"What are y'all doing?" "Get back in the field." "Slavery's over." "We can leave if we want." "Mr. Duke, you think them Union soldiers come back if they hear tell of black folks gettin' stopped?" "Well, maybe you can go, but you sure as hell ain't taking' one of my mules." "This here my mule, Mr. Duke." "You, uh, made my buy him." "Deducted from my pay." "Well, in that case, your animal is looking at me funny, like he wants to bite me." "Bite?" "He barely got no teeth." "That's why you made Winton buy him." "There." "Now you can carry your own stuff to Kansas." "Oh no no no no." "We got rights!" "Hold my horse." " Take it!" " You ain't got no cause, Mr. Billy!" "We been free a dozen years now." "Ever heard of a little struggle called the Civil War?" "Emancipation Proclamation ever go by your ear?" "How about this?" "Did it ever pass your ears?" "You're just opening old wounds." "Now you turn 'em over so it browns on both sides, you see?" "You remember what I told you about the onions?" "Mr. Reese?" "Mr. Reese?" "There." "Turn around." "Did he do this?" "Junebug got the worst of it." "Next time, I don't know." "Ain't gonna be a next time." " Sir." " 'Morning." "When I first invited you, a Confederate war hero, onto my plantation, you didn't present yourself as Negro-soft." "You hired me to oversee the hands." "If Billy lays on the whip again, he's gonna have to deal with me." "Reese, he's my blood son." "Then you warn him." "Warn who?" "About what?" "Daddy, look at that." "That is my idea." "Right, Daddy?" "You know the hands want to be paid in cash." "No, you're paid in cash 'cause you're a white man." "Here's your month's pay." "Go make sure to buy your wife something pretty." "This means trouble." "I tell you one thing:" "Once the crop's in, we'll say "Fare thee well, Mr. Duke,"" "and we'll set up housekeeping wherever your pretty heart desires..." "California, Timbuktu, I don't care." "I would just prefer our cabin by the swamp." "Why'd you choose me anyway?" "I was old and poor and beaten down even before the war." "Mm-hmm." "I adore you." "Just adore you." " 'Morning to you all." " 'Morning." " Good morning, sir." " 'Morning." "Cash is kind of short since the war, Winton." "Short for the Negro?" "Still spends like money." "Not anymore." "They done raised all the store prices." "Mm-hmm." "How much?" "So you pay them funny money they can only spend here, then you double and triple the prices?" "Uh, Reese, that's just sound business practice." "Taking advantage of a captive market." "Wanna hit me?" "Hmm?" "You're fired." "I knew guys like you during the war." "When the battle started, you'd hide." "When the fighting stopped, you came out." "And you bayoneted the wounded, then you bragged about how many Yankees you killed." "You coward." "Get up." "You want me to arrest him?" "No, just throw his ungrateful ass out of my overseer's house." "See how his pride holds up once he can't feed his family." "Y'all listen up!" "From now on, I'll be supervising y'all directly, you lazy Negros!" "I'll be working you can to can't... when you can see in the morning to when you can't see at night." "You hear me?" "No, sir." "I'm on strike." "We on strike." "What you mean, you're on strike?" "You don't even know what a strike is!" "Yes, we do." "And you about to find out what one is too, sir." "What do you coloreds expect to achieve?" "You already got freedom." "Freedom?" "Well, it sure don't feel like no freedom, Judge Duke, not when your son can beat us whenever he pleases, then pay us in worthless paper." "Right!" "You don't work, you don't eat." "You don't get no rations." "What are you gonna eat?" "Mule meat make a fine stew." "Sure made a mess of things this time, Billy." "Ho!" "Ho!" "I want to go." "My wife at a planter's meeting?" "You can't." "Then give me some money then." "You never buy anything." "This time, spend what I give you." "You can afford to buy you a pretty thing." "Oh, you go see to men's business and leave it to your wife how frivolous to be." "In the olden days, when the heathens took over the Promised Land, the