"EZRA:" "That woman's deviousness knows no bounds." "First, she purchases this lovely establishment..." "... rightoutfromunderme, and now she sashays into town..." "... andsellsit  to those unfortunate scoundrels..." "... atthefirstwhiffoffilthylucre." "[LAUGHS]" "Well, this is a fine deal, Mr. Brown." "We can still drink here, right?" "Hello, boys." "Mary." "Ezra, may I speak to you for a moment?" "Of course." "I just got this wire from a certain Preston Wingo." "He owns the Cattle Baron Hotel over in Snellville." "It concerns your mother." "Oh, Mother?" "Are you familiar with a gentleman by the name of Preston Wingo?" "I know a fat little weasel called Preston Wingo." "What about him?" "Well, this Wingo has slandered you." "Mary just received a telegraph..." "... claimingthatyouabsconded with a pair of diamond cuff links." "He's demanding you be jailed until he arrives." "Jailed?" "I'm no thief." "Yes, of course not..." "... butunfortunately, the burden of proof is on you." "Now, I would suggest that Mary search your bag..." "... justsoyoumightacquityourself of these ridiculous charges." "MARY:" "Sorry, Maude." "This is so tiresome." "My own son." "Looks like Mr. Wingo was wrong." "Satisfied?" "That satchel has a false lid." "Go on, look." "Somebody put those there." "I am innocent." "Well, I am afraid we are left no choice." "J.D., will you assist me in escorting Mrs. Standish to the jail?" "Ezra, she's your mother." "EZRA:" "Now, you'll have to forgive the appearance..." "... butthemaidquit." "How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child." "I'm cruel, only that I may be kind, mother." "After all, you should know better than to steal." "You know, perhaps some time spent behind bars will be instructional." "Preston Wingo put those cuffs links in my bag." "He's blackmailing me." "Now, why on Earth would he wanna do that?" "MAUDE:" "It's none of your business." "Come on, judge wants us to ride." "Well, sleep tight." "Don't let the... ." "Well, you know the rest." "What appears to be the trouble?" "chris:" "This boy just brought us a message from Judge Travis." "He's over in Eagle Bend trying a colored man for murder." "They're too het up for a fair trial." "Judge wants us to bring the prisoner back." "All of us?" "Yeah." "Must be somebody famous." "Name's Obediah Jackson." "Chris, let me see that." "What's wrong, Nathan?" "Somebody you know?" "He's my father." "Hyah!" "NATHAN:" "How much further to Eagle Bend?" "Town's just over that rise." "We should take a look before we ride in." "[chattering ]" "Can't do this, sheriff." "No disrespect, judge, but this is my town." "Looks like a hanging party." "Let me see." "To the right of the water tower." "NATHAN:" "That's my father." "Now, hold on, Nathan." "No sense riding into a lynch mob without a plan." "Let's do this together." "Come on." "Enough of this." "We don't need a trial." "Let's go." "Somebody grab some rope and tie up his hands." "The man deserves a trial." "l can walk. I'm a free man." "Yeah, you're free to swing." "Get a rope." "Tie up his hands." "I did my best to stop them, Judge Travis." "Now, I can see that, Litefoot." "stains:" "Come on, let's go, boys." "Stand him up." "No, bring him on this mule." "Come on, get him up there." "Come on, get up there." "It's your last ride." "There, boy." "That's it." "That's right." "You get to go see the Lord." "All right, get the rope up over there." "Get up there." "All right." "[whistles]" "Hyah, hyah, hyah!" "Maybe you'd like to apologize for killing that white man." "[GUNSHOT]" "Hyah, hyah!" "[GLASS shattering ]" "Glad to see you, boys." "I know who you seven sons of bitches are." "You're not gonna get away with this." "Right this way, gentlemen." "Yes, ma'am." "I think I brought everything you asked for." "MAUDE:" "Oh, thank you, Mary." "MARY:" "I just hope it's not too terrible for you in here." "MAUDE:" "Don't fret, honey." "Wherever I go is home sweet home to me." "Just put that over in the corner, sugarplum." "MARY:" "You can put these down." "Thanks." "Maude, why would that man put his cuff links in your bag?" "Oh, men are such desperate creatures." "When they don't get what they want, they do foolish