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And the driver said,

"I don't know what you mean

"and I don't want to know."

Well, right then and there,

I knew that that fellow from the paper

was a goner.

- And he got it.

- Well, thank you.

I just spotted the prosecutor coming up,

Burt Rainey, the county prosecutor.

Ill see if we can get him to say something.

- Mr. Rainey, will you make a statement?

- No, not now.

- Your office pick up any leads?

- Wait for the inquest.

Yeah, you got evidence against the Klan?

Gonna be able to get an indictment

against the Klan?

Wait for the inquest.

- Walters get her?

- They're on their way now.

That was Burt Rainey, as much of him

as you were or were not able to hear.

Mr. Rainy makes as fine an appearance

as any other young county prosecutor,

but he was born here in Rock Point.

He's lived all his life in Rock Point.

- Move.

- That's gotta be the mystery witness now.

I wonder, could we have

your name, please?

Be careful what you say, lady.

Could you tell us if you're here

as a witness for the inquest today?

Have you been in town?

Have you seen this murder?

She's not talking to anybody.

Be a little help, will you? Please.

Im trying to do a broadcast here.

- Would you tell me just...

- Out of the way, please.

...whether you plan to testify about

the Klan activities, anything such as that?

Not smart enough to keep her mouth shut.

Apparently, that's our mystery witness.

Don't let them scare you, miss.

You got to say something, say it.

Good afternoon, miss.

Hello, Miss Mitchell.

Well, this is a day

we'll remember for a long time.

You know, these people

they don't want to do anything.

They're afraid they'll involve kinfolk

and no one wants to get mixed up

in a murder.

But Ive been plugging for so long

and this is it.

This is my chance.

All I need is your testimony.

You just tell them what you saw

and Ill do the rest.

Mrs. Adams.

Hello.

Now, let's have it quiet, please,

and we'll proceed with the inquest.

Now, gentlemen, the law says,

that a coroner's inquest shall be held

without unreasonable delay.

Ive made the autopsy.

The body has just been officially identified

by Mrs. Adams there,

wife of the deceased.

Now, will you hold up your right hands?

Right hand.

Do you swear to inquire

when, where and by what means

Walter Adams came to his death?

And to inquire into the circumstances

attending death,

and to render a true verdict thereon?

Say, "I do so swear."

- I do so swear.

- I do so swear.

- Come, come, do so swear.

- I do so swear.

Now. Now, what that all comes to

in a nutshell,

your verdict is to help the law catch

who did it

and bring him to justice.

Now, first, we've got to prove who's dead

and then why.

Now, here's my medical report.

Walter Adams.

Caucasian, male, 39-years-old, 8'...

5' 8", 163 pounds.

Cause of death:
cerebral hemorrhage

and contusions due to shotgun wounds

of the chest and head.

Deputy Sheriff, Arthur Jaeger.

Bring that chair over here, Art.

We'll use it for the witness.

Sit in it.

Now, Sheriff,

you were in charge of the jail.

Yeah, I have a taxi stand across the street

from the bus station.

You know that, Mr. Rainey.

And I suppose just before 10:00 last night

you had a call?

That's right. That's exactly right.

Ed Royle. He gave me a call last night.

He was playing poker

over at Clyde Marshall's house

with some of the boys.

And since Ed Royle

lives five miles out of town

and you were picking him up

just about 10:
00,

you couldn't possibly have been

anyplace near the jail.

That's right.

That's exactly right, Mr. Rainey.

- He's a good liar.

- Always has been.

Ever since high school.

As soon as the 10:00 bus pulled out,

I finished my work

and went straight home.

And that's all that happened.

That is, as far as I was concerned,

as far as what I know about it.

And so you closed up a few minutes

after 10:
00?

Yes, sir.

You know, of course,

that you could lose your job

- for closing up before time, don't you?

- Yes, but it was an emergency.

My wife was sick. That's the truth.

- You're sure?

- Oh, Im sure Im sure. Yes, sir.

Suppose we could prove that this killing

was planned down to the last detail.

Suppose we could prove

that someone came around early

and told you to close up.

- I tell you, I don't know anything...

- Im holding you over on a perjury charge.

We'll check on your wife

and we'll see what your doctor has to say.

- Can he do that?

- Course not.

You don't usually close your diner

until about 2:
00 in the morning, do you?

That's right, most of the time.

But last night I...

- Your wife was sick.

- Yeah.

We had an epidemic of sick wives

last night.

You know what this is?

- Buckshot.

- We took it out of Adams' body.

- Adams?

- You know who Adams was.

Yeah, that guy that was arrested

for drunk driving.

A judge and jury were going to decide

whether he was really drunk,

or whether he'd been framed.

But the mob last night was afraid to wait

for the judge and jury.

I didn't have nothing to do with it.

I ain't done nothing.

- Who told you to close up early?

- I don't know.

I mean, nobody.

I told you my wife was sick.

Ill tell you why you closed up early.

Because you were warned

to stay out of trouble.

Because you were warned

not to see anything.

That takes a certain amount of planning,

doesn't it?

That means that you

and everyone like you

can be guilty of conspiracy.

Conspiracy to murder.

Nothing's been brought out linking

the death of Walter Adams

with any group or organization.

And I bring it to your attention again,

Mr. Rainey,

your line of questioning is out of order.

What people say or think, that won't hold.

Taking it for granted is no good.

Gossip, hearsay, talk. We don't want it.

This is a coroner's inquest, Mr. Rainey.

A legal proceeding.

And we're only interested

in the legal evidence.

You got that evidence, we'll hear it.

Marsha Mitchell,

would you take the stand, please?

Miss Mitchell,

we've already offered evidence

that you arrived in Rock Point

by bus last night,

just about three minutes before

Walter Adams was dragged out of jail

and shot.

Will you tell these gentleman

in your own words what happened?

I got off the bus

and

I walked across the street to get a cab

and there wasn't any driver.

Speak up, miss. Speak up.

So I started to walk up the street and...

And...

Suddenly there was

a sound of people fighting.

And

a man...

I heard a man cry out.

And then there was a shot,

and then another shot.

Yes, yes, go on.

And then I got scared

and ran.

That's all I know.

- That's all I can tell you.

- But you saw them running away.

I...

I heard them, I didn't see them.

But you told me in my office

that you saw them.

No, you misunderstood me.

You said they were wearing hoods,

Klan robes.

Well, it was dark

and there were no streetlights.

- I couldn't see what they were wearing.

- You were close enough.

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