Crusaders wore a big cross on themselves..." "Judge, please, they were knights on a war horse." "They scared the living shit out of those infidels." "All right, shut your fans." "Let the judge talk now." "There is no way we can negotiate with the strikers." "They're demanding that we work them no more than 12 hours a day." "And no work at all on Sunday." "Now what's next?" "Christmas in July?" "Is that all right with you, Sheriff?" "No, sir!" "That all right with you?" " No!" "No!" " No!" "Your Honor, uh, we could just start busting some heads and fix this real fast." "We all got some Negro-lovin' white folks could use a head-whopping too." "This is not as big a cabin as you're used to, my boy." " What've you got there?" " Oh, this is heavy." "Oh, give me that." "Give it here." " There we go." " Thank you." "You want some water?" "Here." "Darlin', heaven's where you make it." "They ran us out." "Said if we won't chop cotton, we can't stay in them quarters." "Them cabins weren't fit for living in no-how." "Besides, back in slavery days, the runaway slaves used to hide in these thickets and get fat." " Ain't that right, y'all?" " Yeah." "We gonna be all right." "We gonna be all right." " Ain't that right, y'all?" " Yes, sir." "Whoa." "Whoa." "This your wife and boy here?" "Just on patrol." "Don't want no trouble." " Let's go." " Junebug!" "Come on." "Let's move." "You take 'em to the thicket." "I'm gonna stay here and give you some time." "I'll stay." "You go." "Junebug, I'll stay." "You go." "Get on." "They comin'." "Y'all gonna quit before my harvest?" "We're striking." "Striking." "Listen, you stupid darky, you still got to pay room and board." "You gotta pay tool fees, mule fees." "You gonna owe Duke Plantation so deep," "I'm gonna work you a full year, you're still gonna be in debt." "My hands're going back to work." "What hands, master?" "'Cause I don't see nobody." "Wait!" "Please..." " Preacher!" " No." "No worries..." "Preacher, please please please, don't let 'em do this." "Please don't let 'em do this." "Preacher, Preacher, don't let 'em do this." "Lord's work, boy." "You Negros got to learn to render unto Caesar." "Please don't, please." "Please..." "please don't do this!" "Please don't do this." "Please please don't..." "There you go." "What is..." "Gabe, come over here." " Gabe, don't you look." " Yes, ma'am." "No, you let him look." "Let him see what evil men do when good men let them." " We might have lost Vicksburg..." " Hey, Reba." "We might have lost Gettysburg, but praise God for our victory today, huh?" "I believe my daddy may even say things were handled well today." "This is your day off!" "Most days we're working in the fields." "My friend, who's the biggest toad in this puddle?" "Harder!" "That wasn't a fur-ball, that was a whole cat, wasn't it?" "Sir, allow me to introduce myself." "My name is Ezra Tarwell." "I am an attorney." "Bumpy road back there." "I'm an attorney." "Your accent hardly hangs with Spanish moss, Mr. Tarwell." "Yeah, I am a product of Oswego, New York, sir." "But we mustn't let unfortunate regional differences stand in the way of civility." "Yeah, all that." "Let me speculate on something." "When the war was over, you and your carpet bag decided to come down here and make a profit out of the tragedy that they call "Reconstruction."" "Now the federal army's moved on and all of a sudden, you decide to switch over to the white man's side." "Am... am I close?" "Nearly." "Um, I..." "I am devoted to justice and prosperity." "Since justice is blind, the only color I really care about is green." "Damn your accent!" "I love the way you talk." "Sit down, Mr. Tarwell." " Sit down." " That looks like someone was..." "I want to report a murder." "Reese Paxton, y'all know there ain't no niggers allowed in here." "I know justice for a black man lies way below what we expect for ourselves." "This was a human being." "What sanction would you suggest if our sheriff were to arrest one of our fine citizens?" "I ponder that question." "I know that pigs will fly before this town will jail a white man for