Attorney and Solicitor-General had appeared to him resolved upon hanging him,—men who had been, at any rate, his intimate acquaintances, with whom he had sat on the same bench, who ought to have known him. And the judge had taken the part of Lord Fawn, who had seemed to Phineas to be bent on swearing away his life. He had borne himself very gallantly during that week, having in all his intercourse with his attorney, spoken without a quaver in his voice, and without a flaw in the perspicuity of his intelligence. But now, when Mr. Low came to him, explaining to him that it was impossible that a verdict should be found against him, he was quite broken down. "There is nothing left of me," he said at the end of the interview. "I feel that I had better take to my bed and die. Even when I think of all that friends have done for me, it fails to cheer me. In this matter I should not have had to depend on friends. Had not she gone for me to that place every one would have believed me to be a murderer." And yet in his solitude he thought very much of the marvellous love shown to him by his friends. Words had been spoken which had been very sweet to him in all his misery,—words such as neither men nor women can say to each other in the ordinary intercourse of life, much as they may wish that their purport should be understood. Lord Chiltern, Lord Cantrip, and Mr. Monk had alluded to him as a man specially singled out by them for their friendship. Lady Cantrip, than whom no woman in London was more discreet, had been equally enthusiastic. Then how gracious, how tender, how inexpressibly sweet had been the words of her who had been Violet Effingham! And now the news had reached him of Madame Goesler's journey to the continent. "It was a wonderful thing for her to do," Mr. Low had said. Yes, indeed! Remembering all that had passed between them he acknowledged to himself that it was very wonderful. Were it not that his back was now broken, that he was prostrate and must remain so, a man utterly crushed by what he had endured, it might have been possible that she should do more for him even than she yet had done. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Anthony Trollope (2006). Phineas Redux. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18640/pg18640-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

CONFUSION IN THE COURT.

Phineas Redux by Anthony Trollope, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . MR. CHAFFANBRASS FOR THE DEFENCE. here MR. CHAFFANBRASS FOR THE DEFENCE. The case for the prosecution was completed on the Saturday evening, Mrs. Bunce having been examined as the last witness on that side. She was only called upon to say that her lodger had been in the habit of letting himself in and out of her house at all hours with a latch-key;—but she insisted on saying more, and told the judge and the jury and the barristers that if they thought that Mr. Finn had murdered anybody they didn't know anything about the world in general. Whereupon Mr. Chaffanbrass said that he would like to ask her a question or two, and with consummate flattery extracted from her her opinion of her lodger. She had known him for years, and thought that, of all the gentlemen that ever were born, he was the least likely to do such a bloody-minded action. Mr. Chaffanbrass was, perhaps, right in thinking that her evidence might be as serviceable as that of the lords and countesses. During the Sunday the trial was, as a matter of course, the talk of the town. Poor Lord Fawn shut himself up, and was seen by no one;—but his conduct and evidence were discussed everywhere. At the clubs it was thought that he had escaped as well as could be expected; but he himself felt that he had been disgraced for ever. There was a very common opinion that Mr. Chaffanbrass had admitted too much when he had declared that the man whom Lord Fawn had seen was doubtless the murderer. To the minds of men generally it seemed to be less evident that the man so seen should have done the deed, than that Phineas Finn should have been that man. Was it probable that there should be two men going about in grey coats, in exactly the same vicinity, and at exactly the same hour of the night? And then the evidence which Lord Fawn had given before the magistrates was to the world at large at any rate as convincing as that given in the Court. The jury would, of course, be instructed to regard only the latter; whereas the general public would naturally be guided by the two combined. At the club it was certainly believed that the case was going against the prisoner. "You have read it all, of course," said the Duchess of Omnium to her husband, as she sat with the Observer in her hand on that Sunday morning. The Sunday papers were full of the report, and were enjoying a very extended circulation. "I wish you would not think so much about it," said the Duke. "That's very easily said, but how is one to help thinking about it? Of course I am thinking about it. You know all about the coat. It belonged to the man where Mealyus was lodging." "I will not talk about the coat, Glencora. If Mr. Finn did commit the murder it is right that he should be convicted." "But if he didn't?" "It would be doubly right that