things." "Ain't that the truth." "[wheezing ]" "[OBEDlAH coughing ]" "[NATHAN sobbing ]" "Daddy." "Daddy." "It's good to see you." "It's good to see you too." "I went looking for you after the war." "Daddy, where'd you go?" "lt don't matter now." "What were you doing in that town?" "Coming to find you." "You wanna fill us in, judge?" "A white man was found beaten to death." "He had an altercation with Mr. Jackson in front of witnesses." "After they found the body..." "... theystoppedMr.Jackson when he was riding out of town." "When I realized how angry they were, I moved the trial." "That's why I sent for you." "And they decided to lynch my defendant." "Daddy, let's ride." "Let's get the hell out of here." "We can go to Mexico." "travis:" "No, son, you can't do that." "He's a territorial prisoner waiting for trial." "I can't let my father hang for something he didn't do." "l promise you a fair trial." "With all due respect..." "... howmanyNegroesgonnabe on that jury?" "That's enough, Nathan." "Ain't nothing more important to me than being a free man." "And there's one thing every free man gets in America..." "... andthat'shisday incourt." "I want mine." "Come on, Dad." "LlTEFOOT:" "Afternoon, gentlemen." "I'm James Litefoot." "travis:" "Where the blazes did you come from?" "Judge Travis, I know you have a low opinion of me..." "... butthetruthofthematteris..." "... nobodybutyourprofessionalshootists could have stopped Sheriff Stains today." "Every man in this territory has a right to a fair trial." "I couldn't agree more." "Which is why I have been retained by the good people of Eagle Bend..." "... toprosecutethiscrime." "Hell you will." "Crime was committed in Eagle Bend, Your Honor." "It's their right." "Now, a sizable contingent of citizens from Eagle Bend..." "... willbeheretoattendthetrial." "My strong advice, sir, would be to appoint some of them to the jury." "It would be not only prudent, but fair." "Fair?" "They was gonna hang that man without a trial." "All right, Litefoot." "You're appointed prosecutor." "Tell Sheriff Stains I'll pick some people for the jury from Eagle Bend." "It's unorthodox, but I want this trial to be fair for everyone." "You can also tell the sheriff we're on the job here." "That he will, gentlemen." "That he will." "Good day." "Can I have a cell like that?" "Ma'am." "Nathan." "Ma'am." "l'll get you some blankets." "Make it real comfortable for you." "Daddy?" "Daddy, you all right?" "Fine. I'm fine." "Look at you." "Grown into a fine man." "After I knew you made it north..." "... Iusedto dreamaboutyou..." "... livingasafreeman." "Daddy, you didn't have to stay." "You could have come with me." "I would have slowed you down." "You, uh, want some supper?" "After a while." "All right." "How's he holding up?" "Same as he always was." "They wanna lock him up, he says, "Yes, sir, lock me up. "" "They wanna put him on trial, he says, "Yes, sir, put me on trial. "" "He'd help tie the noose if they asked him to." "He's your father." "What's the matter with you?" "When I was about 7 years old..." "... ourownersdecidedtosell him and us kids away from our mother." "Put us on a wagon and we ended up going to Alabama." "She stayed behind in Georgia." "And after a while, he had told me that she died." "Now, I was just a little boy at the time, but all that time..." "... Iwaitedforhim tofind away  to keep our mother with us..." "... oruswithher ." "But he never said one word." "He didn't do anything." "He didn't argue, he didn't even beg." "He didn't put up one damn ounce of fight to keep our family together." "Harsh." "He should have done something." "What are you doing with all that string?" "Keeping my mind busy." "What's a white lady doing in jail?" "My own son locked me up." "Sometimes they don't rightly appreciate what you do for them." "Truer words were never spoken." "[EZRA chuckling ]" "Well, well." "My, my." "It's a touch baroque, but I like what you've done with the place." "What do you want?" "EZRA:" "Hmm." "Perhaps I could be persuaded to act as your advocate." "You?" "[LAUGHS]" "You're the one who had me locked up." "I don't find your story compellingly truthful." "Well, I don't care what you think." "I know