Murder in the First Page #3

The store also doubled

as the town's post office.

Henri was tried and convicted

of the federal crime of mail robbery.

Henri's sister was taken

to live in an orphanage.

He would never see her again.

Eleven years later,

Henri would kill Rufus McCain.

Mr. Young, you went and killed a guy...

...so you're not catatonic.

So I know that you can talk.

Or at least, I don't know...

...maybe you could write something,

huh?

You wanna write something? Write here.

Something. Just...

Look, you wanna give it a try?

You wanna write?

Just something, please.

Mr. Young, you're looking at me.

You hear me, don't you?

If you don't wanna answer my questions,

maybe we can start with something else.

What do you want, Mr. Young?

There has to be something.

It can't be to sit there, because if you do,

they're gonna stick you in the gas chamber.

Do you understand that?

Look...

...Mr. Young, I've read your file.

I am trying to help you.

That's all I'm trying to do.

I just want to help you.

Maybe there are extenuating circumstances

in your case.

Getting sentenced to Leavenworth

for stealing $500, that's extenuating.

Now, isn't it?

Look, Mr. Young, you have to understand,

I'm on your side.

- Five dollars.

- What, Mr. Young?

It was $5, not $500.

Bingo. I knew you had it in you.

Now, come on, Mr. Young...

...why did you kill Rufus McCain?

Come on, come on. You just talked.

Don't do this again.

Come on. No, no, don't quit now.

Come on, you just talked.

Why did you kill McCain?

Huh?

What? Huh?

- What are you saying?

- How?

How? How? How?

Are you saying "how"?

- How.

- How...

- How?

- How...

- How...

- How...

How. What are you, a f***ing Indian?

Come on, don't quit now. How what?

- How is?

- How is... How is...

You wanna know how somebody is?

I'll find out.

How is...

- Who? How?...

...DiMaggio.

DiMaggio. How is DiMaggio?

What, is he a prisoner over at Alcatraz?

How is DiMaggio doing this year?

DiMaggio, the baseball player?

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

How is Joe DiMaggio doing this year?

That's what you're asking me?

Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Mr. Young...

...I don't really follow baseball.

You know?

Excuse me, Mr. McNeil?

I'm James Stamphill.

Yes?

- I'm counsel for Henri Young?

- Yes.

I was wondering if I could talk to you

about a continuance?

- No.

- You don't understand.

He just sits. I can't get him to speak.

Maybe he's practicing for the gas chamber.

Tell him to take deep breaths.

Heh. Seriously, you won't even consider

a joint motion in the interest of justice?

- Are you old enough to be a lawyer?

- Yes, sir, I am.

No joint motion for a continuance...

...no psychiatrist,

and trust me, pal, no plea bargain.

Your boy's gonna suck the pipe.

I don't know who you pissed off...

...to get this piece-of-sh*t case

and I don't care. No breaks.

Mr. Young, DiMaggio is having

a great year.

Last year, he was American League

batting champ with a.352 average...

...which was just a little bit off the year

before when he had a.381 average.

Now, the Yankees,

they too had a good year. Uh...

"New York defeats Chicago 4-0,

led by jolting Joe DiMaggio hitting.400."

Four hundred. That's pretty good,

isn't it?

June 17, 1941...

...our friend DiMaggio hits safely

in 32 straight games.

Twelve more and he will tie the record

held by Wee Willie Keeler...

...who set the mark in 1897

for the Baltimore Orioles.

Joe Louis emerges the victor

in what some consider to be...

...the toughest win of his career.

Here we go.

Here's some entertainment news.

Betty Grable. See?

It says here, she, uh...

She finished filming...

- How old are you?

- What, Mr. Young?

How old are you?

Uh, me, I'm 24.

I think I am too.

No, you're, uh...

You're 28.

Mr. Young?

Would you like me

to keep reading to you?

Henri?

This ought to make you

a little bit more comfortable, Henri.

First, the defense requests a new jury.

Having been eliminated from this process...

Three new members.

And that's it. Next?

Your Honor, the defense respectfully

requests a continuance of 60 days...

...so I may confer with my client.

- Your Honor, he doesn't need 60 days.

The facts in this case are so clear,

six minutes would do it.

My client has been almost catatonic

since I met him.

- Yesterday was the first day...

- He wasn't so catatonic...

...that he couldn't walk over and

slit a guy's throat in front of 200 witnesses.

Mr. Stamphill, is it your contention

that the defendant is insane?

Is that what you mean by "catatonic"?

Approach the bench, counselor.

Is this laying the groundwork...

...for a "not guilty by reason

of insanity" plea?

I don't know yet.

I haven't even spoken

to him about the case.

- The first I've got...

One week, counselor.

Then you will either come in

and tell me you are ready to come to trial...

...or you will come in here with a request

for a competency hearing.

But, Your Honor...

- One week.

This court is in recess.

Mr. Young, you and me,

we've gotta talk now.

Would you like a cigarette?

No, thanks.

That sh*t will kill you.

That's kind of funny.

That sh*t will kill you.

I'm gonna die in that gas chamber anyway,

so that's kind of a joke, huh?

What's this about Nazis? We at war?

No, not yet, Mr. Young.

- t's brand-new.

- What?

- Mr. Glenn told me.

- The associate warden?

He says it's brand-new.

He said they're gonna try it out on me.

No.

Henri, you only have a week.

You've got to talk to me. Okay?

Why did you kill Rufus McCain?

Henri, why did you kill Rufus McCain?

How?

How could you not know about baseball?

You said, "I don't follow baseball."

- How could you not?

- Why'd you kill Rufus?

Over and over, it must have been

maybe a year, maybe more, I don't know.

All I did was hear them in my head.

What? What are you talking about?

Are you talking about McCain?

I'm talking about baseball.

I'm talking about

the great American pastime.

I went over every game

I ever heard on the radio.

I mean, I went over every game

I ever heard.

Just playing them over and over

in my head.

You had all those games to go to

and you didn't even care.

Henri, I'm talking about Rufus McCain.

And I'm talking about three f***ing years

they had me in that bucket!

Three f***ing years!

Without any f***ing light even!

You had all those games to listen to!

You don't even know

what DiMaggio hit this year.

What kind of a**hole are you?

Calm down, boy.

Do you know the average length

of time an inmate would be in solitary?

Nineteen days.

I understand, but he killed a man.

Young did more than three years.

- Three years in total darkness.

That's tragic, but he took a life.

Your brother's gonna tell you

you're not gonna get him off.

My brother is the best lawyer

I know. Somebody to tell me...

...we've got a chance

for some kind of insanity plea.

Your brother's not gonna give a damn.

Your client is a two-time loser.

This case is much more

about you than him.

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