Young Mr. Lincoln Page #6

- Anything the matter with "John P".?

- No, but -

- Has J. Palmer Cass anything to conceal?

- No.

Then what do you part your name

in the middle for?

I got a right to call myself anything I please,

as long as it's my own name.

Well, if it's all the same to you,

I'll just call you Jack Cass.

- Quiet! Quiet! Quiet!

- Your Honor!

- Quiet! Quiet! Quiet!

- Your Honor!

Your Honor, I object to

this ridiculous line of questioning.

Mr. Lincoln's clownishness

may win him a laugh from his friends...

but I assure him

his entire game of buffoonery...

is lost on this intelligent jury.

Stick to the point, Mr. Lincoln.

I'll do my best, Your Honor.

Well,J. Palmer Cass...

you said you and Scrub White

had a little argument.

- Yeah.

- Jackass. I just got it.

What kind of an argument?

I'd rather not say.

Oh, you'd rather not say.

Well, Jack, suppose I told you

I'd rather you did say.

All right.

You wanna know, so I'll tell you.

We was arguing about politics.

Well, that's something new

to argue about.

I've found out a lot different since...

but I said I figured you had more sense

in politics than Steve Douglas...

and Scrub got mad as a wet hen

and said you didn't.

Well, Mr. Cass, I reckon

we can let all you said go in...

till we've heard from my side.

Step down.

May it please the court...

the next witness for the State is not,

in the strictest sense...

a witness for the prosecution.

However, in the interest of mercy

as well as justice...

the State desires, at this time,

to call upon an eyewitness...

to the killing of Scrub White.

- Mrs. Abagail Clay.

- Mrs. Clay.

- Don't let 'em.

- Tell 'em I did it.

- Matt!

- Mrs. Clay.

Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth,

the whole truth and nothing but the truth,

so help you God?

The Bible.

Say, "I do".

- I do.

- Take the stand.

You are the mother

of Adam and Matt Clay, aren't you?

You love your boys, don't you?

And you would like to save their lives,

if you could.

I'm sure you would, Mrs. Clay.

You were present the night

Scrub White was killed, weren't you?

I saw them fighting.

No, no. Don't be afraid of me,

Mrs. Clay.

I'm not a bloodthirsty man.

I have no desire to see you

lose your two boys.

In fact,

no man could wish that less.

So, on behalf of the great state

of Illinois...

on behalf of the People...

I am prepared to offer you

the life of one of your sons...

provided you tell us

which one of your boys...

stabbed and killed Scrub White.

Don't prompt her, Mr. Lincoln.

Let her answer.

I can't.

Mrs. Clay, you believe in God?

You believe that if you take

a sacred oath in the sight of God...

and on his holy Bible...

that you are bound to speak the truth?

Yes, but I can't.

I just can't!

Mrs. Clay, do you appreciate...

the grave situation

your two boys are in?

Don't you know that, under the law...

they are equally guilty of murder...

that, under the law,

they may both be hanged for it?

But I can't tell you,

and you can't make me!

Don't you understand?

I am offering you

the life of one son.

Take it and tell us which boy

killed Scrub White.!

No.

No!

No!

Don't you know this court

can make you answer my question?

Don't you know that you can

be sent tojail yourself?

That shielding a criminal...

makes you an accessory

to that crime?

That by your mistaken affection...

you are deliberately

sending both boys...

to the gallows?

- Don't you know -

- That's enough of that.

Your Honor, I protest against

the prosecution's attempt...

to force this woman to decide

which one of her two sons shall live...

and which shall die.

In her eyes,

these boys hold an equal place.

Perhaps if my learned friend...

knew more of the law -

I may not know so much

of law, Mr. Felder...

but I know what's right

and what's wrong...

and I know what you're asking is wrong.

Put yourself

in this woman's place, Your Honor.

Can you truthfully say

you'd do differently?

But look at her. She's - She's just

a simple, ordinary country woman.

She can't even write her own name.

Yet has she no feelings, no heart?

I've seen Abagail Clay exactly

three times in my life, gentlemen...

and yet I know everything

there is to know about her.

I know her because I've seen...

hundreds of women just like her...

working in the fields, kitchens...

hovering over

some sick and helpless child.

Women who say little,

but do much...

who ask for nothin'

and give all.

And I tell you

that such a woman...

will never answer the question

that's been put to her here.

Never.

I'd rather, Mrs. Clay,

see you lose both your boys...

than to see you break your heart trying

to save one at the expense of the other.

So don't tell him.

May it please the court.

To save the jury any more

of these harrowing outbursts...

the State will withdraw the question...

and excuse the witness.

No doubt Mr. Lincoln

will be glad to hear...

that she was not

the only eyewitness...

to the murder of Scrub White.

Recall Palmer Cass to the stand.

Mr. Cass...

where were you

when Scrub White was killed?

I was about a hundred yards away,

I reckon.

And you saw the killing

with your own eyes?

Yes, sir. I - I did.

Quiet.! Quiet.!

Order.!

Why didn't you

tell us this before?

Nobody asked me.

Have you told anybody else about this?

- No, sir.

- Why not?

Well, I -

I just didn't want to help

get nobody hung, that's all.

And that was your only reason -

this natural reluctance...

against being a party

to any man's hanging?

- Yes, sir.

- Why do you tell us now?

Well, I- I just began to realize...

that if I don't tell,

maybe both of'em will get hung.

Mr. Cass.

How could you see so clearly...

from a distance of a hundred yards

at 11:
00 at night?

Well, it was moon bright.

- Moon bright.

- Yes, sir.

Then you clearly saw which boy...

pulled the knife?

Yes, sir. I did.

The defendants will stand up.

Now, Mr. Cass, tell us.

Which defendant stabbed

and killed Scrub White?

- It was the bigger of the two.

- That ain't so!

Hush.

Adam! Matt!

Quiet! Quiet!

Order.!

Quiet, quiet.!

- Clear the court!

- Your Honor, the State rests its case.

Quiet! Quiet!

This court is adjourned

till tomorrow morning at 9:00.

Sheriff, take the prisoners away.!

That's mighty pretty, Matt.

Sorry, folks.

You'll have to leave now.

We've all got a long, hard day

ahead of us tomorrow.

You were discussing

your political plans, Mr. Douglas.

Please go on.

Good evening, Judge.

Doggone it!

Lincoln, this is against

all my principles...

but I want to talk to you

as an older man.

Go ahead, Judge. I'm listenin'.

What I mean to say,

uh, dag-blame it, is...

don't you think you ought to have

some older lawyer with more experience...

to help you out tomorrow?

Are you suggesting that I retire, Judge,

or just take a backseat?

I'm suggesting, that is, if you want me to,

I'll speak to Mr. Douglas...

and get him to act

in a sort of advisory capacity.

I'm sorry, Judge, but I -

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