he should be acquitted. But the jury will have means of arriving at a conclusion without prejudice, which you and I cannot have; and therefore we should be prepared to take their verdict as correct." "If they find him guilty, their verdict will be damnable and false," said the Duchess. Whereupon the Duke turned away in anger, and resolved that he would say nothing more about the trial,—which resolution, however, he was compelled to break before the trial was over. "What do you think about it, Mr. Erle?" asked the other Duke. "I don't know what to think;—I only hope." "That he may be acquitted?" "Of course." "Whether guilty or innocent?" "Well;—yes. But if he is acquitted I shall believe him to have been innocent. Your Grace thinks—?" "I am as unwilling to think as you are, Mr. Erle." It was thus that people spoke of it. With the exception of some very few, all those who had known Phineas were anxious for an acquittal, though they could not bring themselves to believe that an innocent man had been put in peril of his life. On the Monday morning the trial was recommenced, and the whole day was taken up by the address which Mr. Chaffanbrass made to the jury. He began by telling them the history of the coat which lay before them, promising to prove by evidence all the details which he stated. It was not his intention, he said, to accuse any one of the murder. It was his business to defend the prisoner, not to accuse others. But, as he should prove to them, two persons had been arrested as soon as the murder had been discovered,—two persons totally unknown to each other, and who were never for a moment supposed to have acted together,—and the suspicion of the police had in the first instance pointed, not to his client, but to the other man. That other man had also quarrelled with Mr. Bonteen, and that other man was now in custody on a charge of bigamy chiefly through the instrumentality of Mr. Bonteen, who had been the friend of the victim of the supposed bigamist. With the accusation of bigamy they would have nothing to do, but he must ask them to take cognisance of that quarrel as well as of the quarrel at the club. He then named that formerly popular preacher, the Rev. Mr. Emilius, and explained that he would prove that this man, who had incurred the suspicion of the police in the first instance, had during the night of the murder been so circumstanced as to have been able to use the coat produced. He would prove also that Mr. Emilius was of precisely the same height as the man whom they had seen wearing the coat. God forbid that he should bring an accusation of murder against a man on such slight testimony. But if the evidence, as grounded on the coat, was slight against Emilius, how could it prevail at all against his client? The two coats were as different as chalk from cheese, the one being what would be called a gentleman's fashionable walking coat, and the other the wrap-rascal of such a fellow as was Mr. Meager. And yet Lord Fawn, who attempted to identify the prisoner only by his coat, could give them no opinion as to which was the coat he had seen! But Lord Fawn, who had found himself to be debarred by his conscience from repeating the opinion he had given before the magistrate as to the identity of Phineas Finn with the man he had seen, did tell them that the figure of that man was similar to the figure of him who had worn the coat on Saturday in presence of them all. This man in the street had therefore been like Mr. Emilius, and could not in the least have resembled the prisoner. Mr. Chaffanbrass would not tell the jury that this point bore strongly against Mr. Emilius, but he took upon himself to assert that it was quite sufficient to snap asunder the thin thread of circumstantial evidence by which his client was connected with the murder. A great deal more was said about Lord Fawn, which was not complimentary to that nobleman. "His lordship is an honest, slow man, who has doubtless meant to tell you the truth, but who does not understand the meaning of what he himself says. When he swore before the magistrate that he thought he could identify my client with the man in the street, he really meant that he thought that there must be identity, because he believed from other reasons that Mr. Finn was the man in the street. Mr. Bonteen had been murdered;—according to Lord Fawn's thinking had probably been murdered by Mr. Finn. And it was also probable to him that Mr. Bonteen had been murdered by the man in the street. He came thus to the conclusion that the prisoner was the man in the street. In fact, as far as the process of identifying is concerned, his lordship's evidence is altogether in favour of the prisoner. The figure seen by him we must suppose was the figure of a short man, and not of one tall and commanding in his presence, as is that of the prisoner." There were many other points on which Mr. Chaffanbrass insisted at great length;—but, chiefly, perhaps, on the improbability, he might say impossibility, that the plot for a murder so contrived should have entered into a man's head, have been completed and executed, all within a few minutes. "But under no hypothesis compatible with the allegations of the prosecution can it be conceived that