Goodnight for Justice Page #3

We require proof that a man

has committed a crime

before he can be punished.

You may sit down.

Harlan Ayles,

you're accused of murder.

- How do you plead?

- My client is innocent.

And with all due respect,

these proceedings are a farce.

A man is dead.

I'd call that a tragedy, not a farce.

This is a trial with no evidence,

no witnesses.

My client had nothing to do

with this incident.

Well, then, he won't be

needing his lawyer, will he?

Mr. Ayles has hired me

as his advocate.

Then I suggest you

give him his money back.

Mr. Ayles, step to the center

of this court.

But, Your Honor, you can't

run a courtroom without lawyers.

Yes, I can.

You know why?

It's my courtroom,

and I don't like lawyers.

Place your hand on the Bible.

Unlike your lawyer,

do you swear to tell the truth,

the whole truth, and nothing but?

- I certainly do.

- You'd better.

Be seated.

Do I detect a bit

of a Southern accent?

- Tennessee.

- Hmm, nice place.

It used to be. It's not the same

after the war, though.

Word is a little group

got its start there.

Maybe you've heard of them.

Call themselves the Ku Klux Klan.

I wouldn't know anything about that.

Surely you read the papers.

Just the Bible.

A spiritual man.

That's comforting.

Your restaurant is

a whites-only establishment.

Well, it is within my rights

as a citizen to serve who I want.

Sadly, that's true.

Did Mr. Samuels

ever enter your restaurant?

Once, but I told him

he wasn't welcome.

What happened then?

Well, he left.

He understood.

Tell me, when was

this, uh, friendly exchange?

I'd say five, six months ago.

And your future dealings

with Mr. Samuels?

We had none.

So it is your testimony

that he did not come

to your restaurant two weeks ago

looking for milk for a sick child.

That's right, sir.

He did not.

This record indicates

that Mr. Samuels' murder

is the third lynching

in these parts in the last year.

Three lynchings, no witnesses?

And yet you have been called

to this courtroom each time.

And I have been acquitted

every time.

The only reason I'm here now

is because those Negroes

want to punish me

for not letting them

eat in my restaurant.

- You must have awfully good food.

- Yes, sir, we do.

It's the finest in town,

and I aim to keep it that way.

So, your restaurant...

does it have shiny silverware...

...fine china, and nice, clean,

white tablecloths?

Yes, sir, we do.

Have you ever noticed

how a white tablecloth

can resemble a sheet

out there in the dark?

You know, I do not care

for your insinuations, sir.

L-I'm a patriot,

and I fought for this country.

- In the Confederate army?

- Yes, sir.

Well, then, I might remind you, sir,

your side lost.

You may return

to your seat, Mr. Ayles.

Isaack, I'm sorry for your loss.

I, too, have lost loved ones

in a terrible way.

What I can tell you is,

while time heals the pain

a little bit,

it won't erase the memories.

It is my hope that, despite

all the evil that's been done here,

you'll be able to find a path

of dignity and purpose...

...and know that you

can take solace in the fact...

...that you did your father proud.

And you...

My gut tells me

that you are guilty as hell,

and I would love nothing more

than to see you swing

from the same tree

as Mr. Samuels.

But this is a court of law,

not a court of justice,

and the law is something

that I can't turn my back on.

Without any witnesses

or any evidence,

all I can do is acquit you,

so you are free to go.

A joke of a trial.

Now, the last time I checked,

this land belonged to white folk,

not a bunch of colored

who jumped off the slave ship.

I say we round up

every last one of them

and decorate the trees

from here to Knoxville!

Hear! Hear!

What the hell?

Ironic, isn't it?

Out here in the dark,

we're all the same color.

I'll be back here in three months,

another three months after that.

If I so much as see your name

on my docket again,

I'll come back,

and I'll hang you for real.

Get off of me!

Who the hell are you?

My name is

John William Goodnight.

I'm Circuit Judge,

sworn jurisdiction in this territory.

Yeah, well, we don't need

no judge out here.

Mister, you're lucky I am a judge.

If I weren't sworn to uphold the law,

I'd shoot you right now.

The way I see it,

we got a choice:

We can go into town

and deal with this,

or you can face the law right here.

Either way, justice

is being served today.

Yeah, well...

There's two of us

and one of you.

I like those odds.

When I drop this hammer,

one of you is gonna be dead.

There's a 50/50 chance that's you.

You still like those odds, gambler?

- Are you all right?

- I'm fine.

Thank you.

You sure?

I can handle myself, generally.

They came on me by surprise.

So, you're our new judge.

John Goodnight.

Kate Ramsey.

I think it might be a good idea if I

rode along with you, Miss Ramsey.

I suppose that depends

on your intentions.

My only intention

is to get into Crooked Stick

to a bed and a hot bath.

I'm just a little mistrustful

of judges, is all.

I do hope you're

not like the last one.

What was he like?

Bought, owned,

and, thankfully, dead now.

You?

No, no, and not yet.

Well, you can ride along

with me if you like.

As low as they are,

they deserve to be buried.

Do you bury all the men you kill?

I don't know.

I've never killed anyone before.

My father taught me to shoot.

He's good with a gun, too.

Well, at least he used to be.

I've lived most my life

in Crooked Stick.

I probably should have left by now,

but, well, I feel an obligation.

My husband was the doctor there.

Since he died, I've tried

to take over where he left off.

You know,

I have been alone three years now.

That long, you'd think

I'd be used to it, but I'm not.

What about you?

What about me?

Well, are you alone?

I've got my horse.

Yeah, but can you

talk to a horse?

I've got a feeling you can.

Well...

I do enjoy

a good conversation.

It was a nice place to live

before Dan Reed showed up.

I could treat the Indians at my clinic

if not for Reed.

You heard of him?

You will.

He built most of Main Street,

and he employs almost everyone in it.

Naturally, his generosity

comes with a price.

No one stands up to him,

no matter what he does,

and a lot of what he does

is against the Indians.

When we get to town,

I'll talk to the sheriff.

Well, that won't do much good.

He's on Reed's payroll, too.

- I'm not.

- Yet.

If I were interested in money,

I'd still be in Chicago.

Do you always drink like that?

Like what?

Like there's no tomorrow.

There may not be.

You always talk so much?

What if I said yes?

I guess I could live with it.

Until morning, anyway.

I can't sleep.

Can you?

I'm trying.

You must have done

something awfully wrong

to be appointed to this circuit.

I imagine there are

few places on Earth as lawless.

I imagine.

Are you running from something?

Not that I know of.

It's a woman, isn't it?

You're here because of a woman?

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