killing a black, but maybe you can fine them, each according to what he can pay." "And him with the deepest pockets should give up a piece of land and give it to this poor boy's family so that they have something of their own." "Reese?" "Reese, maybe you didn't notice, but them Yankee soldiers, they packed up; they gone home." "Maybe I get 'em to come back." "Maybe I'll go to Washington with my Confederate medals, of which you have none, and maybe I'll tell them that things down here have gone sour way beyond what I can swallow." "I have seen more killing... than you can ever imagine." "You know, Reese, you're right." "The man who's responsible for this, he's got to be brought to justice." "Right!" "I personally seen Reese Paxton hang and shoot this here Negro." "You won't need to arrest him." "Grab his arms." "Hold him!" "All right!" "That's enough, that's enough." "Right now!" "Our beloved federal government promises a speedy trial." "Well, we'll give him one right now." "We even got him a lawyer." "Wait." "What, me?" "The right kind of young attorney could prosper mightily in this town." "I want everything done by the book." "I do not want this man getting out on any kind of an appeal." "Hear ye, hear ye, this court is now in ad hoc session in the saloon of the Whore Palace 'cause the Yankees burned down our courthouse;" "Judge William Duke, Sr. Presiding;" "Mr. William Duke, Jr., special prosecutor." "I'm doing my job here." "I'm out investigating the strike labor activities." "I come upon Reese, he's drawing a bead." "Ere he pulled back, he plugged the nigger dead." "I said, "What'd you do?"" "He says, "I just took a damn fine shot."" "What are you talking about?" " You swear to tell the truth?" " Yeah." "Hold on, I think I'm supposed to interview the witness." "You were at Mr. Paxton's cabin on the day in question?" "Right." "Right." "I remember it 'cause, well, it ain't nothing to see a nigger get whipped." "Ain't that often you get to see one shot cold." "Reese Paxton shot that nigger like a big old swamp rabbit." "This is bad." "Preacher, do you swear to tell the truth?" "I do." "Wait, now hold on..." "Now hold on a minute." " I did not cross-examine..." " Let me cut to the chase here." "Now you seen Reese Paxton shoot that Negro?" " Well, actually it..." " Just answer the damn question." " Yeah." "Yeah, I saw it." " That's good." "Sit down." "No, excuse me." "Would you kindly ask him about the Ninth Commandment?" "What about the Ninth Commandment?" "Which is what?" ""Thou shalt not bear false witness."" ""The servant will be severely punished, for though he knew his duty, he refused to do it."..." "Luke 12." "How about the commandment, "Thou shalt not kill"?" ""As for these enemies of mine who do not want me to be king of them and slaughter them in my presence."" " Luke 19:27..." "You're a preacher?" "What about your wife?" "Now you said that she saw..." " You keep my wife out of it." " Fine." "Is there anyone who can support your claim?" "Him?" "Skinny one, with the hat?" " Not exactly." " Excuse me, sir, I'd like to call you to the witness..." "Ho!" "Hey, there." "Hey, what goes on in there?" "Billy Duke, what are you doing?" "Let Reese holler!" "No one will listen." "You gonna refuse to help mete out justice for Reese Paxton, are you, Caleb?" "Well, you're gonna find yourself refused." "Maybe you don't want my help rebuilding that saw mill of yours them federal boys set on fire." "You hear me?" "In there." "St... stand up, Caleb." "What do they want you to do?" "They want me to lie." "Daddy, Caleb is feeling sickly." "I don't think his testimony's gonna be missed." "I'd like to hear what an appeals court has to say about that." "Oh, come on." "For a moment there, I thought you managed to handle the situation." "Hey, Kate?" "Kate?" "Kate, this is a sporting house, you know?" "Go on." "I understood it was a courtroom." "Your Honor, I was at the Paxton house that day." "And just as Caleb did," "I saw Reese Paxton shoot that Negro." "Paxton... your lawyer's here to see you." "How you doing?" "I was... was in prison