the murder should have been contemplated by my client before the quarrel at the club. No, gentlemen;—the murderer had been at his work for days. He had examined the spot and measured the distances. He had dogged the steps of his victim on previous nights. In the shade of some dark doorway he had watched him from his club, and had hurried by his secret path to the spot which he had appointed for the deed. Can any man doubt that the murder has thus been committed, let who will have been the murderer? But, if so, then my client could not have done the deed." Much had been made of the words spoken at the club door. Was it probable,—was it possible,—that a man intending to commit a murder should declare how easily he could do it, and display the weapon he intended to use? The evidence given as to that part of the night's work was, he contended, altogether in the prisoner's favour. Then he spoke of the life-preserver, and gave a rather long account of the manner in which Phineas Finn had once taken two garotters prisoner in the street. All this lasted till the great men on the bench trooped out to lunch. And then Mr. Chaffanbrass, who had been speaking for nearly four hours, retired to a small room and there drank a pint of port wine. While he was doing so, Mr. Serjeant Birdbolt spoke a word to him, but he only shook his head and snarled. He was telling himself at the moment how quick may be the resolves of the eager mind,—for he was convinced that the idea of attacking Mr. Bonteen had occurred to Phineas Finn after he had displayed the life-preserver at the club door; and he was telling himself also how impossible it is for a dull conscientious man to give accurate evidence as to what he had himself seen,—for he was convinced that Lord Fawn had seen Phineas Finn in the street. But to no human being had he expressed this opinion; nor would he express it,—unless his client should be hung. After lunch he occupied nearly three hours in giving to the jury, and of course to the whole assembled Court, the details of about two dozen cases, in which apparently strong circumstantial evidence had been wrong in its tendency. In some of the cases quoted, the persons tried had been acquitted; in some, convicted and afterwards pardoned; in one pardoned after many years of punishment;—and in one the poor victim had been hung. On this he insisted with a pathetic eloquence which certainly would not have been expected from his appearance, and spoke with tears in his eyes,—real unaffected tears,—of the misery of those wretched jurymen who, in the performance of their duty, had been led into so frightful an error. Through the whole of this long recital he seemed to feel no fatigue, and when he had done with his list of judicial mistakes about five o'clock in the afternoon, went on to make what he called the very few remarks necessary as to the evidence which on the next day he proposed to produce as to the prisoner's character. He ventured to think that evidence as to the character of such a nature,—so strong, so convincing, so complete, and so free from all objection, had never yet been given in a criminal court. At six o'clock he completed his speech, and it was computed that the old man had been on his legs very nearly seven hours. It was said of him afterwards that he was taken home speechless by one of his daughters and immediately put to bed, that he roused himself about eight and ate his dinner and drank a bottle of port in his bedroom, that he then slept,—refusing to stir even when he was waked, till half-past nine in the morning, and that then he scrambled into his clothes, breakfasted, and got down to the Court in half an hour. At ten o'clock he was in his place, and nobody knew that he was any the worse for the previous day's exertion. This was on a Tuesday, the fifth day of the trial, and upon the whole perhaps the most interesting. A long array of distinguished persons,—of women as well as men,—was brought up to give to the jury their opinion as to the character of Mr. Finn. Mr. Low was the first, who having been his tutor when he was studying at the bar, knew him longer than any other Londoner. Then came his countryman Laurence Fitzgibbon, and Barrington Erle, and others of his own party who had been intimate with him. And men, too, from the opposite side of the House were brought up, Sir Orlando Drought among the number, all of whom said that they had known the prisoner well, and from their knowledge would have considered it impossible that he should have become a murderer. The two last called were Lord Cantrip and Mr. Monk, one of whom was, and the other had been, a Cabinet Minister. But before them came Lady Cantrip,—and Lady Chiltern, whom we once knew as Violet Effingham, whom this very prisoner had in early days fondly hoped to make his wife, who was still young and beautiful, and who had never before entered a public Court. There had of course been much question as to the witnesses to be selected. The Duchess of Omnium had been anxious to be one, but the Duke had forbidden it, telling his wife that she really did not know the man, and that she was carried away by a foolish enthusiasm. Lady Cantrip when asked had at once consented. She had known Phineas Finn