♪♪ [ Jazz Band ]
♪♪ [ Jazz Continues ]
Ηi, Τoivo.
Ηey. Your pal just drove into town, Mr. McCarthy.
l'll have one more, Τoivo.
l'm afraid l'll have to pay my bar bill tomorrow.
You're good with me, Mr. McCarthy.
Thank you, Toivo.
- Good night, Toivo. - Good night, Mr. McCarthy.
[ Woman ] Operator.
Operator, l want, uh, 489, Thunder Bay.
l want to speak to Mrs. Manion.
M-A-N-l-O-N.
This is Paul Biegler speaking. lron City, 700.
[ Train Bell Clanging ]
- Well, do they know when she'll be there? - No, they don't.
l see. Well, just leave a message, and tell her to call this number.
Thank you.
All right. What do you say there, counselor?
Save your money.
What's in the brown paper bag?
- [ Faucet Running ] - lt might be a cabbage head.
But it wouldn't be.
You're a very suspicious man.
True. l'm everlastingly suspicious of...
and/or fascinated by...
the contents of brown paper bags.
- Shall l sneak a peek? - You do that, counselor.
You do that, and...
after you sneak a peek, why, you uncork...
whatever you find.
- Shall l pour? - Your privilege.
My pleasure, sir.
♪♪ [ Jazz ]
You fought this soldier by yourself.
You've been drinkin' alone, Polly.
l don't like that.
Ah, drop the stone, counselor. You live in a glass house.
My windows have been busted a long time ago, so l can say as l please.
Ηave an ltalian cigar?
No, thanks.
Those stinkweeds are another sign of your decadence.
[ Match Strikes ]
Polly, it's a fact.
Since Mitch Lodwick beat you out of the office of public prosecutor...
you haven't been worth salt for peanuts.
Not that l don't understand how you feel.
When a man gets beat out of an office he's held for a long time...
he feels his community has deserted him...
the finger of scorn is pointed at him.
None but the lonely heart shall know my anguish.
Polly, you're a good lawyer. You ought to make like one.
Be here, ready for clients, not out fishin' and playin' that rooty-tooty jazz.
- ♪♪ [ Continues ] - Oh, l'm making a living.
l run a few abstracts and divorce Jane Doe from John Doe every once in a while.
Threaten a few deadbeats.
And in the evening l sit around and drink bourbon whiskey...
and read law with Parnell Emmett McCarthy...
one of the world's great men.
That was a kind word, Polly.
You know, l might have been.
That's one of the reasons l hate to see your talent pushed aside by lesser men.
l look at you and l see myself years ago...
with the same love for the smell of the old brown books and the dusty office.
Ηere's a rose, a lily...
a sweet lupine.
The United States Supreme Court Reports.
Well, what shall we read this evening, counselor?
Ηow about a little, uh, Chief Justice Holmes?
[ Phone Ringing ]
Restrain Chief Justice Holmes for a minute. l might have a client.
Been waiting for a call. Hello?
- [ Operator ] Mr. Biegler? - This is Paul Biegler speaking.
- Ηere's your party. - Hello? Mrs. Manion?
- What? - [ Woman ] Mr. BiegIer?
l'm sorry l missed you a while ago. Did you get my message?
- Who is that? What is that name? - Just a minute, please.
We seem to have a bad connection. Just hold on.
lt's a woman name of Manion. Maida took a message from her.
- ln Thunder Bay? - Uh-huh.
lf she wants you to represent her husband, say yes.
- l don't know what it's all about. - Pretend you do and say yes.
- Ηello? - Mr. Biegler?
Oh, yes. lt's much better now. Yes, l can hear you fine.
- ♪♪ [ Speakers: Jazz ] - l've waited for your call all afternoon.
Yes, weII, I just got in a few moments ago.
You've read about my husband? Muffy, please.
- Yes. - Mr. BiegIer, have you read about my husband?
Muffy, pIease.
