Now the National Guard takes up residence on the courthouse lawn. The all-white jury of ten women and two men is sequestered out of town, and testimony takes only a few days. The state's key witness, the black deputy accidentally shot by Carl Lee, is sympathetic with the defense and well coached by Jake. He makes an excellent case for Carl Lee's temporary insanity. Near the end of the brief trial, as Jake enters the courthouse under heavy guard, a sniper makes an attempt on Jake's life, severely wounding and paralyzing a National Guardsman. That night his clerk, Ellen Roark, is kidnapped by the Klan and severely injured. She is ultimately hospitalized through the trial's end. The defense's expert witness, a depraved, semi-retired psychiatrist, is discredited on the stand, rendering the insanity plea virtually hopeless. Lucien Wilbanks, in desperation, has initiated an attempt to "buy" one degenerate juror. As testimony ends, Jake's house is burned to the ground as he sleeps safely at Lucien's. Jake wishes he had never heard of Carl Lee Hailey. The next day, though, delivering his closing arguments in borrowed clothes, Jake enjoys his finest hour.