briefly." "Twice." "And a good attitude helps." "Preacher, I do not have the time to listen to the phantoms of your guilty conscience." "A phantom..." "that's just what Reese was." "During the war, he was an assassin for the Confederacy, going back and forth between enemy lines." "Nobody knew how he did it... just showing up dealing death." "There's not a prison around that's gonna hold a man like that." "Will you shut the hell up?" "As long as I can remember, I always wanted to be a lawyer." "I guess I should have practiced, huh?" "Get out." "Good luck." "The evildoer that repents shall escape everlasting fire." "Brother Reese, it says in the Good Book, in Psalms" "Chapter 34, "Depart from evil, brother, and do good." "Seek ye peace and pursue it."" ""The face of the Lord is against them that do evil." "From this earth."" "Hey!" "Get back to work!" ""Nurture your soul and bring it out of you."" "Old strike petered out, did it?" "Should give them a notion of consequences." "Well, we owe you a debt, Amos." "No one's denying that." "Y'all should consider me for being overseer here." "Let's take the long way by Reese's cabin." ""And I think I should find it." "I think we can work together and bring that out..."" "Are you okay?" "My God." "What is he doing in here?" "Let him out of here!" "You're just like a one-eyed dog, Reese." " I'm gonna get you out!" " I just want you to know, while you're in prison I'm gonna be taking care of your wife." "No!" "Ah, Billy!" "Let go of me, Billy." "Gabe, get away." "Get away!" "Oh!" "Someone find help!" "Get some help, boy!" "Your husband..." "your husband... is found guilty of hanging and shooting a Negro." "Hang on, Angelique." "Your husband..." "No no no!" "Oh no no!" "Get away from me!" "Get!" "Billy, his skull is cracked." "He ain't gonna make it." "No, he's gonna be fine." "He's gonna be just fine!" "Get away." "Leave him alone." "Get away from him." " Let me see." " You get away from him." " Get away from him!" " Let me see him now." "Get away!" "Throw him in the well." "Throw him in the well!" "Hey, wait a minute." "Hey." "Let's just ride out of here." " Amos, wait a minute!" " Whoa whoa." "Now he's gonna get none of our ears." "She ain't." "Amos is right, Billy." "She's gonna talk." "I know that." "What did you do to my son?" "Where is he?" "Please!" " Why we gotta rush it?" " My boy, where is he?" "Hold her down, boy." " I'm going second." " No no no!" "Preacher, looks like you're going last." "You gonna ride this bitch just like the rest of us." "Please, no!" "Move on." "Oh, a fresh herd of cattle." "Yeah!" "Better face it, boy, you ain't gonna live out your sentence in there." "You done poked your last woman and had your last sip of whiskey." "We got a system here:" "Prisoners are not men... they're livestock." "Moving in!" "When a man does evil, he ought to pay for his crime." "Agree?" "I wholeheartedly agree." "Then you and me will get on fine." "I doubt it." "Oh, you doubt it?" "Get back in line!" "Let that ease your doubt." " Done?" " Done." "Next." "Chow line, single file." "They're coming in!" "Open the gate." "Get on in there." "Hurry it up." "Ain't got all day." "Get on up!" "Get up off him, boy!" "I'm talking to you, newbie!" "Get up!" "Get up!" "Hold it right there." "Get back to work!" "All right, back to work." "All right, everybody, back to work." "Come on, new meat, get up!" "Get up!" "Move it here!" "Let's go!" "Don't make trouble there." "You were right, Paxton." "We won't get along." "Get in there!" "Hurry it up!" "You thirsty in there?" "How about some liquid refreshments?" "Whoo." "What the hell?" "Oh!" "Hey hey!" "The prisoner's fled!" "A tunnel break!" "He tunneled out!" "Doggone!" "He's gone." "The hole's only three feet deep." "Where'd he go?" "Through the door you left open." "Idiot!" "Find him!" "Are you dumb and stupid?" "You thought I was gonna drown you?" "I ain't that nice." "We got a system here." "Prisoners are not men..." "Get your ass up." "Come on!" " They're livestock!" "When you got a bull that's ornery, you cut off his horns!" "If he don't