Well, yes, l have. A little.
- WiII you defend him? - l don't know. l'd have to know more about it.
Will you talk to him? Mr. Biegler, he's in the county jail.
Will you see him in the morning? Ηe's-He's very anxious to see you.
- You've been so highly recommended. - l have?
Yeah. Someone toId him about you. WiIl you see him?
Well, l suppose l could. l'll see him tomorrow morning.
Would you want me there too, Mr. Biegler?
l think that'd be fine. Let's make it about 1 0:00, huh?
Thank you. Thank you so much.
Yes, you're quite welcome. Bye.
Now, what's this all about?
A man named Barney Quill raped Mrs. Manion.
Ηer husband, he's a lieutenant in the army.
There's a temporary base in Thunder Bay. Gunnery or something.
The lieutenant goes to Quill's place and plugs Mr. Quill about five times...
which causes Mr. Quill to promptly die of lead poisoning.
- When did all this happen? - A couple of nights ago.
lf you hadn't been out fishing in a rowboat in some godforsaken backwater...
you'd have known about it.
♪♪ [ Whistling ]
[ Snoring Softly ]
- Morning, Maida. - Oh, there it is.
- What? - The newspaper.
l thought maybe they didn't bring it. We haven't paid the bill.
- Did you get my note? - Uh-huh. We may be in the case.
l'm just reading up on it now before talking to Lieutenant Manion.
- Doesn't he ever go home? - You mean Parnell?
- We were up late last night. - ls that a fact?
Yeah. l think maybe you'd better cancel all my appointments for today.
What appointments? People think you migrated into the woods.
lf this refrigerator gets any more fish in it...
- it'll swim upstream and spawn, all by itself. - [ Muttering ]
May l have your attention for a moment, please?
- Yeah. - l was going over your checkbook yesterday.
- l can't pay me my salary. - [ Mutters ]
What did you do with the fee for the Walkers' divorce?
Ηelp salt a uranium mine or something?
- Uh, l bought a few bare necessities. - Like a new outboard motor.
l wish l could be classed as a necessity.
- Aren't you gonna have your toast? - No, no.
l'll, uh - l'll, uh...
call you and let you know how things are going.
Now don't let him pay you off in purple hearts.
Those professional soldiers never have a dime.
l ought to know. l was married to one.
l beg your pardon. Are you Mrs. Manion?
- Hi. - l'm Paul Biegler.
- l'm Laura. - How do you do?
- This is Muff. - Hello, Muff. The jail's right here.
You're tall.
- [ Man ] Hello, Polly. - Hi, Sulo.
You wait here, Muffy.
- Good to see you, Polly. - How ya feelin'?
Fine. l guess you come for the soldier boy.
Yeah. Sulo, do you think it'd be all right if we talked in the sheriff's office?
Oh, sure, Polly. l'll bring him down.
Would you mind taking your glasses off, Mrs. Manion?
Gee whiz. Barney Quill do that to you?
Mm-hmm. More than that.
You should see. All over.
Well, you can put them back on if it's more comfortable for ya.
This is Polly Biegler. This is the bucko, Polly.
- Lieutenant Manion. - Ηello there.
- Hi, Manny. - Hello, Laura.
Uh, Mrs. Manion, l wonder if you could meet me down at my office about 2:00 this afternoon.
lt's 305 West Barnham.
- Of course. - Fine.
- ls there anything l can get you, hon? - l'm all right, hon.
Right in here.
"Wanted." The big ten.
[ Chuckles ] They got the ten best-dressed dames...
the ten top teams, the ten top tunes...
and now, the ten most wanted.
Well, don't knock it. That's the American dream. Those boys made the grade.
You were the... district attorney around here, weren't you?
Mm-hmm. Ten years.
What's your experience as a defense lawyer?
Not very much.
Ηow do l know you can handle my case?
Well, l guess you don't know.
Shall we talk about it?
l suppose so.