when he had served under her husband, and had liked him much. Then what other woman's tongue should be brought to speak of the man's softness and tender bearing! It was out of the question that Lady Laura Kennedy should appear. She did not even propose it when her brother with unnecessary sternness told her it could not be so. Then his wife looked at him. "You shall go," said Lord Chiltern, "if you feel equal to it. It seems to be nonsense, but they say that it is important." "I will go," said Violet, with her eyes full of tears. Afterwards when her sister-in-law besought her to be generous in her testimony, she only smiled as she assented. Could generosity go beyond hers? Lord Chiltern preceded his wife. "I have," he said, "known Mr. Finn well, and have loved him dearly. I have eaten with him and drank with him, have ridden with him, have lived with him, and have quarrelled with him; and I know him as I do my own right hand." Then he stretched forth his arm with the palm extended. "Irrespectively of the evidence in this case you would not have thought him to be a man likely to commit such a crime?" asked Serjeant Birdbolt. "I am quite sure from my knowledge of the man that he could not commit a murder," said Lord Chiltern; "and I don't care what the evidence is." Then came his wife, and it certainly was a pretty sight to see as her husband led her up to the box and stood close beside her as she gave her evidence. There were many there who knew much of the history of her life,—who knew that passage in it of her early love,—for the tale had of course been told when it was whispered about that Lady Chiltern was to be examined as a witness. Every ear was at first strained to hear her words;—but they were audible in every corner of the Court without any effort. It need hardly be said that she was treated with the greatest deference on every side. She answered the questions very quietly, but apparently without nervousness. "Yes; she had known Mr. Finn long, and intimately, and had very greatly valued his friendship. She did so still,—as much as ever. Yes; she had known him for some years, and in circumstances which she thought justified her in saying that she understood his character. She regarded him as a man who was brave and tender-hearted, soft in feeling and manly in disposition. To her it was quite incredible that he should have committed a crime such as this. She knew him to be a man prone to forgive offences, and of a sweet nature." And it was pretty too to watch the unwonted gentleness of old Chaffanbrass as he asked the questions, and carefully abstained from putting any one that could pain her. Sir Gregory said that he had heard her evidence with great pleasure, but that he had no question to ask her himself. Then she stepped down, again took her husband's arm, and left the Court amidst a hum of almost affectionate greeting. And what must he have thought as he stood there within the dock, looking at her and listening to her? There had been months in his life when he had almost trusted that he would succeed in winning that fair, highly-born, and wealthy woman for his wife; and though he had failed, and now knew that he had never really touched her heart, that she had always loved the man whom,—though she had rejected him time after time because of the dangers of his ways,—she had at last married, yet it must have been pleasant to him, even in his peril, to hear from her own lips how well she had esteemed him. She left the Court with her veil down, and he could not catch her eye; but Lord Chiltern nodded to him in his old pleasant familiar way, as though to bid him take courage, and to tell him that all things would even yet be well with him. The evidence given by Lady Cantrip and her husband and by Mr. Monk was equally favourable. She had always regarded him as a perfect gentleman. Lord Cantrip had found him to be devoted to the service of the country,—modest, intelligent, and high-spirited. Perhaps the few words which fell from Mr. Monk were as strong as any that were spoken. "He is a man whom I have delighted to call my friend, and I have been happy to think that his services have been at the disposal of his country." Sir Gregory Grogram replied. It seemed to him that the evidence was as he had left it. It would be for the jury to decide, under such directions as his lordship might be pleased to give them, how far that evidence brought the guilt home to the prisoner. He would use no rhetoric in pushing the case against the prisoner; but he must submit to them that his learned friend had not shown that acquaintance with human nature which the gentleman undoubtedly possessed in arguing that there had lacked time for the conception and execution of the crime. Then, at considerable length, he strove to show that Mr. Chaffanbrass had been unjustly severe upon Lord Fawn. It was late in the afternoon when Sir Gregory had finished his speech, and the judge's charge was reserved for a sixth day. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Anthony Trollope (2006). Phineas Redux. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18640/pg18640-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

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