I'm innocent." "All right, suit yourself." "Holler if you change your mind." "[EZRA chuckling ]" "The judge says one of us needs to represent my father." "I don't think it should be me." "Chris?" "What?" "Hell, Nathan, you know Chris don't say more than three words in a day." "My apologies, Nathan, but I have legal issues of my own to deal with." "That's all right, Ezra." "I wasn't thinking about asking you." "Well, what you need is an honest, well-spoken..." "... handsomemanforthisjob." "Fine, I'll do it." "Ain't nobody gonna listen to a youngster." "Buck, you see a pretty girl in that courtroom, you're gonna be:" "I was thinking about Vin." "I get too nervous in front of a crowd." "What about Josiah?" "He studied Cherokee law." "That should count for something." "And he's got a suit." "Josiah." "Would you do this for me?" "Nathan." "I'd be honored." "What in the hell kind of sissy rig is that?" "Well, evening, boys." "Mrs. Standish in there, I hope." "You must be Mr. Wingo." "wingo:" "My reputation has preceded me." "Happy to hear that." "Oh." "Maudie." "Oh, Maudie, light of my life." "You skunk." "You're a beautiful woman, Maudie." "And even more beautiful when there's fire in your eyes." "You put those cuff links in my bag, didn't you?" "Admit it." "Say the word and I'll set you free." "Never." "When as in silks my Maudie goes" "Don't try to sweet-talk me." "Then methinks how sweetly flows" "You tell these people I didn't take your cuff links and get me out of here." "Then when I cast my eyes and see" "Quit it, I hate that poem." "That brave vibration each way free" "Ezra, make him leave." "Oh, no, this is beautiful." "God, I can't bear it." "Maudie, I've substituted your lovely name for Julia's." "I don't think Robert Herrick would have minded." "Get out." "lf l can't have you, then the jailer can." "Uh." "[WlNGO LAUGHS]" "Hot-blooded, passionate." "What a woman." "Maudie." "My, my." "I don't know how you manage to resist such a display of ardor." "stains:" "We'll bear witness." "We'll be on the jury." "Mr. Litefoot here is gonna look after our interests here at Eagle Bend." "You have entrusted me with this case..." "... andsoIguaranteetoyourightnow that this man will be convicted." "And hung, or" "Or you get your money back." "All right, let's ride." "Your name..." "... Obediah." "Obediah was a, uh, prophet of God." "He predicted the downfall of the Edomites." "The Edomites were an arrogant people." "They thought they were better than everybody." "They tried to destroy Obediah's people, but-- lt didn't work." "Obediah's people rose up." "Justice was served." "Anything you wanna tell me before we go to trial?" "No, sir." "This Obediah just wants his day in court." "You tell a story like that, Josiah..." "... you'lldojustfine." "EZRA:" "Josiah." "So you have any biblical parables on hand for unrepentant grifters?" "No." "Someone here to see you." "travis:" "Mrs. Standish, I presume." "l'm Judge Travis." "My goodness." "You are even more impressive than your reputation." "Yeah?" "Well... ." "My daughter-in-law believes that Mr. Wingo's charges may be false." "I wanna know why Mr. Wingo would cause..." "... hisproperty to be discovered on you." "Well?" "What will happen to me if I'm found guilty?" "Are you saying the charges are true?" "Definitely not." "travis:" "Madam, get yourself in hand." "Mr. Jackson's going on trial for murder." "I don't have any time for horseplay." "Mr. Wingo is adamant that you stole his property." "And you are equally adamant that you did not." "I wanna know the truth, and I wanna know it quickly." "Ezra, are you acting as my attorney or not?" "Not so long as you leave me in the dark." "Ezra, take care of this." "I got a trial to convene." "Good day." "My, my, my, judge." "You are the handsomest man I've ever met." "Hasn't anybody ever told you that?" "Why, you're the first prisoner." "Excuse me." "Why are you protecting that darkie?" "You ever heard of something called a fair trial?" "My family pulled up roots in Pennsylvania." "We spent every dime we had on a plantation in South Carolina." "My father, my brothers, died in the war." "I come back home to find..." "... scalawagsandfreeNegroes had stole my