Matewan Page #7

against you with your enemies.

He means to take over here

and have you killed.

Potiphar had no reason to

misbelieve his wife.

Joseph was a slave

and a foreigner.

So he gathered up his servants

and household workers and they

went and slew Joseph dead.

Cut him from gut to gizzard and

left him bleeding in the street.

And lo they never learned of

Mrs. Potiphar's lies and

went to their maker, unrepentant,

with innocent blood on their hands.

Draw your own conclusions.

Gettin' awful late.

- Shhhhh...

You hear somethin'?

No, you?

Yeah I think I did.

Like somebody moaning.

Maybe it's the fellas.

I think we should go out there

and have a look.

Who's that?

That's...

Mingala.

Well, we better get back to camp?

Wait a minute

Well, at least we

didn't waste a trip.

No way. It won't spread.

Is C.E. inside?

No such luck.

Find that son of a b*tch.

How come they waste more food

in one day than a poor worker's

family has on their table

in a week?

Now let me ask you?

Who's sweat was it that went into

building those mansions?

- "Once they seen how they'd

almost done an innocent man

"it was like Joe

couldn't say no wrong.

"We moved out into

the Mango County then

"spreading the word

about the union.

"Spreading like wildfire

over to Red Jacket,

"to Ragland and Delbarton all

up and down the Tug Fork river

"bringing the union out to

all the folks that needed help.

"Putting the spirit into them

and trying to shut down the

"whole southwest field."

- Helping themselves to our land

and our labor for too damn long.

"Joe Kenehan said how there was

a new day comin' and sometimes

"I could just about see it.

"But it were a dangerous living

for a union man and you

"didn't dare turn your back.

"It was hard times and it was

hungry times, too.

"The union relief was spread thin.

And with the hope of a new day

"you can feed your soul

"but leave your belly rumbling,"

Scoot!

Lady?

Since there's just me and

Hillard, and you got all

these little ones,

well...

You know what to do with this?

Hillard brung it in.

It's for you.

I ain't gonna watch no babies

go hungry, now here you go on.

Here is some navy beans

and these here is ramps.

Now you can cook with these.

They put a taste in your stew.

Anyhow...

Well, I...

figure we's all in this together.

You sure got some pretty babies.

Who's your favorite pitcher?

- Hod Eller.

He's from Logan county.

You get to play ball much?

When the mines were open.

Joe...

Yeah?

You ever kill anybody?

What brought that up?

Bet Sid has.

He were in the war.

All I saw was

workers killin' workers

and it wasn't any point in it.

They thrown you in jail cause

you wouldn't go?

Them two years kept me from

killin some poor stiff that got

pushed out on a battlefield

by rich folks and politicians,

and they were worth it.

It's gettin' dark, Danny.

You better go get that coal.

You see there, right there by

the railroad trestle?

That's where Cap Hatfield

and his boy Joe Glenn

killed three men.

Boy wasn't but 13.

Used a Winchester.

You think it hurts much?

A bullet?

Beats dying in a damn coal mine.

Boy wasn't but 13 year old,

Joe Glenn.

Must be in there.

He always sleeps

with the lights on.

Just gotta be quiet is all.

- Let's get the little bastards.

- Over here.

- Grab him, cut him off.

- Well, well what we got here?

Smarts a little don't it boy?

Hillard, right?

Now, how about you

give us the names of

your ring leaders up in Logan?

Give us 5 names boy, that's all,

5 names and we'll let you go.

That's fair isn't it?

- Never.

Griggsy...

Talk to us boy.

Talk to us!

I'll rot in hell first.

- Have it your way.

Mr. Lively.

Boy, I sentence you to death

for the crime of

stealing company property

and being a dirty

bolshevist union man.

You got 10 seconds to talk.

- Talk.

- Whoo, what a smell,

Boy dirtied his diapers.

- We want names, son.

I can't,

I sworn on a bible.

- Then we're going to have

to get down to it son.

- Use the razor.

- Hold him boys.

Just a little nick, boy.

- Get it off your chest, son.

Plyant Mount, Bill Mahan,

Asa Radnor, J.T. Keadle...

5, give us 5, boy.

And Harley Shilton.

- Kill him.

NO!

So where do them

fellas he named live?

Clay Hill.

Where's that?

It's a cemetery.

Them are all fellas that was

killed in a gas fire 5-6 years ago.

Nothin' like a young boy dyin'

to stir things up.

Baldwin's coming into town

tomorrow, Kenehan.

You fellas have any idea

what's waiting for us?

You mean they didn't tell you?

No. I just seen

a line in the papers of...

...'Opportunity for

red-blooded American men...

'Immediate openings, high pay

'travel, chance for advancement.

Apply Baldwin Felts and

'write your own ticket.'

When the natives get restless

someplace they put that out.

Hook some more cannon fodder.

Ever hear of the

Hatfields and McCoys, son?

Yeah, of course I have.

This Matewan is

their stomping grounds.

They'll put a bullet in your

brain as soon as they look at ya.

Sid, we have authorization

to put these miners

off company property here in town.

Not from me you don't.

And we also go a

warrant for your arrest,

you give us any trouble.

This ain't worth sh*t

and you know it.

One way or another we're going

to carry out these evictions,

tomorrow morning.

Gentleman.

They come to kill me.

Hillard was my friend.

When I first come down to the

mines it was Hillard who'd

show me what to do.

He was a good coal miner,

a good union man.

And he always

took care of his mama.

I don't know how they could have

done him like they did.

All he wanted to do was

live decent, that's all.

Sometimes people say how God

willed it, how everything is

His plan.

Well... I don't think He planned

on Hillard a'laying here amongst

all these Elkinses.

Not this young in his life.

I think all God plans is

we get born and we

got to take it from there.

So you rest in peace, Hillard.

You rest easy cause we're going

to take up where you left off.

Amen.

You gonna tell us to turn the

other cheek, still?

Shootin' is what they want now.

Maybe it's what we want, too.

You expect too much of people, Joe.

Your still after that one big

union but most of us,

we can't see past this hollar.

I need to talk to the men.

Wouldn't be decent now.

I'll call a meeting

in the morning,

first thing.

Pass the word to stay

out from town tomorrow.

Something up?

Got a feelin'. You know

how white folks is

when they gets all excited.

Nothin's gonna bring

Hillard back you know.

Danny, I came here to help.

Sure you did.

First people come here to

help us with some money.

Next we know we got no land.

Then they say they're going

to help us with a job and

a place to live

and they stick us in some

damn coal camp

and let us dig out their mines.

Now you come here to help us

bring in the new day.

Well, Hillard ain't gonna

see no new day.

We had about as much help

as we can stand.

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote