Sometimes in the application of its force this machine, being man-made,
like all machines, and thus without a soul, gets out of order, loosens a
cog or bolt perhaps, throwing the mechanism "out of gear," as it is
called. When this happens, the engine resting on its bed-plate still
keeps its foundation, but some lesser part, the loom or lathe or
driving-wheel, which is another way of saying the arrest, the trial or
the conviction, goes awry. Sometimes the power-belt is purposely thrown
off, the machinery stopped, and a consultation takes place, resulting in
a disagreement or a new trial. When the machine is started again, it is
started more carefully, with the first experience remembered. Sometimes
the rightful material--the criminal, or the material from which the
criminal is made--to feed this loom or lathe or driving-wheel, is
replaced by some unsuitable material like the girl whose hair became
entangled in a flying-belt and whose body was snatched up and whirled
mercilessly about.
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