Goodnight for Justice Page #2

Will I?

Because after all this time,

I still dream about killing him.

I do, too.

But there are

bigger dreams to have.

This is the knife that killed Aldous.

This is for hanging my friend, Judge.

These are yours now.

Aldous carried this gavel

for 20 years,

calling order in every manner

of court you can imagine.

He always said you needed order

to respect the law,

and the sound of this gavel

in his capable hand

would bring that order.

Some people do not heed

the call of the gavel.

They come reluctantly to justice.

And for those

who require it a little more,

that same capable hand

would guide them...

...with this.

Oh, John.

Good luck.

Will the, uh, court come to order?

The Honorable

John William Goodnight presiding.

First case.

Yes?

What seems to be the problem?

What brings you lovebirds

to court today?

Trouble in paradise?

We have a bathtub problem.

Yeah, a big problem.

Bathtub?

- That's right.

- Yeah.

This beanpole

poor excuse of a man

insists on taking his bath first,

and he's so dirty

that, by the time it's my turn,

the water's so filthy, I might as well

go bathe with the pigs!

Well, she's so big

that, if she goes first,

by the time she's done,

there's no water left!

Have you considered

the possibility

of taking your baths

on different days?

Huh?

For instance, Ma'am,

you take your bath on a Monday.

Sir... you take yours

on Wednesdays.

Wednesdays?

And Fridays.

That's my ruling.

Next case.

- Well, that's why he's the judge.

- I'll snap your neck like a chicken.

...that will be

a $1 fine and 5 days in jail...

...I sentence you

to 3 years' hard labor...

Do you swear to tell the truth,

the whole truth, and nothing but?

...3 years' hard labor.

Order! Order!

Order, please!

Case dismissed!

You're free to go!

May God have mercy on your soul.

Please take the witness stand.

It's been my experience

that people who exhibit

such open contempt for the law

have generally just broken it.

Well, I ain't done nothing wrong.

Section 94

of the Wyoming Legislature

prohibits public spitting.

That's 3 days in jail and a $1 fine.

So, you're gonna jail me for spitting?

Son, your incarceration will be

a result of your own stupidity.

Now, I'm gonna read

the charges off this docket.

You tell me

which other ones you're guilty of.

Arson.

Assault.

Trespassing.

Stealing chicke...

Stealing chickens?

You know, I could maybe forgive that

if it were one chicken,

but you stole eight chickens,

and from a widow, no less.

He did that, Judge.

I'm ordering

you to replace the birds...

Praise be.

...and clean the public spittoons

for 90 days.

Oh, thank you, Judge!

Thank you! Thank you!

Next case.

Whiskey.

Leave the bottle.

I'm looking for someone.

I figure you see everyone

that comes through here.

The ones that drink, anyway.

It's a good bet

the man I'm after drinks.

He'd be about 50.

Took a bullet in the leg,

dragging a limp.

A lot of men

come through here with limps.

On account of the war, mostly.

You recognize this?

What did he do?

Shot up a wagonload of people

in cold blood.

You're a bounty hunter.

No.

I'm the judge.

My apologies, Your Honor.

I'll, uh, be sure to keep

a sharp lookout.

You do that.

You know, Your Honor,

I do have a little something

you might be interested in.

One of my girls is on trial.

You know, for what they pay me,

I could use a little extra cash...

...and I have been known

to do things I shouldn't...

...but unfortunately for you,

I don't take bribes.

Well, she's a real nice girl,

Your Honor.

Pretty, too.

Well, then, I look forward

to seeing every one of her virtues...

in my courtroom.

Uh, first case...

Jones versus Landry.

Miss Landry, you've been accused

of stabbing Mr. Jones in the hand.

How do you plead?

I'm innocent.

I'd like to hear from both parties.

Mr. Jones, you first.

Thank you, Your Honor.

I was returning home after

a social drink with my colleagues

when this floozy appeared

out of nowhere and stabbed me.

Now, this heinous

and unprovoked act

has rendered me unable

to use my right hand,

preventing me from exercising

my duties at the bank

and causing my wife

undue anxiety.

I see.

So, it is your testimony, then,

that she stabbed you for no reason.

That's right.

Sit down and tend to

your heinous and unprovoked wound.

Miss Landry,

did you stab Mr. Jones?

Yes.

But I had to.

I didn't know how else

to make him stop.

- Stop what?

- He attacked me.

Oh! That's a lie!

Look, I may be a lot of things,

but a liar isn't one of them.

You were drunk, and you waited

for me outside the saloon,

and you tried

to take advantage of me,

and when I said no,

you hit me!

I did no such...

I did no such thing.

I am a pillar of this community.

Thank you very much

for reminding me.

I'm ready to render a verdict.

Whenever I've

had to stab someone,

it's, uh, usually been

in the gut or the chest,

but Miss Landry here, she appears

to be a very robust young woman.

Now, if she had wanted to inflict

a more serious level of damage

on Mr. Jones,

it seems to me apparent

that she could have.

She could have stabbed him

in a more dire place, for example.

Instead,

he appears here today in this

courtroom with a wound on his hand.

It appears to be

a defensive wound.

While I find there is often reason

to stab a drunk man,

there is never good reason

to hit a woman.

Miss Landry, the charges are

dismissed, and you're free to go.

Mr. Jones, you're also free

to go... home with your wife,

and when you get there,

check your kitchen knives

and make sure that they're dull,

in the very likely event

that she may want to stab you, too.

What about my hand?

Use the other one.

Next case.

I thought you didn't take bribes.

If it happens after the trial,

it ain't no bribe.

What's going on?

Murder trials are pretty popular

around here.

I'm sorry to hear that.

He hated my father

because of the color of his skin.

He said he'd kill him if he ever

stepped foot in his restaurant again.

When was the last time

you saw your father?

About two weeks ago.

My baby brother took sick.

Papa went into town

to fetch him some milk.

He never came back.

And do you have reason to believe

that he went to Mr. Ayles' restaurant?

It was a Sunday night.

Everything else was closed.

When was your father found?

The next morning,

hanging from a tree by the creek.

I'm, uh, sorry that I have to ask you

these painful questions, Isaack.

It's just water.

You want me to drink

from your cup?

Go ahead.

I'm not contagious.

- Thank you.

- You're welcome.

Now, Isaack, I want you

to think really hard here.

Did you or anyone that you know of

actually see your father

with Mr. Ayles

on the day that he disappeared?

No, sir.

Anyone in this courtroom?

Does anyone in this

courtroom have any knowledge

of Mr. Ayles committing

bodily harm or injury to Mr. Samuels?

Son, this is a court of law.

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