Call Northside 777 Page #6

Maybe I'd better go over and talk to him.

You'd better take a shovel with ya.

You'll have to dig him up.

He died in '38.

[ All Chattering ]...

Hi.

- Hi, Mac. Off your beat, ain't ya?

Yeah, yeah, sort of.

I need some help.

Nah. Lay off of me, Mac.

The word's gone out to

keep away from you.

I've done you a lot of favors, Matt.

Is there anyplace I can find some records...

...of people that come in here

and look at the police show-ups?

Material witnesses.

Somebody might have been subpoenaed...

...to come in here and identify Wiecek.

If we kept that kind of stuff,

the books would fill Soldier's Field.

Would there be any photographs,

anything like that?

We don't take no pictures in station houses.

Press boys might get

a shot of the witnesses on the steps...

...but never inside.

Now, look, Mac,

if I'm seen talking to you...

I'm gonna be back walking my old beat.

Why not be a good guy

and don't be here when I get back.

Can I use your phone?

- Yeah. Use that line. Don't touch those.

Uh, this is McNeal.

Give me Kelly.

Say, check through our files

and see if any of our boys took pictures...

...at the Wiecek arrest in 1932.

Get someone to check the Tribune

and the rest of the papers. And listen, Kelly.

A photographer takes

maybe 10 shots, prints one of them.

I want to see the other nine.

And listen.

The Herald Examiner--

They were still

in business then, weren't they?

This is just their kind of picture.

I'll check on that myself.

- [ Buzzing ]

Hey, uh, I just thought of something.

See ya later.

[ Buzzing ]

- New City Precinct.

This is McNeal over at headquarters.

You got the book

in the Wiecek arrest, 1932?

Yeah. But we've been told

to pull it out of the files.

I'll drop over and see it.

Okay, be right over.

Right.

Yeah, I'm McNeal.

I just phoned you from headquarters.

You got that book on the Wiecek arrest?

Come in.

Thank you.

What did you find?

Wiecek was arrested

in the morning of the 22nd.

But he wasn't booked

until the afternoon of the 23rd.

Norris took his time, didn't he?

- What did you say your name was?

McNeal.

- What division?

I'm McNeal of the Chicago Times.

This is confidential information.

This is public information,

and I'm entitled to use it.

We've got our orders. You got a beef,

you talk to the state's attorney's office.

That's a good idea.

I think I will. In the meantime...

I wouldn't let anything

happen to that book if I were you.

[ Keyboard Clacking ]

Mac. Hey, Mac.

Hey, this is hitting him pretty hard, isn't it?

I haven't even started on him yet.

I think this whole thing stinks.

- [ Buzzing ]

Kelly speaking.

Yeah. Yes, sir.

Right away.

That's the boss.

He wants us both.

Let's go. Let's go.

Go right in, Mr. Kelly.

Mr. Palmer's waiting.

Mr. Kelly, Mr. McNeal,

I believe you know the commissioner.

How do you do, sir?

Mr. Faxon, from the state's attorney's office.

And this is Robert Winston,

representing the governor.

How do you do, sir?

Of course, you know Mr. Burns.

Mr. Kelly,

these gentlemen object...

...to our handling of the Wiecek story.

Mr. Kelly, we feel that the Times,

through you and Mr. McNeal...

...is slinging mud on one of the finest

police departments in the United States.

And specifically,

we object to your efforts...

...to arouse sympathy

for a man who killed a police officer.

We'd just like to point out, gentlemen...

...that Frank Wiecek

was convicted by a jury.

His case was reviewed

by the Supreme Court...

...and the conviction was upheld.

All these legal authorities believed

in Frank Wiecek's guilt.

Well, a long time ago,

a lot of people believed the world was flat.

Well, at this late date,

do you wish to impugn...

...the integrity of the jury and the court?

If they were wrong, yes.

Back in 1932...

...a steady stream

of convictions made good publicity.

Remember?

Frank Wiecek was found guilty,

and he belongs where he is.

Were you in the state's attorney's

office in 1932?

Why, uh, yes, I was, but I didn't have

anything to do with the Wiecek case.

I have no ax to grind, Mr. McNeal.

But I believe you're unnecessarily

discrediting this regime.

Furthermore, your stories...

...may be holding out

false hope of a pardon...

...to both Frank Wiecek and his mother.

I'm not so sure it's false.

- We are.

Look, up until now, what

we've printed was based...

...on interview and investigation.

We've invented nothing,

and we don't intend to.

A great deal of emotion

and color can be lent to simple facts.

The governor feels this entire matter is

undermining law and order.

But Wiecek is innocent.

It'd be criminal for us to stop now.

Well, you must remember,

Mr. McNeal...

...that another political party

was in power at that time.

We're not to blame,

but the public tars us with your brush.

You can't destroy the

confidence we've built up...

...in this regime just to sell newspapers.

It may have started like that,

but it isn't that way anymore.

Now, look, gentlemen,

believe me, this man is not guilty.

I don't know if he's guilty or not...

...but we don't want this police force

persecuted anymore.

What's the difference--

- Just a minute, gentlemen. The...

...governor wants this cleared up.

We're not asking you

to forget the man if he's innocent...

...but we don't want this dragged on and on

just to promote circulation.

We have a proposition

to offer you to settle this once and for all.

I can suggest to the governor...

...that he set up a hearing

in the Pardon Board.

If Wiecek is exonerated,

he'll get a pardon.

But if you can't clear him,

you're to drop this matter once and for all.

Is that a deal?

What do you say, Mac?

It's a deal if Mr. Palmer says so.

Okay.

It's a deal.

I'll ask the governor

to set up a special hearing next week.

Are you ready to accept that?

- Yes, I am.

There's just one thing,

Mr. McNeal.

If you go before a pardon board

and they turn him down...

...it'll go on Wiecek's record.

Then when he's eligible for parole...

...that record may hurt his chances.

Now, mind you,

there's no regulation...

...there's no law...

...but the very fact that he was investigated

by the Pardon Board...

...and turned down...

...may have a prejudicial

effect upon his application.

What you're doing is gambling

with Wiecek's parole.

Well, that's a chance we'll have to take.

Well, gentlemen,

that's settled, then. We're agreed.

Thank you very much, gentlemen.

We'll live up to our end of the bargain.

Good-bye. Good-bye.

- Good-bye, sir.

Good-bye.

Well, you two seem to be satisfied,

but Mr. Burns doesn't seem to be.

I'm not.

As your attorney,

I think you've made a bad deal.

While I have read

the transcript of this case...

...and am familiar with some of the things

Mr. McNeal found...

I am not at all certain that we have

sufficient evidence to obtain a pardon.

But you haven't seen

all of the evidence yet, Mr. Burns.

What, for instance?

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