The Free State of Jones Page #2

My mother's womb."

No, not my cloth!

I made that cloth!

Ma'am. Ma'am.

No! I made that cloth!

That's my loom! No! No!

Ma'am. Ma'am, stop it.

- That's for my baby!

- That's not what babies...

- we're just taking what's rightfully ours.

- Please make them stop.

You got the court order?

Yes, but...

What did the court order say?

We take 10%.

You're taking everything! Why are

you taking everything? Stop it!

They took everything

out the smokehouse.

And that ain't tax. They just ate it.

All that meal we ground.

- We'll get you more cornmeal.

- Of course we will.

Well, that ain't the point.

I grew that corn.

Everybody know

how to blow one of these?

Yes, sir.

Now, look here, they come back, blow that

as loud as you can as soon as you hear 'em.

- Yes, sir.

- I'm just over this Ridge here.

I'll be here soon.

You got any more of those?

Yeah, we need some more.

Gettin' hotter.

Let me feel him.

Come on, will.

Be a good boy.

He is a good boy. He's

just got a fever is all.

He's burnin' up.

Where you goin'?

To get a doctor.

You can't go in town.

They'll arrest you.

I'm gonna go to Sally's place,

have her fetch one.

You're going to that roadhouse?

We ain't got a doctor no more.

Doc Hacket moved to Alabama,

and Prentiss is off at the war.

Look, he's burnin' up, Sally,

and I can't go into town.

Well, there's this

creole slave over at Eakins.

Kind of healer.

I'll get George

to fetch her with a pass.

Eakins? Plantation?

She's not a field hand.

She's my house negro.

Now, you better

get out of here too.

Rebs come in here

all the time to get whiskey.

They sent me with a pass.

Yeah, yeah.

Come on.

Right this way.

He's burnin' up.

Can you help?

I'll try.

I need to boil some

water, to make a tea.

- I'll fetch you a bucket.

- I can fetch it.

No, you stay here.

I'll fetch it for you.

All right.

Uh...

He's all cool now.

Probably gonna sleep a while.

He better?

He's fine.

Oh.

That's my boy.

That's my boy.

There you are.

Hey.

Thank you.

Oh, don't have to thank me.

I got loaned to you.

No, I do. I do.

Look here,

I... I ain't got no money,

but I want you

to have this, all right?

Th-that's gold.

I can't take that.

Oh, yes, you can.

But saving a life

ain't easy, yeah?

And when you do,

it's something special.

Thank you.

Thank you.

That's kind.

Now, here.

Here's your pass.

All rise.

Court is now in session.

Case number 0646.

The state of Mississippi

v. Davis knight.

That Davis knight

did knowingly and willfully

and feloniously

violate Mississippi law

by engaging in a marital union

with one Junie Lee Spradley,

a white woman.

That as the great-grandson

of Newton knight

and a negro slave

known commonly as Rachel,

he is of at least

one-eighth negro blood,

and as such meets

the minimum standard

to be considered a colored person

in the state of Mississippi.

What happened?

They told me gather up

all the clothes and blankets.

They'd be back for 'em

in an hour.

They told me round up the

hogs and put 'em in a pen.

- Who did?

- The cavalry officer and, uh, the...

Tax agent.

Yeah.

They gonna take my hogs?

No. No, they ain't.

'Cause, uh, we got nothin'

for the winter.

They ain't gonna take your hogs.

Girls, you know

how to shoot one of these?

Hmm?

It ain't real hard. It's

just loud the first time.

Come here to me, darlin'.

Here we go. Put this

here on your right hand.

Hold it right there

with your right hand.

There you go.

You feel that?

You feel that?

How many guns you got

in the house, ma'am?

Two. Three, with a pistol.

Good. Good.

See, now, here's the trigger.

You wanna fire it, you just pull this back.

Two clicks, pull that trigger.

Boom.

All right, here they come.

You ready?

Easy, girls.

Well...

What do we have here?

Stop.

Beg your pardon?

I said stop walking.

It's quite an army

you got there.

Three little girls with guns.

Mm-hmm.

It's more like eight.

How come you ain't

up north fightin'?

How come you ain't?

'Cause I'm responsible for clothin'

and feedin' our loyal troops...

And tracking down deserters.

Nah, don't do that.

They gonna shoot me?

All's they gotta do

is go like that.

Last time I checked, the gun don't

care who's pulling the trigger.

We'll be back.

Mm-hmm.

Hold steady on 'em, girls.

Lower your guns.

- There we go. There we go.

- Good job, girls. Good job.

All right. Listen. Y'all

gonna be fine, all right?

It's me they gonna be after.

It's me they gonna be after.

They got a slave patrol, newt.

Those are n*gger dogs.

It was three little girls,

you hear? Alone.

Who ain't alone?

You think I ain't alone?

Why you always got to fight

everyone else's fight for them?

I can't do this

anymore, newt. Can't.

Buckshot, fresh powder horn.

Go! Go get him!

Yah!

Can't stay here.

First place they're gonna come.

I'll get George to take you

out in the swamp.

There's some folks

out there that can help.

Yeah. I dropped

my gun and powder.

Sounds like you had a good time.

George?

Ma'am?

He's gonna need some food.

Got it right here.

- You know what to do?

- Mm-hmm.

- Mista newt, sir?

- Mm-hmm.

Whenever you ready.

- To the swamp?

- Yes, sir.

Newt, take your time.

There you go.

Mista newt.

Sorry. Look here.

Here.

Sit here.

You'll like this better.

They'll be here for you soon.

They?

Mm-hmm.

They will be here for you soon.

Hello.

I know you.

Mm-hmm. I'm here

to show you through.

Come on.

You all right to walk?

Yeah. Just slow.

All right.

Now, walk where I walk.

Out there is deep.

Through here is shallow.

Careful now.

You got it.

Let's go.

They gonna fix you.

They runaways?

Ain't you?

Chewed up pretty bad.

Hound got him.

That's some fresh tea.

Mista newt.

Yeah. Let me see that there.

It ain't that bad.

You must be pretty brave then.

Y'all must taste like we do.

The way he latched onto you.

Just hold still now.

You'll be all right.

That's it.

Thank you, baby.

Mr. Whittington,

in your opinion,

Serena knight was no longer a resident

of Jones county, Mississippi,

by what date?

Well, roughly, the end

of 1863, early 1864,

when she moved to Georgia.

Then if Newton knight had

a child after the war...

A child to whom he gave his name...

that child could not have been...

Objection, your honor.

The witness is a census expert,

not an expert on

genealogy or paternity...

You don't have to be an expert

on much of nothin'

to know it's hard for two people to make a

baby when they're a thousand miles apart.

How you feelin'?

Better. Still a little sore,

but better.

Yeah, well, you'll be

sore for a little while.

What's your name?

Call me Moses.

Your mama name you that?

No, sir.

Picked that for myself.

Hey, you chose a good one.

Why y'all do that? Light

in a tree like that.

Hmm.

Hide the smoke. Don't go

up in a straight line.

Oh, yeah,

they're always lookin'.

We expensive.

How come they houndin' you?

'Cause I left.

Deserted.

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