land." "Where's my fair trial?" "Sheriff Stains... ." "... Idon'tgiveadamn aboutyourpast." "You're in our town now." "I heard you're fast." "I heard that too." "All right, Moth" " Ma'am..." "... IbroughtMr.Wingo." "We'reallgonna sit down and work this out." "Over my dead body." "That can be arranged." "Come along." "Oh, good day, beautiful Maudie." "You corpulent cockroach." "That's enough." "You claim Mr. Wingo put those cuff links in your bag." "True?" "He put them there so I'd agree to marry him." "Blackmail, Mr. Wingo?" "No, no, she stole them." "If she'd marry me, I'd agree to forget the thing." "Preston, I don't wanna marry you." "Why, Maudie?" "You know I love you." "Because I've been married five times." "I just don't wanna do it again." "I don't like being tied down, treated like a servant." "I would never treat you that way, Maudie." "Never ever." "Would you be willing to put that in writing?" "If it meant Maudie would marry me, yes, I would." "What's this?" "Judge doesn't allow any firearms in court." "Well, if you're gonna wear them, I'm gonna wear them." "travis:" "The United States Territorial Circuit Court is now in session." "In the matter of The people v. Obediah Jackson  howdoesthedefendantplead?" "Not guilty, Your Honor." "[MEN BOOlNG ]" "[JUDGE BANGS GAVEL]" "Mr. Litefoot, you may make your opening statement." "[CLEARS THROAT]" "Your Honor..." "... gentlemenofthejury." "Today, you will judge a murder." "A murder so depraved..." "... thatallmenofconscience must cry out for justice." "The people will prove that one Obediah Jackson, a Negro..." "... notoftheseparts..." "... did,withmaliceaforethought..." "... beatuntothedeath..." "... abelovedcitizenofEagleBend,  Mr. Jonah Catchings." "Gentlemen, such a crime must be punished to the limits of our laws..." "... whichinthiscasecompelus to demand..." "... alife..." "... fora life." "[APPLAUDlNG ]" "[GAVEL BANGS]" "Mr. Sanchez, do you have an opening statement?" "A, uh... ." "A great..." "... Cherokeeshaman once said to me:" ""To cross a mountain..." "... youmustfirstwalkupto it ."" "I think that explains..." "... whatweareall doinghere today." "Come on, Josiah, get good." "Old Jonah dragged him off his horse and throwed him down." "Then the Negro followed him down the street." "That's when he killed him." "So you... ." "You actually saw him do it?" "No, sir." "I come around the comer by the feed lot and there was Jonah." "His face was mushed in and there was blood all over." "He was deader than a hammer." "Did you see the murder take place?" "I'd have said so, wouldn't I?" "That's when I seen that fella there galloping out of town." "I drawed down on him and I told him to halt." "There was blood on his hands." "I didn't see it happen neither." "Sit down." "Gentlemen of the jury, consider the facts here." "Strange man, covered in blood, racing away from the scene of the crime." "I don't know about you, but I don't need no eyewitness to make sense of this." "Obediah Jackson is a murderer!" "MEN:" "Yes, he is." "All right, save it, Litefoot." "The people rest, Your Honor." "MAN:" "Put him in the ground." "[APPLAUSE AND chattering ]" "[GAVEL BANGS] I'd like to thank you, Mr. Judge, for giving me my day in court." "I'd like to thank my son's friend, Josiah..." "... forstandingup here..." "... representingme in front of all you good people here." "I'll tell you the truth now." "I followed Mr. Catchings behind the feed lot just like they said." "And then..." "... beathimto death with my bare hands." "[chattering ]" "[MEN shouting ]" "travis:" "Order." "Order." "Order." "Order." "Order in the court." "Order." "I said, quiet." "Now." "You freely admit you killed this man?" "Yes, sir." "But this is my day in court, and I aim to finish." "I wanna tell how I came to know Mr. Catchings, the man I killed." "I wanna tell this so my son will know." "Mr. Catchings was the overseer on the cotton plantation in Georgia..." "... wherel slaved with my wife and children..." "... 