The Lawless Page #5

went to a dance last night

in Sleepy Hollow.

The streets aren't paved

and the people live in shacks.

When he left home

he was a good kid...

Ask his parents.

Ask his neighbours.

Ask the principal of his high school.

You can't ask his brother, because

his brother died in the Normandy beachhead.

Today he's in jail.

Today people call him

all the names in the book.

You don't know a paper that

needs a couple of guys do ya?

He's the same boy

who worked in the fields

and took his pay home

to his mother.

I think the facts will show

the only crime he's guilty of is fear.

He has no money for bail.

He has no money for a lawyer.

As editor and publisher of "The Union"

I'm raising a fund

to defend Paul Rodriguez.

I'm putting my name

on the top of the list, for $100.

Look at this!

He's taking the fruit tramp's side!

Defense fund! How do you like that?!

How do you think

he'll sell a paper?

Hey, Ed!

D'ya see this?

He's as good as called Mildred a liar.

Are you going to let him

get away with it?

Yes, this is Wilder.

Sorry you feel that way,

Mrs Mclntyre.

The telephone company

objects to profanity, madam.

Who's thanking me this time?

I am.

Take it easy!

Call my kid a liar, would you?

I didn't say Mildred lied.

I said she couldn't say what happened

because she didn't know...

She was out cold!

It ain't hard to see

why you said it!

Get out!

Look out the window...

there are a lot of guys

that feel the same way I do!

In my office is a gun

and if things get too tough,

I'll use it.

So get out!

It's in my bottom drawer

under a bottle of gin.

There's a thing called

the libel law.

If you think I'm wrong, use it.

Go on, get out!

All I could find

was a bottle of gin.

Well, give me that!

Who do ya think

you're honkin' at?

Hey, it's that Rodriguez kid's pal!

You wanna make trouble, huh?!

Hey... don't let them get away!

How do you feel, son?

Well get me somebody... anybody!

I don't care what

you think about me...

A crowd's over here,

beating up some kids!

There's a riot in the making.

I'm not telling you how to

run your department...

I'm telling you there's trouble!

You'd better take that Rodriguez boy

out of town!

Will they take him out of jail?

They are, if I have to break it down.

Now listen to me...

Stay here!

Stay off the streets!

Now you guys sure

give up easy!

They didn't do anything, anyway!

Let 'em go!

You don't care what happens

to a man's daughter, huh?

You don't want this to be a safe place

for a man's kids!

Let's go smoke 'em out...

burn their shacks!

Wait a minute!

Hang on a minute!

I know how Ed here feels,

coz I got a daughter too!

Over at the jail, there's

a sneakin' dirty criminal...

and what are they gonna do with 'im?

Maybe they'll go so far as to

slap a little fine on 'im!

And it looks like some of us

have forgotten how to be men!

Well go on home... we don't need

guys like you!

Hold it!... None of you

are going anywhere!

They're takin' him out the front!

They're gonna turn him loose!

It's because of that newspaper guy!

What'd I tell you?!

Called my kid a liar!

Let's wreck his place!

I'd have been here sooner,

but I got held up out there.

Where's your handkerchief?

Yeah, that was me

they were kicking around.

I was bringing in the afternoon collection

for this guy's fund.

Where is he?

He went to the jail.

He thinks they might go after Paul.

He sounds like

he might be a good guy.

Well, you run into one,

once in a while.

Lopo!

Lopo, don't run away.

I'm not running.

Go on home, before somebody

gets killed!

What are you waitin' for?

C'mon, let's wreck the joint!

Get out of the way!

Get out of the way, cholo, we're comin'!

Why did you stay here?

Why didn't you run?

Where to? Sleepy Hollow?

You might as well let 'em all go.

I won't file charges against them.

I won't be here to file charges...

to tell the jury what they did.

There are others, who will.

What are you hanging around for?

Are you waiting to watch me

pack up and leave?

If you are, you needn't wait,

because I'm going, so beat it!

Try and find some shame

for what you've done.

SkI!

Stop crying about it.

You'll get another job.

But I liked this one.

So did I.

Couldn't maybe

patch things up a little?

Just enough to put out

a couple of pages?

No... even if we could, I wouldn't.

I'm through.

With the newspaper game?

With small towns.

Not like I remembered 'em.

But then, I was pretty young

when I lived in one before.

You said I'd get sick of mockingbirds.

I am.

Jan Dawson said I'd end up

in a place in New York

with a stuffed fish

and a suit of armour.

But why not?

Right now I'm very fond of stuffed fish.

Goodnight, kid.

And good luck!

They really wrecked this.

You ought to see

what they did to the press.

I heard you were leaving town.

There's nothing else to do, is there?

No typewriters.

No linotype machines.

No press.

Nothing but creditors.

And you can't print a paper

with them!

No, you can't.

But I hate to see you leave.

That's something.

A lot of people will hate

to see you leave.

Thanks.

You wouldn't change your mind?

Somebody's going to put out

a newspaper here.

Yes, but not on a shoestring,

like I did.

Too easy to break the string.

Oh, I can scare up

some money.

Maybe I'll find some others

who'll scare up more.

Why do that?

I don't like what happened today.

I didn't think it could happen here.

Don't run out on us, Larry.

Get somebody else.

Here's someone wants to thank you.

I went his bond.

He's seeing my lawyer

in the morning.

Never mind.

I know what you want to say.

Come on, I'll drive you home.

No need to do that.

I'm heading that way now

to telephone to pack a bag.

If you change your mind,

drop around tomorrow.

Back there, I couldn't talk.

You said you knew

what I wanted to say.

Maybe you do.

Anyway, I'll say it now.

I had a brother once.

And when I was hiding

and you looked in at me...

I thought for a minute

you were him.

I guess it's because you got

the same thing in your eyes.

Ah, Mr Wilder... good evening.

Sonny! He's here!

Could you print a 'daily'

on this thing?

Not a very big one.

It wouldn't have to be too big.

Just big enough to say all the things

I've left unsaid.

Would you mind calling it the "Union"?

The name's about all I have left.

He wouldn't mind.

Would you show me how?

Sure.

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