On Friday, March 5, Martha Ballard ties Brutus outside Pollard’s Tavern and deliberately approaches James Wall, who is admiring the horse. Martha uses James’s interest in Brutus to start a friendly conversation because she wants an opening to speak with him. When James goes inside, Martha joins him, and they settle with drinks at a table while Moses serves them.

Martha offers sympathy for James having to sell his Pacer, and James admits he made the mistake of borrowing money from Joseph North. James explains that he took the loan before Rebecca Foster accused North of rape, when North still seemed like an ordinary local investor. James says North financed his plan to build a distillery in the Hook, and the arrangement seemed manageable at first.

James then describes how winter changed everything. Once the river froze, James could not keep up with the payments, and when he warned North that his December payment would be short, North did not simply ask for the missing amount. Instead, North demanded either immediate full repayment with interest or a signed agreement giving North part ownership of the distillery.

Martha is shocked when James reveals the terms North offered. Although the distillery was only just being built, North wanted thirty percent of the business “off the top” under the guise of investing. James refused those terms, ended up in the jail yard, and was forced to sell his prized Pacer to free himself from North’s pressure.

By the end of the conversation, James gives Martha a larger interpretation of North’s conduct. To James, the loan was never merely business; North is using debt and legal pressure to seize control of local enterprises. Martha leaves the exchange with stronger evidence that North’s ambitions extend beyond individual crimes and that he is trying to own the town itself.