1 9 yearsago." "I don't need to say how bad life was to a slave." "We worked from sunup to dark." "We got whip." "We got sold." "We ain't had no hope." "But this is what I need my son to know about what I did." "When our little boy was 7 year old..." "... hismama..." "... wasforcedintocarnalrelations with Mr. Catchings." "What Mr. Catchings told her was that if she didn't..." "... he'dselltheboy awayfrom us." "Seven years old." "He'd sell him away from his mama and daddy." "My wife..." "... couldn'tbearthethoughtofthat." "So she went to his bed." "When she found out she was in a family way..." "... shewasso afraid it would be that man's baby." "She lost her mind." "Walked into the river." "Drowned herself." "I would have killed Mr. Catchings then." "But me and the children was loaded on wagon in chains..." "... thatsameday,soldtoAlabama." "It took a lot of spirit out of me." "And I hope my son understands why now." "So you see..." "... whenI hadthechance to kill that man..." "... alltheseyearslater..." "... Ihadto do it ." "I reckon I'll find out soon enough if God hold me to judgment." "But I'm glad I did it." "I have to say, this is-- Well, it's a little unusual." "Um, what shall I call this document?" "A pre-matrimonial stipulation agreement binding to both parties." "All right." "Where do we start?" "First and most important..." "... shemustbe availableondemand to the marriage bed." "Except when I'd rather not." "Agreed." "And he will, of course, have accounts set up in my name..." "... atallthestoresandsalonsintown ." "Of course." "Because she has to do the cooking and shopping for the house." "Only if you want to starve to death." "You'll want a chef and a maid." "Trust me." "Fine." "And he must absolutely stop spouting that maudlin poetry at all hours." "Only if she agrees to wear her wedding ring..." "... whenshe'soutinthepubliceye." "l'll pick out the ring." "Mm-mm." "Agreed." "is that it, then?" "Can't think of anything else." "Neither can I." "You both agree the wedding will be tomorrow..." "... andthatallchargeswill bedropped upon return of Mr. Wingo's cuff links." "Agreed." "Agreed." "I think we've made some sort of frontier history today." "Until tomorrow, beautiful Maudie." "[SPEAKS in FRENCH]" "MAUDE:" "Until tomorrow, Preston." "Well, Mother, you're a free woman." "Go and sin no more." "Ezra, you haven't done much to gladden my heart in your life." "I'm proud to be your mother." "Thank you, Mary." "Daddy." "All those years." "Why didn't you ever tell me?" "I tried to, son, but I couldn't." "You had enough troubles..." "... withoutcarryingthisburden in your heart." "No." "That made me sound too damn noble." "Truth be told..." "... Ijustdidn'thad the courage." "And I didn't want you to think bad of your mama." "She was a brave woman." "Yes, sir. lt was." "And all this time, I thought bad of you." "You got consumption, don't you?" "That's why I come looking for you." "travis:" "Mr. Jackson has confessed his guilt in open court." "The jury is dismissed." "[GAVEL BANGS]" "Keep your seats." "Sit down." "The people of Eagle Bend..." "... demandtobe heard,YourHonor." "travis:" "Speak your peace, Mr. Litefoot." "What concerns me here, Your Honor..." "... andshouldconcernall ofyou,  is the following:" "If we allow one former slave..." "... togetaway with killing his former overseer..." "... donotallformerslaveshavetheright to kill their former overseers?" "What's next?" "They'll kill their former owners." "Pretty soon, they'd be killing all us white folk." "We need to send a message here." "A message that says that no man has the right..." "... northeexcuse..." "... totakethelife of another human being." "Thank you." "[APPLAUSE AND chattering ]" "[GAVEL BANGS]" "Mr. Sanchez, do you have anything to say?" "Yes, I do, Your Honor." "Just for a moment, I would like you to try on Obediah's boots." "A man walks into your house..." "... hetakesyourwife..." "... andherapesher ." "And you are powerless to stop it." "He rapes your wife..." "... andthenhe threatenstotake  your 7-year-old child away from you." "And you..." "... arepowerlessto stopit." "Imagine what that must be like..." "... havingtostandthere and watch this grievous harm..." "... bedoneto yourlovedones ." "And you're powerless to stop it." "I would kill that man." "You." "You would kill that man." "But Obediah Jackson could not kill that man." "Not until 20 years later." "When Obediah Jackson saw Jonah Catchings again..." "... herememberedall that he had suffered..." "... athisvicioushand and once again felt the sting..." "... ofMr.Catchings'abuse." "Can any of you declare you would have acted any differently?" "I believe the answer is no." "If ever any man deserved to die, Jonah Catchings was that man." "For all that he imposed on Obediah and his family..." "... doubtlesslyonmany, many others." "And just as surely..." "... IbelieveObediahJackson deserves to live." "I believe that..." "... asstronglyas Ibelieve in God's eternal love." "When you pass judgment on this man, Your Honor..." "... onthisdecent,long-sufferingman..." "... whohasenduredendlessyears of deprivation and finally..." "... finallyhasachancetoliveout his last days as a free man..." "... Ibegyou..." "... searchyourheart and do what is right and just." "Let Obediah Jackson live." "[APPLAUDlNG AND chattering ]" "Josiah, you silver-tongued devil." "[GAVEL banging ]" "This court is in recess until there is order." "If ever there was a justifiable killing, this is it." "It's still murder." "Catchings caused the death of Obediah's wife." "The law allows you to defend your family." "Twenty years later?" "The law doesn't allow for that." "MARY:" "You can't hang him." "He doesn't have long to live." "What?" "He's got consumption." "Nathan told me he doesn't have much time." "The court is now in session." "Quiet down." "Quiet." "I feel great sympathy for this man." "However, I'm one of the bearers of the law to this territory..." "... soI haveno choice." "Obediah Jackson..." "... you'reguiltyof murder by your own admission." "You are hereby sentenced to hang for your crime." "[ Skipped item nr. 574 ]" "[HOOTlNG AND applauding ]" "[GAVEL banging ]" "What?" "As I see him as no immediate threat to the community..." "... theexecutionwillbecarriedout at a time in the future..." "... whenI deemit necessary." "For the present, the defendant will remain under house arrest..." "... inthecustodyofMr.Chris Larabee, sworn officer of the court." "This court is adjourned." "[chattering ]" "Nathan, get your father out of sight." "All right, listen up." "I don't care what the judge says." "You can't murder a citizen of Eagle Bend and get away with it." "So, by God, if they won't hang him, we'll do it for them." "You heard the judge." "Go home." "You stole my bullets." "Now, careful, mister, we'll send them back." "stains:" "Uh-huh." "It sure is easy to look tough..." "... whenyouhaveloadedweapons and we don't." "I guess you men wouldn't be interested in a fair fight, would you?" "Well, I think we can manage a fair fight." "What do you say, boys?" "Oh, I love a fair fight." "[MEN grunting ]" "[GUNSHOT]" "Leave my boy alone." "Sheriff, I could kill you right now." "But truth be told, I don't want to." "You want to kill me, but I ain't gonna kill you." "Because it ain't right." "You know that." "And I know that." "Justice has been done here today." "Now, go home." "Come on, get out of here." "Get on your horses." "Whoo!" "Here you go." "Thank you, son." "What's this?" "Boiled skunk?" "Some herbs." "They'll help with the cough." "I'm proud of you, Daddy." "You've made me proud too, son." "Grown into a fine man, yes, sir." "I'm glad I got to see it." "Here." "I made this for your horse." "It's a bridle." "It's beautiful." "I came all this way." "Want to bring my son a present." "You already did." "You already did." "[ORGAN playing ]" "MAUDE:" "Yah!" "Giddyup." "Aw, hell." "Where do you think you're going?" "You didn't think for a moment..." "... Iwasgonnamarrythat dreadfulman, did you?" "You" "You signed a contract." "Yes, and he dropped the charges." "I'm free as a bird." "Well, what am I supposed to do?" "What you've always done, sweet boy." "Just what your mother tells you." "I was gonna mail it." "Yah!" "Giddyup." "Well?" "I have a message for you from the bride." "It seems to be a poem." ""With apologies to Robert Herrick." "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may" "old Time is still a-fIying" "And this same flower That smiles today" "will never have To set eyes on you again" "You bloated wood tick" "P.S. Thank you for the lovely carriage. "" "What a woman."