improve, you cut off his balls!" "It's a simple system." "Never give up." "No!" "If I could have your attention?" "We got a very important announcement from a man that really needs no introduction." "He's part of this town;" "been here for years..." "Judge Duke." "William?" "This proud day marks a return to our treasured Southern traditions." "Ladies and gentlemen," "I want to introduce you to our new mayor... my son, Billy Duke!" "Thank you." "Thank you." "Thank you, Daddy." "Thank you, Judge Duke." "Thank you all for braving this gorgeous day for coming out and welcoming me as your new mayor." "You all know my daddy." "You all know me." "You know that this town's been very good to us." "We make a good living here." "There's no one with deeper fortitude or greater incentive to restore us to our former glory before them federal boys come down and paint us that awful shade of blue." "My first item," "I'm gonna buy y'all a drink at Shaman Brothers." "Come on over." "The first drink's on me." "Take him down." "Thought you was gonna leave him hanging up there till you killed him?" "I did." "What are you all standing there for?" "Get back to work." "Hey." "Came out of the woods." "Saw him at the end of the street down here." "He was right down there." " What you all looking at?" " Nothing." "Preacher's imagination." "Come on in." "Thank you." "Thank you." "We'll give your house back, of course." "This cabin is yours." "Thank you." "You know," "Amos Halpern's living in your old house." "He's not the sheriff anymore." "I guess with him as overseer, there's been no talk of strikes and such." "Thank you." "Uh, we catch the runoff in a rain barrel." "Dry spell, we send grandbabies down to the creek." "Never at the well." "Amos?" "It's..." "Shh!" "The house is burning, Amos!" "I'm right here!" "Come on out!" "Show yourself!" "Who was that?" "Come on out!" "Fire!" "Fire!" " Right here!" " Get it out!" " Come on!" " Put out the fire!" "Then the Lord sent the Spirit into me." "Then the Lord sent the Spirit into me." "Then the Lord sent the Spirit into me." "Hello?" "Hello?" "Is somebody out there?" "You won't find the fire here." "You gonna pay for that?" "Everybody pays." "Fighting for the property" "We earned by honest toil" "And when our rights were threatened" "The cry rose near and far" "Hurrah for that bonnie blue flag that bears a single star." "When I get his makeup on, he's gonna look almost happy." "Lyle's the only fellow I know that can sleep through his own murder." "It's pretty vile." "I better hear from that goddamned penitentiary." "Hell's bells, Mayor, you gotta wait for the telegram to be delivered." "Did you tell 'em it was urgent?" "Did you tell me to tell him it was urgent?" "Hurrah for that bonnie blue flag" "That bears a single star" "Hurrah hurrah..." "I want two headstones... reading "My faithful wife" and "My beloved son."" "You take 'em up to Bone's Landing." "That's where you'll find two fresh graves." "You order more coffins." "First a devil, then a ghost." "Now before the Headless Horseman arrives, can we all just..." " What?" " It's addressed to him." "Then you read it!" "But you read it for all." ""Paxton died four days past..."" "There, you see?" ""Stop." "Guard assigned to burial" " never came back."" " You know he ain't in that box." "Reese Paxton's in town." "Reese Paxton's in town!" "He just left my parlor." " He left alive?" " Certainly he was alive." "Are you absolutely positive?" "I'm an undertaker." "I ought to know a dead man if I see one." "Come on, Sheriff!" "Oh, damn it!" "Oh oh oh ah ah!" "You done?" "Obviously." "So I'll see you next week?" "Yeah. 