# XIV: Held for Trial explained — The Great Airport Mystery

> Chapter companion for The Great Airport Mystery by Franklin W. Dixon.

## What happens

Frank and Joe Hardy are formally charged with robbing the air mail and held for trial with bail set at fifty thousand dollars. Despite Fenton Hardy's attempts to prove their innocence through footprint analysis, Chief Collig remains unconvinced. The boys are jailed, but their friends Hurd Applegate and Elroy Jefferson arrive to post bail, outraged at the injustice.

## Themes in this chapter

### Justice and Vindication

The boys are unjustly held for trial, and their father's efforts to prove their innocence through evidence highlight the theme of seeking justice.

### Friendship and Community

Hurd Applegate and Elroy Jefferson's immediate support and provision of bail demonstrate the strength of friendship and community loyalty.

### Perseverance and Determination

Fenton Hardy's relentless pursuit of evidence and the boys' hopeful attitude despite imprisonment show perseverance in the face of adversity.

## Character check-ins

### Frank Hardy

Arraigned and held for trial; expresses concern about the impact on family reputation.

### Joe Hardy

Arraigned and held for trial; demonstrates his footprint matches the evidence but insists on his innocence.

### Fenton Hardy

Attempts to prove the boys' innocence through footprint analysis; struggles to raise bail.

### Chief Collig

Remains obstinate in his belief of the boys' guilt despite Fenton's deductions.

### Hurd Applegate

Visits the boys in jail and provides bail money, calling the situation a scandal.

### Elroy Jefferson

Visits the boys in jail and provides bail money, outraged at their treatment.

## Key lines

> I don’t care how you figure it out,” he said roughly. “Your boys can’t explain how that sweater and the knife got here. And they can’t prove an alibi. I’m not going to let them go just because one footprint is a little bit heavier than the other.”

Chief Collig dismisses Fenton Hardy's footprint analysis, insisting that the boys cannot explain the evidence or provide an alibi, so he refuses to release them.

_Highlights the chief's stubbornness and the challenge of overcoming preconceived notions._

> Held for the robbery!” cried Joe, aghast. “It’s the most ridiculous thing I ever heard of,” declared his brother. “What would we rob the mail for?”

Joe and Frank are shocked and outraged at being formally charged with the mail robbery, questioning the absurdity of the accusation.

_Shows the boys' disbelief and the beginning of their legal ordeal._

> This,” declared Elroy Jefferson, standing in front of the cell and brandishing a newspaper, “is a shame! Nothing less than a shame!”

Elroy Jefferson expresses his outrage at the boys' imprisonment, calling it a disgrace.

_Demonstrates the support of influential friends and the theme of community loyalty._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_great_airport_mystery_se/chapters/xiv-held-for-trial
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_great_airport_mystery_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_great_airport_mystery_se/chapters