The Prisoner of Shark Island Page #2

the room for a minute?

- Why?

Because your grandpa says so!

Ha, ha, ha.

- "Ha, ha" you! Now run along.

- Shoo, shoo.

- Yes, "shoo, shoo" to you.

- Shoo, shoo.

Get- Get out of here!

Well, what-what-

what about Rosabelle?

Rosabelle's gonna have a baby.

Eh, uh-

Igad, how many is that?

- She say 12.

- Twelve! Eh-

Igad. What's Rosabelle trying to do,

start a whole new generation by herself?

- Janglin' them bells when you're

trying to eat your breakfast!

Uh-Yankees! Igad!

Wait! Sorry, sir, but

is this Dr. Mudd's home?

It is!

- Igad!

- Where is Dr. Mudd?

- Who wants to know?

- Lieutenant Lovell, United States Army.

I am Dr. Mudd's father-in-law...

Colonel Jeremiah Milford Dyer...

Confederate States Army, sir.

- Yes, uh-

- Well, then maybe you'll help us, sir.

We're looking for two men who passed

through this part of Maryland last night.

One of them was hurt.

Had a bad leg- broken probably.

Did you see or hear

anything of them?

If you will order that animal

to keep his filthy Yankee nose out

of my affairs, I may answer you.

Oh, wait outside,

Sergeant- in front.

Have you ever heard

of John Wilkes Booth?

Never.

- He's quite a well-known actor.

- An act-

Igad, sir.

I leave actors to women.

Rockaby, little baby

There were an old woman

who lived in a shoe.

She had so many children,

she didn't know what to do.

So she spanked them

and put them to bed.

Howdy, little Johnny Reb.

What do you call that?

- That's my dolly's carriage.

That's the first time I ever saw

a dolly's carriage with a spur on it.

Now, look.

You've broken my dolly!

Ah, we can fix that. Here.

Ah, I've done this lots of times.

This'll be easy.

And if I had my way, igad...

I'd line up every dad-blamed

official of the North, sir...

and have them shot!

Yes, sir.

Have them shot!

And are these the sentiments

of your son-in-law?

My son-in-law, sir, is a Southerner.

Then with your permission,

Colonel, or without it...

we'll wait here for him.

- Uh-

- Colonel!

Stay here...

and sit down.

You colored brothers

have got to realize...

that you're no longer slaves!

You're free men, and you're as good

as any white man in the state of Maryland!

The right to vote is yours,

and it's up to you to take it!

- Whoa.

- Don't let him think he can scare you.

- You're just as good as he is,

as good as any white man!

- Wait a minute.

Who gave you permission to come on my land

and take my hands away from their work?

You can't bluff me, Mudd!

You're a slaver, and you always have been!

Are you gonna get off my place,

or do you wanna be thrown off?

These colored men are my friends.

- Go on. Throw him off.

- Get back! Keep away!

Don't you dare lay your black hands

on a white man!

Why, Captain, you just been telling us

we's as good as you is.

Hey, Buck! Buck!

Come here.

Yes, sir, Marse Sam.

Get back to your cabin.

Rosabelle's baby's born.

Is she, sir?

Well, what kind I got this time, sir?

A fine-lookin' boy.

Strong as a bull.

Come on. Giddyap.

I vow and do declare!

Another boy!

That Rosabelle sure do have a lot of children,

don't she, Marse Sam?

Do you hear that, mule?

Well, whose big girl is this

coming to meet her daddy, huh?

It's Martha!

But, honey, you-you've been crying.

Wait a minute.

Who made my big girl cry?

The soldier broke my dolly. See?

Why, darling, no, no.

There aren't any soldiers around here.

You oughta know that.

Peggy! Oh, Peggy!

- Good morning.

- Good mornin' nothin'!

Don't speak to the filthy

Yankee hounds, igad!

Come bustin' in a man's home

here when he's eating his vittles.

- Dr. Mudd?

- Yes?

Do you know John Wilkes Booth?

Why, I've seen him. L-Yes,

I've seen him on a stage in Washington.

Would you recognize him

if you saw him on the street?

Why, I suppose so.

Yes, yes, I believe I would.

- Was he here last night?

- Of course not.

Bring Mrs. Mudd down.

Here, if you harm my-

Say, what's the meanin' of all this?

You can't even guess,

I suppose, huh?

Sam! What does this mean?

What are they going to do?

- Now will you be good enough to tell us?

- Certainly.

Dr. Mudd is under arrest

for conspiracy...

in the assassination

of President Abraham Lincoln.

If this court

don't have the courage...

to hang these murderers

of Abraham Lincoln...

- we'll hang 'em!

Let's get 'em now!

Burn the traitors!

Burn 'em!

- Go! Grab 'em-

Gentlemen, Mr. Erickson,

the assistant secretary of war.

Good morning, gentlemen.

I suppose you all realize...

that as members of the court-martial

for the trial of the conspirators...

in the assassination

of our beloved president...

you have on your souls

a grave responsibility.

We realize it very deeply,

Mr. Secretary.

The object of this trial

is not to determine the guilt or innocence...

of a handful of rebels...

but to save this country

from further bloodshed.

The solemn truth, gentlemen, is...

that the federal union

is on the verge of hysteria.

That is why the trial of these conspirators

has been placed in your hands...

rather than

in a civil court-

because men of the sword

can be hard...

and hardness is all that can save this country

from riots, mob rule...

even a resumption of the war itself.

- Have you any suggestions, sir?

- Two, to help you to be hard.

First, you must not allow your judgment

and decision in this case...

to be troubled by any trifling

technicalities of the law...

or any pedantic regard...

for the customary rules of evidence.

Second, and most important...

you must not allow yourself

to be influenced...

by that obnoxious creation

of legal nonsense- reasonable doubt.

- Is that clear?

- Yes, it's clear.

Briefly...

the voice of this court

has got to be the voice of the people.

Before you start,

I want you to hear that voice.

Listen to it.

Bring the prisoners.

Prisoners to the bar.

This court is now in session.

- Mr. President.

- The Judge Advocate General.

The death of John Wilkes Booth...

who was shot down

while resisting arrest in Virginia...

has left us eight members...

of his criminal band.

So, in the name of the government

of the United States...

the crime of assassination

and conspiracy...

to assassinate Abraham Lincoln...

then-president

of the United States...

is charged against

the following:

David E. Herold...

Lewis Payne...

George A. Atzerodt...

Michael O'Laughlin...

Edward Spangler...

Samuel Arnold...

Mrs. Mary E. Surratt-

- And Dr. Samuel A. Mudd.

Dr. Mudd?

I'm General Ewing.

With your permission,

I should like to act as your counsel.

Thank you, General.

Thank you.

We'll fight together now,

as we once fought each other.

With the permission of the court...

we will begin the cases in order.

We will start with the charge

against George A. Atzerodt.

Uh-

But isn't there any kind of news

you can give us about- about Dr. Mudd?

That's all they're gonna tell, lady-

just what you see on the board.

That's War Department's orders.

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