'Less'n Caleb doesn't pay me again." "Ha!" "Which has been known to happen." "Come on." "That's what I want!" "Yeah." "Oh, yeah." "Oh, yeah." "Oh, yeah." "Harder." "That's it." "I'm supposed to get time in between." "Ladies and gentlemen, could I have your attention, please?" "Everybody over here." "Mort, tie up your horse and get over here." "This is important." "Come on out, folks." "Are you the man who cut the deputy's throat?" "You don't interfere with my business," "I won't interfere with yours." "Come on, folks." "Come on down." "Come on." "Now Reese Paxton has escaped from prison and come back from the dead." "So we're gonna need to form a posse." "Uh, we're gonna deputize you men." "Yeah, and maybe some of you women too." "So grab a gun and let's search the town." "Come on." "What..." "what is it?" "The preacher." "Sarah!" "Hey, what's the matter?" "What got into Sarah?" "Foolishness!" "Empty-headed Negra foolishness." "Come help me with this." "You know, I haven't carried a gun since the war." "Didn't enjoy them then neither." "Whole world's turning upside down." "We should've never got involved." "You were plenty willing to get involved at the trial." "This ain't about that." "This is about what happened to his wife and his little boy..." "Now what do you know about that?" "I've heard stories." "Maybe we should have gone to town after all." "Yeah, everything's fine in town." "There." "You're all tied." "Give me my dollar." "I'm supposed to get a dollar every time we go to town." "Yeah, but we didn't go to town." "Well, we were supposed to till all this trouble come up." "Yeah, but even when we do go, you never spend a dime anyway." "Yeah, but you're supposed to give me a dollar." "Now you agreed, right?" "Now, Kate." "Don't you love your Kate no more?" "Oh, yes, ma'am." "I love my Kate." "Well then?" "I've got to go find Delbert." "Make this place defensible in case Reese shows up." "Fine." "Delbert?" "Delbert?" "I'm gonna pull you off..." "I got nothing against you, Caleb, but I'm gonna kill your overseer." "And I'm gonna see your wife." "Kate?" "Maybe you want to talk me out of it?" "What can I say?" "Well, if you love her, maybe there's some good in her." "She's a frugal housekeeper." "God damn it, Caleb!" "Do something!" "Well, your darkies have all run off." "But I believe it was Delbert Paxton wanted, so... y'all should be safe now." "I never touched his wife or child, but I was guilty too." "'Cause I kept silent, but no more!" "Now shut up, Caleb." "What's he want with you anyway?" "He just wants justice." "That's all." "Oh, he's delirious." "We need to put this right." "You got any wine opium?" "You can end the rampage." "You know you can." "All you have to do is confess." "A large dose." "If you confess, Reese..." "Reese'll let up." " Now please." " Hush up, hear?" "Drink this all." "Come on." "Try to calm yourself." "Yeah." "Kate?" "You know, in light of recent events, if something tragic were to happen to your husband," "I think people are ready to believe that Reese Paxton might have done it." "Billy." "You know, I think I better check on Caleb one last time." "Kate?" "You know, with money so hard to come by," "I actually have quite a lot of it." "I got some silver Liberties, some gold Eagles, some gold Indians, half-Eagles." "I got $50." "Hey, Billy." "Get off..." "get your hands off of me." "I guess nowadays, a little woman... she needs about every penny." "Hmm?" "Inside." "Are you ready to make atonement?" "No, Caleb." "I hope you are." "All right." "I walked right into her lap." "So for Caleb's demise," "Kate was laid." "You missed one." "I guess I'm a lot luckier than you are." "You want more?" "Help!" "Help!" "Help!" "I know you think you can come and go as you please, but this is my room." "And I don't share it with anyone unless..." "Well, for that, you can stay the whole night." "Might as well." "Your murders frightened off most my business anyway." "I'll sleep in the chair." "I'm not good enough for you because I screw for money?" "It's the money of faithless men that'll buy me a future." "Wanna step away, please?" "Step away." "Step away." "Step away." "Oh my God." "He killed Kate." "Let's all go about our business." "Come on, step away." "Run home." "Let's go." "Wrap it up." " Step away." "Come on." " Sarah, y'all seen the sheriff?" "Your father sent for him." "Oh, now I can make her look so pretty." "He gonna find us too." "We gonna find him first." "Well, we searched the whole town, so what exactly do you