Sommersby Page #6

Do you see the defendant?

Yes, sir.

Can you identify him?

Yes. His name's Horace Townsend.

WEBB:

Horace Townsend.

Uh, how do you come to know

the defendant?

He was the schoolteacher

in Redthorn for a while.

- He taught my children for a year or so.

WEBB:
Uh-huh.

Please continue, Mr. Folsom.

I don't know where he come from,

but he sweet-talked his way into the job.

He knew a lot of fancy stuff

and Greek writing and all.

Anyhow, he talked us into some scheme

to build a new schoolhouse.

We gave him everything we had

and then some. More than $1200.

He run off with every cent.

WEBB:

So, Mr. Folsom...

are you quite sure

that this man is Horace Townsend?

Oh, I'm sure. There's a whole bunch

of folks in Clark County...

be pleased to see

Yellow Horace Townsend in jail.

Uh... Thank you, Mr. Folsom. Your Honor...

FOLSOM:

Heard he moved on south...

got some girl in the family way

and ran out on her.

Joined the Army, ran out on them.

That's why they call him Yellow Horace.

At Sharpsburg,

when our boys were in a bad fix...

he ran out and left them to it.

The Yankees found him behind the bushes.

We lost track of him after that.

But I knew him as soon as I saw him.

- What you're saying is...

- What I'm saying...

is that man is a liar,

a thief and a deserter.

His name is Horace Townsend.

Thank you, Mr. Folsom.

WEBB:

Your Honor...

I believe the defense

has proven beyond a doubt...

that this is a case of wrongful arrest,

and move...

Your Honor, may I speak?

You may not.

- And move that a mistrial be declared.

- If I dismiss my attorney...

- ...may I then speak?

- You have the right to...

- You are dismissed.

- ...but I don't see why you don't need to.

On the basis of that man's testimony,

I'm about to rule on a mistrial.

Mr. Webb is trying to prove

I'm not who I am.

I don't see how I could win

anything that way.

You could win your life, sir.

Without my name, I don't think I have a life...

Your Honor.

Very well.

Continue, sir.

Thank you, Mr. Webb.

- Mr. Sommersby, I must...

- I said, thank you.

- Mr. Folsom.

- That's me.

You testified that you knew me

as soon as you saw me.

Yes.

Did we ever meet...

since the time that you said

that I lived in Redthorn?

I don't believe so.

No?

Huh.

I do believe so.

I believe the last time we met,

you were sitting on a horse...

dressed up like a bed.

Didn't you and your White Knights

burn a cross in front of my house...

and beat a black man half to death,

because he tried to farm for himself?

- I did not.

- You did not.

Didn't your leader

point a gun at me...

and say that you and your Knights...

- ...are the only law in Tennessee?

- Wouldn't know.

You don't recognize the authority

of this court at all, do you?

Which is the reason you can lie about me.

You are the liar.

The reason...

Real reason you are here...

is to stop Jack Sommersby

from selling land to a colored man...

who'd then be a property-owner

on a level with yourself.

You may go to hell, Townsend!

You will watch your tongue

in my court, Mr Folsom.

And you will watch your tongue

in my presence!

You sit up there

in judgment of nobody!

In two years,

when the Yankees are gone...

you will be back in the field

where you belong!

Quite possibly, Mr. Folsom.

But in the meantime,

you are in contempt of my court...

and I sentence you to 30 days

in county jail. Bailiff.

Sentence me?

You nappy-headed son of a b*tch!

Sixty days!

[PEOPLE CHATTERING]

- Get your hands off me!

ISAACS:
Show Mr. Folsom...

- ...the way to our uncomfortable facilities.

- You're a dead man!

The jury will disregard

the testimony of that witness.

Mr. Towns...

How shall I address you, sir?

Jack Sommersby, Your Honor.

Can you offer evidence to that effect?

How many of y'all are here

from Vine Hill?

- How many willing to swear I'm Jack?

- I will!

- I will!

- I'll swear!

[ALL CHATTERING]

We could bring them all up here,

one by one, Your Honor.

Or what we could do, if you want...

is bring Mrs. Sommersby back up here,

and find out how this thing got started.

Now, Laurel,

you really believe I'm not your husband?

- Yes, you are not.

- Mm-hm.

- But you let everybody believe that I was.

- Yes.

Why is that?

Because I guess I wanted you to be him

as much as they did.

Mm-hm. Why, Laurel?

Because I was worn out from work,

I was lonesome.

- I didn't want my son...

- You mean, our son?

No. I didn't want my son growing up

without a father.

Ah, I see. So even when I first come home,

from then, you had doubts about me?

- Yes.

- Yes.

- Because I was mean to you?

- No.

That's where you went wrong.

Jack Sommersby never said

a kind word to me in his life.

Objection, Your Honor!

Is this a court of law?

May I humbly remind you

that this is a murder trial?

And may I remind you this court

will not try a man for murder...

as long as his identity is in question.

Now, please sit down, sir.

- Please, continue, sir.

JACK:
Thank you.

But I must warn you,

you proceed at your own jeopardy.

Heh, Laurel.

I think all these people

are flat stumped right now.

These people have known you

since you was born. Haven't you?

They may not know everything

that you'd do...

but they sure as hell

know what you wouldn't.

They know you wouldn't let a man

sign contracts with them...

if he wasn't Jack Sommersby.

It wouldn't be worth the paper

it's printed on.

Meaning...

they wouldn't own anything.

[PEOPLE MUTTERING]

You thought of that?

No, I...

What about our children?

What about them?

If I wasn't Jack Sommersby...

what would that make them?

What about our little Rachel?

"Bastard" is not a very pretty word, Laurel.

Is that what you want?

No.

What about you?

You think you can just go home now

with your illegitimate child...

and your thief lover...

and tell all these good folks...

you've been lying to them this whole year?

I think they know you better.

Maybe they don't know me

as well as they think.

Well...

Ha, ha. Now nobody knows either one of us.

Twist this around as much as you want...

but you and I both know you are not Jack.

Well everybody here knows who I am.

I know who I am. The only people

who don't are you and Orin.

[SCOFFS]

You make some kind of a deal with Orin?

Don't be ridiculous.

This man shows up here...

with a skunk in a sheet...

telling everybody I'm not who I am.

What does he expect in return?

Stop this.

You stop it! Tell me,

what'd you promise him?

I promised him everything would be

the way it was before you came.

Mm-hm.

Everything would be the way it was before.

Except you'd be promised to a man...

you don't love.

And I would be some piece of scum

named Horace Townsend...

probably serving a few years for fraud.

At least you wouldn't hang.

I wouldn't have to. I'd be dead already.

You care for me, Laurel?

- Yes, of course I do.

- Then why are you doing this?

Because you are not Jack Sommersby.

- How do you know?

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