Compulsion Page #8

to add to that, Artie?

- Judd?

- With the exception of saying...

that I killed Paulie...

Mr. Strauss has done such a brilliant job,

no one can think of adding anything to it.

If Mr. Steiner hadn't have involved me

in that asinine alibi...

there wouldn't have had

to be a confession.

And as far as killing the kid goes,

I was sitting in the back seat, where

- I mean the front seat.

- The front seat or the back seat?

All right. All right, boys.

I haven't finished.

Have you both been

treated fairly by me?

- Yes, sir.

- No violence?

- No intimidation?

- No.

That's all. You'll have five

minutes to question them.

- It's Jonathan Wilk.

- Jonathan Wilk.

- Well, Jonathan.

- Harold.

I suppose I should've realized

you'd appear sooner or later.

It would've been sooner

if I hadn't have gone first to CityJail...

which is where I normally

expect to find my clients.

- Both boys?

- I questioned them here...

in an effort to avoid

publicity.

Avoid publicity?

Well, congratulations.

- They had no counsel at the time.

- They've got a counsel now.

One with a writ for immediate delivery

to CityJail.

I was about to do that

before you came in.

Take 'em down in the freight elevator

and out through the back.

Now wait a minute.

You've had 'em for 12 hours...

you can at least

spare me 12 seconds.

- You're Artie?

- Yes.

- Judd?

- Yes, sir.

Your folks have retained me

as counsel for the defense.

- I've always admired you tremendously.

- You can prove it both of you

by saying absolutely nothing

to anybody...

until I instruct you

to the contrary.

- That's it, Harold.

- Let's go.

Come on, boys.

Open it up here, please.

It's a little late

to silence them now, isn't it?

Well, we

We do what we can.

I suppose I ought to consider it a minor

victory that the boys weren't hanged...

before I got here.

They will be,

soon enough.

Luckily, that decision

won't be up to you, Harold.

Oh, you may as well know,

before you decide on a plea...

Dr. Ball and Dr. Stauffer

have been observing them.

- Observing them?

- In their opinion...

the boys

are completely sane.

Might be more interesting

to hear their conclusions...

if the doctors

would observe each other.

Sid!

Is it true, Sid?

Yes, it is.

Oh, I just can't

believe it.

Well, you can believe it,

all right.

And the confessions they signed

will take 'em right to the gallows.

Oh, my God.

But, look, Ruth.

Be sensible.

I mean, they're murderers.

How do you think

the Kessler family feels?

I know how

they must feel, Sid...

but I can't help feeling

sorry forJudd...

and for Artie.

Sorry for them? Ruth,

they plotted a cold-blooded killing...

and went through with it

like an experiment in chemistry.

Sid, Judd isn't like that.

- Believe me, I know.

- How do you know?

Will you just believe

that I know?

No, I won't just believe you.

Something must've happened.

Well, did it?

Well, did something happen?

He tried to attack me.

Dirty little degenerate!

Please. It wasn't the way

you think at all.

He made an attempt at it.

He couldn't go through with it, Sid.

He was like a child

a sick, frightened child.

I don't understand

you, Ruth.

He tries to rape you

and you defend him.

I know. It's

difficult to understand...

but, see, you weren't there,

you didn't see him like I did, Sid.

If you did, you'd have

some compassion...

- or sympathy for him, believe me.

- Sympathy?

Ruth, you sound as though you're sorry

he didn't go through with it.

I hope they hang him.

I hope he hangs

till the rope rots.

Mr. Wilk, one moment, please.

Okay.

- At the formal arraignment

- Rewrite. He pleaded 'em "not guilty".

That's right, not guilty.

The chief justice set the trial date

for four weeks from today.

Wilk wanted more time, but Hold it.

He's comin' in now. I'll call ya back.

Hold it. Here he is.

You're actually going to conduct

a psychiatric study on them?

- With the best men in the profession.

- Why, Mr. Wilk?

- To determine the facts.

- Haven't they got the facts?

Haven't the state psychiatrists

already pronounced them sane?

Indeed they have.

The state psychiatrists...

have pronounced

them completely sane.

Yes, after a searching and exhaustive study.

Isn't that right, Harold?

Ten minutes in

a crowded hotel room.

Oh, we're up against

some brilliant minds in this case.

We don't have a minute to lose.

If you'll excuse me, gentlemen.

The defense will be based

on insanity, won't it?

We'd be pretty stupid to divulge

our tactics to the prosecution.

The defense will be based

on the results of the study.

Of course, we'd be glad to join

forces with Mr. Horn's psychiatrists.

No?

That's too bad, Harold.

It might have been a real contribution

to criminology.

If that's the way you feel about it.

Good day, gentlemen.

Mr. Horn, why do you object

to joining forces?

- Might prove interesting.

- Joint study of what?

Two evil minds that don't deserve

to live a day longer?

Do you really think these boys don't know

the difference between right and wrong?

That's the legal definition of insanity

in this state...

and no team of psychiatrists

is going to change it.

- There he is!

- Good morning, sir.

- Good morning.

- We're posting a couple of men here...

- in case the Klux

- I'd prefer you didn't, Lieutenant.

Well, they may come back

again, sir.

I don't think we ought to worry

our heads over the kind of folks...

who's reaction to an emotional situation

is to pull a sheet over their head.

Any comments on this fiery cross

business, Mr. Wilk?

It's much too warm

for an open fire.

Are you worried about getting

an impartial jury after this, Mr. Wilk?

I've been worried about juries

for more than 40 years.

But, Mr. Wilk, with public feeling

the way it is...

don't you think this is a hopeless case,

even for you?

That's what I keep reading

in your newspapers...

but I'd rather leave the final decision

to a judge, not your editors.

Mr. Wilk, it's common knowledge you take

more than half your cases without a fee.

No offense, sir, but is it true you're getting

a million dollars for this one?

It's been a matter of public record

for two weeks now.

The state bar association

will determine the fee.

Well, if the fee isn't that important,

why take the case?

Well, I did give it some thought, but,

you know, it occurred to me...

that to deny the rich the same right

of defense as the poor...

might be to go along with the same

kind of thinking that...

started that fire.

- Morning, gentlemen.

- Thank you, Mr. Wilk.

Good morning, sir.

The Stanford-Binet scale doesn't

go high enough to rateJudd's I.Q.

Can you imagine that?

And, yet, on several others...

both he and Artie showed no more

emotional maturity than a seven-year-old.

- It's amazing, isn't it?

- What I find lacking are any conclusions.

Yes, we've had several days

discussion about that...

and most of us agree thatJudd is paranoiac

and Artie's schizophrenic.

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