recommend?" " Red." " Howdy, Sheriff." ""Howdy, Sheriff."" "Never get used to that." "Boys." "You mind?" "Yeah." "What'd my daddy want?" "Uh, oh, you know, the usual." "He was unhappy with how you're handling the situation." "Well, you're the sheriff." "Mmm." "But Mayor, nevertheless, all his hands have absconded into the thickets." "It's just like it was when the strike was on, only now his son and his overseer don't really seem to care." "Well, shoot, if they all run off, then there's nothing left to oversee." "Is there?" "It's all because of that goddamned war hero, Reese Paxton." "Son of a bitch." "I wanted him gone;" "I got him gone." "Well, I want him dead and so help me, I will get him dead." "Just have a little more courage there." "Well, we didn't search this whole town." "Didn't search the first place I'd go if I got loose." "You'd risk everything for a little bit of chicken." "Yeah, why not?" "Stiff dick... lead a man places he wouldn't go with a double-barrel shotgun." "Wait your turn!" "Ahem!" "So how's the missus?" "Good night." "Pardon the invasion." "Oh." "Now those are someone's personal belongings." "Lord have mercy." "That's a gold half-Eagle, just like I gave Kate." "New Orleans' mint presses half-Eagles all day long." "Now come on, let's go." "Reese Paxton give this to you?" " No." " Huh?" " Hey!" " Come on." "Billy." "Billy, come on now." "That's enough." "Where did you get this?" "It was a customer." "A rich customer." "He owns a plantation." "Which plantation was it?" "I don't know." "He wanted something special." "He paid me extra." "I'm gonna give you something extra special." "All right, come on." "There's no call for that." " You want to stay, Sheriff?" " There's no call for this." "Hey!" "Give me the cigar." "You seen Reese Paxton?" " Yes or no." " No." "You are not doing this..." "No, I swear!" "You're not doing this!" " She ain't seen him." " You all right, darling?" "For God's sake, Amos, be quick about it." "No." "Come on, Amos." "Come on now." " Just leave her now." "Don't..." " Let me see this." "Why don't you leave her be?" "Hey." "I got two guns cocked now." "Hmm?" "Which one do you want me to let go of first?" "This is wrong." "You little thing." "How are you, hmm?" "What has he done?" "Well, how nice of you to wait for me, brother." "Well, not riding home by myself." " Good night, Red." " Good night." "The mayor was looking for you." "Damn it." "Why didn't you tell him what he wanted to know?" "Hmm." "He didn't ask politely." "Turn towards me." "Turn towards me." "Ooh." "Is that your family?" "We were traveling." "Indians attacked... with arrows and painted faces, just like you hear about." "When you're a child, you think of fairy tales." "You just gotta sit up for a while." "Let it lie." "Even my house niggers have run off." "Goddamn slave uprising!" "They're not slaves anymore, Judge." "Daddy, why don't y'all go home?" "We'll find the son of a bitch." "All you had to do was run a posse when I told you to." "We wouldn't be in this goddamned mess." "Would we?" "No." "I did the best I could." "That's why the room was so crowded." "It was a bunch of old ladies and little girls." "You know, people are saying..." "folks are saying that Billy started it;" "maybe he should finish it." "If he can." "I want Reese Paxton." "We don't know where he is!" "Shh." "I ain't seen him." "Y'all living in his cabin here." "Folks say it was haunted." "Please, master." "And what if there were irregularities in Paxton's trial?" "I put my faith in the court." "So did Reese Paxton." "What if there were extenuating circumstances?" " Mayor!" "Circumstances!" "You want to expedite it in there?" "See, now you've given the warden a low opinion of me." "Oh!" "Old lady, old man." "Whatever..." "You all know what an Arkansas Toothpick is?" "Where is he?" "Where is he?" "Where is he?" "Right behind you." "There may be two of us but there are plenty of guns outside." "So we got you." "Not before I shoot one of you sons of bitches in the belly." "I've seen it in the war." "A gut shot is a terrible and painful way to die." "That's right, you're a big