was not someone’s paid witness, brought in to give expert testimony for a fee. Roberts’s question posed a dilemma.
‘Normal?’ he mused aloud.‘No, I would not think to call him that; not after what he had been through. I understand your question,’ he said as Roberts started to ask the question a different way.‘Yes, he was lucid, rational; he could answer my questions; he knew where he was. But he was not right, and I doubt he or any of the others will ever be again.’
‘Yes, but my question is really much more narrow than that. What is important for us to know is whether he had suffered the kind of mental deterioration—whatever the cause—that would make it impossible for him to give an accurate account of what transpired between the time the Evangeline sank and the time they were rescued.Was he delusional, was he insane, is the question— and I take it from your answer that he was not. Is that a fair interpretation of what you said?’
‘During the time I examined him, during the time he was my patient in the hospital, I saw nothing to suggest that he lacked the capacity to think clearly.’
‘And what of the others?’ asked Roberts.‘Well, perhaps we’d better go through each one in turn. Let’s start with Hugo Offenbach.What can you tell us about him?’
Steinberg smiled to himself and shook his head. ‘I saw him play, here in San Francisco, ten years ago: the greatest violinist in the world.’
Everyone knew who Hugo Offenbach was. The fact that he had been saved, rescued from the sea, had been seen as a miracle— but then, as the rumours started, it seemed to intensify the shock. Normal people, driven to desperation, might do such things, but someone like him? No one wanted to believe it; there had to be some other explanation.
‘Mr Offenbach was in the best condition—and in the worst condition—of all.’
‘I’m afraid that is more of a riddle than I can solve.’
‘He had nothing broken; no injuries of that sort whatsoever. And though he was the oldest, he did not seem to have suffered quite so much as the others from exposure. Of course, he had lost a lot of weight; they were all barely skeletons. God knows what they looked like when they were first picked up. I have the sense, given Mr Offenbach’s age, that he was looked after by the others in a way they did not—or could not—look after anyone else. He could not possibly have survived what happened to him otherwise.’
‘And what was that, Dr Steinberg? What happened to Hugo Offenbach?’
‘He had a heart attack; a minor one, but bad enough. It happened during the storm, when they had to abandon the Evangeline . He felt the pain running down his arm. He lost consciousness. Someone must have carried him to the lifeboat; he certainly could not have reached it on his own.’
‘I assume that he was not delusional, or irrational, during the time you observed him?’
Dr Steinberg lifted his chin. His eyes seemed darker than before. ‘Hugo Offenbach may be the most rational man I have ever met.’
‘And what about Aaron Trevelyn? Other than his physical condition, did he suffer any mental impairment, anything that would make us doubt his ability to remember what happened or to render a clear account?’
Steinberg gave Roberts a look that bordered on incredulity.The physical condition of Aaron Trevelyn was the worst of all of them.
‘His wrist was broken, and he lost his foot.’
‘Frostbite?’
‘Yes, I’m afraid so. He’ll be crippled for life. I’m not really sure about his mental condition. He may have suffered some memory loss.’
Roberts had taken two steps towards the jury box. He looked back at the witness.
‘You’re not saying that Mr Trevelyn doesn’t remember what happened, are you?’
‘When I examined him, he seemed vague, confused—but whether it was because he could not remember or did not want to, I can’t really say.’
‘But you could say the same thing about the others, couldn’t
‘Normal?’ he mused aloud.‘No, I would not think to call him that; not after what he had been through. I understand your question,’ he said as Roberts started to ask the question a different way.‘Yes, he was lucid, rational; he could answer my questions; he knew where he was. But he was not right, and I doubt he or any of the others will ever be again.’
‘Yes, but my question is really much more narrow than that. What is important for us to know is whether he had suffered the kind of mental deterioration—whatever the cause—that would make it impossible for him to give an accurate account of what transpired between the time the Evangeline sank and the time they were rescued.Was he delusional, was he insane, is the question— and I take it from your answer that he was not. Is that a fair interpretation of what you said?’
‘During the time I examined him, during the time he was my patient in the hospital, I saw nothing to suggest that he lacked the capacity to think clearly.’
‘And what of the others?’ asked Roberts.‘Well, perhaps we’d better go through each one in turn. Let’s start with Hugo Offenbach.What can you tell us about him?’
Steinberg smiled to himself and shook his head. ‘I saw him play, here in San Francisco, ten years ago: the greatest violinist in the world.’
Everyone knew who Hugo Offenbach was. The fact that he had been saved, rescued from the sea, had been seen as a miracle— but then, as the rumours started, it seemed to intensify the shock. Normal people, driven to desperation, might do such things, but someone like him? No one wanted to believe it; there had to be some other explanation.
‘Mr Offenbach was in the best condition—and in the worst condition—of all.’
‘I’m afraid that is more of a riddle than I can solve.’
‘He had nothing broken; no injuries of that sort whatsoever. And though he was the oldest, he did not seem to have suffered quite so much as the others from exposure. Of course, he had lost a lot of weight; they were all barely skeletons. God knows what they looked like when they were first picked up. I have the sense, given Mr Offenbach’s age, that he was looked after by the others in a way they did not—or could not—look after anyone else. He could not possibly have survived what happened to him otherwise.’
‘And what was that, Dr Steinberg? What happened to Hugo Offenbach?’
‘He had a heart attack; a minor one, but bad enough. It happened during the storm, when they had to abandon the Evangeline . He felt the pain running down his arm. He lost consciousness. Someone must have carried him to the lifeboat; he certainly could not have reached it on his own.’
‘I assume that he was not delusional, or irrational, during the time you observed him?’
Dr Steinberg lifted his chin. His eyes seemed darker than before. ‘Hugo Offenbach may be the most rational man I have ever met.’
‘And what about Aaron Trevelyn? Other than his physical condition, did he suffer any mental impairment, anything that would make us doubt his ability to remember what happened or to render a clear account?’
Steinberg gave Roberts a look that bordered on incredulity.The physical condition of Aaron Trevelyn was the worst of all of them.
‘His wrist was broken, and he lost his foot.’
‘Frostbite?’
‘Yes, I’m afraid so. He’ll be crippled for life. I’m not really sure about his mental condition. He may have suffered some memory loss.’
Roberts had taken two steps towards the jury box. He looked back at the witness.
‘You’re not saying that Mr Trevelyn doesn’t remember what happened, are you?’
‘When I examined him, he seemed vague, confused—but whether it was because he could not remember or did not want to, I can’t really say.’
‘But you could say the same thing about the others, couldn’t
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