Patrick Power said that his son was mad drunk when he got home. He said the police followed Power up the steps to his house. Pierce waved his arms and backed towards the door. He told the police to leave him alone. He was going home to bed. Walsh kept moving towards Pierce. Pierce kept backing away. Pierce's lawyer, Mr. Ayre, said Walsh slipped. The two men fell together. Power was waving the razor. He cut the officer by accident as Walsh fell to the ground.

Walsh had caused the slashing by bullying Power at his own door. Ayre claimed Walsh was looking for a reason to get into it with Power that night. It would be a real "feather in the cap" of any officer who arrested the leader of the unemployed demonstrations that led to the riot of 1935.³⁰ Pierce had never been the same since he was beaten in the head by police at that riot. He became mad when he drank. He blanked out and didn't know what he was doing.

Pierce Power was the last to take the stand. The young man said he remembered having drinks at the homes of several friends. But he didn't remember going home or anything about the slashing. Pierce said he couldn't explain why he had the razor. When he woke up in the lock-up the day after Christmas, he didn't know why he was there. The jury reached their verdict forty-five minutes later. Guilty as charged.

Pierce Power was sentenced to five years in the penitentiary. Oddly, Constable Walsh went to jail as well. The officer's injuries made it hard for him to do his job as a cop on the street. Michael Walsh had a large family and needed to work. He was given a job at the penitentiary. Walsh started his new job as a prison guard about the same time that Power started serving his sentence. The two men served their time together.

According to the Power family history, Pierce was let out of jail three years later. To get out early, he had to agree to join the merchant marine service in the war. Power got out on December 24, 1940. He served as a marine fireman for six months. His ship, the S.S. Kellwyn, was torpedoed. Pierce Power died at sea. His body was never found. He has no grave or marker. But his name is written on the Halifax naval memorial in Nova Scotia, along with the names of about 2,000 other lost seamen. In 1994 his great nephew Mike Power asked for, and received, Pierce's service medals. Although he was the leader of an important labour movement, Pierce Power is not mentioned in any history books.