hero." "All that made me a hero was a knack for killing..." "a skill I'd almost forgotten until you caused me to remember." "I don't think the old couple has cleared it yet." "They sound the bugle," "I shoot you in the belly... or the balls, Billy boy." "Mayor, wanna expedite it in there?" "Hyah!" "Damn!" "Son of a bitch!" "I'm taking charge." "From here on out, this is a military operation." " Mount up!" " Get a horse!" "Mayor, I'm starting to worry about your daddy." "I think maybe I ought to go and guard him." "Reese gets through here, why, forget it." "We're..." " Sheriff?" " Yeah?" "Why don't you go on back and find a good hiding space behind the skirts of the women and children?" "Now that's good." "They would need some protecting." "Um, pardon." "What kind of a chickenshit operation you runnin'?" "Through this holy land of these infidels... praise the Lord." "Let's go." "You stay together." "Don't go too far away." " Look around!" " Show yourself." " Where is Reese Paxton?" " We got a right to be here." " Where's Reese Paxton?" " We got rights now!" " We ain't gonna wait all day." " Where is he?" "This is your last chance!" "Turn over Paxton now or we start shooting!" " Paxton." " Where is he?" "Spread out." "We'll pick them off one by one." "I got ya." "Paxton." "Paxton!" "All right, fan out and mop up." "Come on!" "Get her!" "Let 'em loose." "Let them do the dirty work." "Come on." "This how it was in the war?" "Huh?" "You think they got him?" "Come on." "My daddy can't hardly expect me to best reach Paxton when he's got a whole colored goddamned army behind him." "You know what I mean?" "Ya!" "Come on." "Reese, watch out!" "I'm all right." "I'm all right." "I'm out too." "Stay." "Don't get down off that horse." "Why not, Daddy?" "'Cause you ain't smiling." "That means Paxton is still alive." "Ezra and I don't want you leading him here." "You a tired old man, Daddy." "You got one foot in the grave." "Soon enough, I'm gonna own this whole plantation!" "You kill Reese Paxton and just maybe this old coot will take you back into his bosom." "This is no time to be taking a drink." "Just a taste to steady my hand, Judge." "That your cotton gin burning?" "No, that's the mill, boy." "That's the cotton gin." "And that's the plantation store." "Guess your theory about Reese only going after Billy is a little outdated." "Shut up." "Did you see him?" "I don't see shit." "Perhaps I should go look for help?" "He'd shoot you down." "Then what happens to me?" "Judge, if he shoots me, what happens to you is hardly my problem." "I can wait you out, pick you off, or burn you down!" "Your point is?" "This is the judge's day to die." "And you, useless son of a bitch, can go!" "Don't forget your duty, Sheriff." "Oh..." "I was no more sheriff than I was a lawyer." "You ain't going nowhere." "I hear there's an opening for a preacher." "You wouldn't shoot a man of the cloth, now would you?" "Richmond, find me a horse!" "Richmond!" "Richmond!" "Richmond!" "Richmond!" "I called you!" "Come on, come on!" "We gotta get on." "Reese!" "You just made me the richest man in Thibodaux!" "Come on back here." "Let me thank you." "Come on!" "Reese!" "It's you and me now!" "I'm gonna kill ya!" "You hear me?" "Are you packing to go?" "You and I, we'll go together." "There's nothing left of me." "I'm dead inside." "You go." "You find a safe place somewhere." "But I can't." "Hey!" "Come out here, Reese!" "Let's finish this once and for all!" "No weapons!" "Just our bare hands!" "Come on out here!" "Let's finish it!" "You a cowardly son of a bitch!" "Reese!" "Reese." "You hiding' in a whorehouse." "You devil." "You human after all." "Take a look at my rock collection." "I ain't got no guns, Reese." "No knives." "How about you?" "That's right." "Is it gonna be bare knuckles or wrestling?" "Huh?" "No biting'." "No guns." "See, you didn't say nothing about leather." "How about I'll just take your head off?" "Come on." "Now... now what do you say," "Billy boy?" "Hmm?" "Hmm?" "No!" "Paxton?" "Mayor Paxton?" "Mayor Paxton?" "He's all mine now." "No!" "Whoa." "."