Free State of Jones Page #2

I made that cloth!

Ma'am. Ma'am.

No! No! I made that cloth!

That's my loom.

No! No! L worked

so hard on that.

Ma'am, ma'am,

stop it. Stop it.

That's for my baby!

That's not for your babies.

We're just taking

what's rightfully ours.

Please make them stop!

You got the court order?

Yes, but...

What did the

court order say?

That we will take 10%.

You're taking everything away!

Why are you taking everything?

They took everything

out the smokehouse.

And that ain't tax,

they just ate it.

All that meal we ground.

Honey, we'll get you some more corn meal.

Of course we will.

Well, that ain't the point!

I grew that corn.

Everybody know how

to blow one of these?

Yes, sir.

All right, look here.

If they come back,

I want you to blow that

as loud as you can

as soon as you hear

them riding up.

Yes, sir. I'm just

over this Ridge here.

I'll be here soon.

You got any

more of those?

Yeah, we need some more.

Gettin' hotter.

Let me feel him.

Come on, will.

Be a good boy.

He is a good boy. He's

just got a fever is all.

He's burning up.

Where are you going?

To get a doctor.

You can't go in town.

They'll arrest you.

I'm gonna go to Sally's place,

have her fetch one.

You're goin' to

that roadhouse?

We ain't got

a doctor no more.

Doc hacket

moved to Alabama

and prentiss

is off at the war.

Well, he's burning up, Sally,

and I can't go into town.

Well, there's this creole

slave over at eakins.

Kind of healer.

I'll get George to

fetch her with a pass.

Eakins? Plantation?

She's not a field hand,

she's a house negro.

Now, you better

get outta here, too.

Rebs come in here all

the time to get whiskey.

They sent me with a pass.

Yeah, yeah. Right this way.

He's burning up.

Can you help?

L'll try.

I need to boil some water,

to make a tea.

I'll fetch you a bucket.

I can fetch it.

No, you stay here.

I'll fetch it for you.

All right.

Rachel; Uh...

He's all cool now.

Probably gonna sleep a while.

He better?

He's fine.

Oh.

That's my boy.

That's my boy.

There you are.

Hey.

Thank you.

Oh.

Don't have to thank me.

I got loaned to you.

No,l do.L do.

Look here, I ain't

got no money,

but I want you to

have this, all right?

That's gold.

I can't take that.

Yes, you can.

Saving a life

ain't easy, yeah?

And when you do,

it's something special.

Thank you.

Thank you,

that's kind.

Here, here's your pass.

All rise.

Court is now in session.

"Case number 0646.

"The state of Mississippi

versus Davis knight.

"That Davis knight

did knowingly

"and willfully

and feloniously

"violate Mississippi law

"by engaging in a marital union

with one junie Lee spradley,

"a white woman.

"That as the great-grandson

of Newton knight

"and a negro slave

known commonly as Rachel,

"he is of at least

1/8th negro blood,

"and as such, meets

the minimum standard

"to be considered

a colored person

"in the state of Mississippi."

What happened?

They told me to gather up

all the clothes and blankets.

They'd be back for

them in an hour.

They told me to round up

all the hogs I got

and put 'em in a pen.

Who did?

The cavalry officer and the...

Tax agent?

Yeah.

They gonna take my hogs?

No. No, they ain't.

'Cause we got nothing

for the winter.

They ain't gonna

take your hogs.

Girls, you know how to

shoot one of these?

Hmm?

It ain't real hard, all right?

It's just loud the first time.

Come here to me, damn'.

Here we go.

Put this right here

on your right hand,

hold it right there

with your right hand.

There you go, you feel that?

Feel that?

Okay, how many guns

you got in the house, ma'am?

Two. Three with a pistol.

Good, good.

See, now here's the trigger.

You wanna fire it,

you just pull this back.

Two clicks, pull

that trigger. Boom.

All right,

here they come.

You ready?

Easy.

Well...

Well, what do

we have here?

Stop.

Beg your pardon?

I said, stop walking.

That's quite

an army you got there.

Three little girls with guns.

Mmm-hmm.

It's more like eight.

How come you ain't

up north fighting?

How come you ain't?

'Cause I'm responsible

for clothing

and feeding our loyal troops.

And tracking down deserters.

No, don't do that.

They gonna shoot me?

All's they gotta do

is go like that.

Last time I checked,

the gun don't care who's

pulling the trigger.

We'll be back.

Mmm-hmm.

Hold steady

on him, girls.

Lower your guns.

There we go. There we go.

Good job, girls. Good job.

All right.

Listen, y'all are gonna

be fine, all right?

It's me they're

gonna be after.

It's me they're

gonna be after.

They've got

a slave patrol, newt.

Those are n*gger dogs.

It was three little girls,

you hear? Alone.

Who ain't alone?

You think I ain't alone?

Why you always

got to fight

everyone else's

fight for them?

I can't do this anymore, newt.

I can't.

Buck shot,

fresh powder horn.

Go! Go get him!

Can't stay here.

First place

they're gonna come.

I'll get George to take

you out in the swamp.

There's some folks

out there that can help.

Yeah?

I dropped my gun and powder.

Sounds like you

had a good time.

George?

Ma'am?

He's gonna need some food.

Got it right here.

You know what to do?

Mmm-hmm.

Mister newt, sir?

Mmm-hmm.

Whenever you're ready.

To the swamp?

Yes, sir.

Take your time.

Mr. newt!

Sorry. Look here.

Here, sit here.

You'll like this better.

They'll be here

for you soon.

"They"?

Mmm-hmm.

They will be here

for you soon.

Hello.

I know you.

Mmm-hmm.

I'm here to show

you through.

Come on.

You all right to walk?

Yeah, just slow.

All right, now walk

where I walk.

Out there is deep,

through here is shallow.

Careful now.

You got it.

It's all right.

They gonna fix you.

They runaways?

Ain't you?

Chewed up pretty bad.

A hound got him.

Got some fresh plantain.

Mr. newt?

Let me see that there.

Aw, it ain't that bad.

You must be

pretty brave then.

Y'all must taste like we do,

the way he latched onto you.

Just hold still now,

you'll be all right.

Thank you, baby.

Mr. whittington,

in your opinion,

Serena knight was

no longer a resident

of Jones county,

Mississippi, by what date?

Well, roughly, the end

of 1863, early 1864,

when she moved

to Georgia.

Then, if Newton knight

had a child after the war,

a child to whom

he gave his name,

that child could

not have been...

Objection, your honor.

The witness is

a census expert,

not an expert on genealogy

or paternity or...

Well, your honor,

you don't have to be

an expert on much

of nothing to know

it's hard for two people

to make a baby

when they're

1,000 miles apart.

How you feeling?

Better.

Still a little sore,

but better.

Yeah, well, you'll be sore

for a little while.

What's your name?

Call me Moses.

Your mama name you that?

No, sir. I picked

that for myself.

Hey, you chose a good one.

Why do y'all do that?

Light it in the

tree like that.

Hide the smoke so it don't

go up in a straight line.

Oh, yeah, they're

always looking.

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