Well, now, come on, Lieutenant. Don't be so bored.
You know, it might very well be that no lawyer can handle your case...
if you mean getting off scot-free.
You seem to be forgetting Barney Quill raped my wife.
l have the unwritten law on my side.
The unwritten law is a myth, Lieutenant.
There is no such thing as the unwritten law...
and anyone who commits a murder on the theory that it does exist...
has just bought himself room and board in the state penitentiary.
Maybe for life.
Now, with that in mind...
perhaps we can proceed with a few questions and answers that - that, uh -
Can l borrow your lighter?
We can proceed with a few questions and answers that might be of some help in your defense.
But probably won't be.
Yeah. Nice lighter.
- Okay. - Well, how old are you?
- Twenty-eight. - How long have you been in the service?
Since '50.
- You seen any action? - Korea.
- Have any decorations? - Plenty.
ls this your first marriage?
No.
You're not on the witness stand. You don't have to answer yes or no.
Just give me the matrimonial rundown.
- ls this necessary? - l'll be the judge of that.
My first wife divorced me.
Charged cruelty. [ Chuckles ]
Eating crackers in bed. You know, the usual stuff.
Truth was, she found another guy when l was in Korea.
l met Laura four years ago in Georgia.
We were married right after her divorce.
Did you know the husband?
- He was in my outfit down there. - You mean you were buddies?
l'll withdraw the question. That's a little old-fashioned.
Ηave there been any children by or from any of these marriages?
- No. - Any present prospects?
Not unless Barney Quill started something.
What kind of a gun did you use on Quill?
War souvenir. Luger. The police have it now.
l suppose you've read the newspapers, the stories about your case?
- Some of them. - Are they substantially correct?
Yes.
And you didn't see Quill rape and beat your wife?
No. No.
When she got back, uh, to the trailer, she told me what had happened.
Then how long was it before you went over to Quill's and killed him?
l don't know exactly. Maybe an hour.
That long, huh?
Now, the newspapers say that your wife volunteered to take a lie detector test.
You know anything about this?
Only what l read and what she told me.
Do you know how the lie detector test turned out?
- They didn't tell her. - Yes, Sulo?
Polly, we got lunch served for the jail. You want to eat with us?
Does your sister still cook for the jail?
- Oh, sure. She cooks. - Uh-huh.
Well, you give her my compliments, Sulo.
- l've got a luncheon date downtown. - Nice going, Mr. Biegler.
- l'll be back after lunch. - Look, uh...
l'm sorry if l offended you a while ago.
No, you're not.
Come on, bucko.
Thank you.
Pass the salt, Polly.
Thank you.
Did you give the lieutenant the well-known lecture?
lf you mean did l coach him into a phony story, no.
Maybe you're too pure, Paul.
Too pure for the natural impurities of the law.
Could be that you owe the lieutenant a chance to find a defense.
Could also be that you might guide him a little...
show him the way, and let him decide if he wants to take it.
- Want some salt? - No. l'm not ready.
Anyway, l'm not the right lawyer for this fellow.
Ηe's insolent, hostile.
You don't have to love him. Just defend him.
What's the matter? Don't you need a fee?
You know something? l think you might be a little bit afraid.
- Afraid of what? - That you might get licked.
You know, there's only one thing more devious than a Philadelphia lawyer...
and that's an lrish lawyer.
Pass the salt.
Put it down. Put it down.
- Ηello there. - l usually answer to the name Paul.
Are we gonna have some more jokes?
Not unless you want to be the comic.
Oh.
l brought you some cigarettes.
- Oh, thanks. - Peace?
- Oh, sure. - Fine, fine. Now, Lieutenant...
there are four ways l can defend murder.
Number one, it wasn't murder. lt was suicide or accidental.
Number two, you didn't do it. Number three, you were legally justified...
like the protection of your home or self-defense.
Number four, the killing was excusable.
Where do l fit into this rosy picture?
l'll tell you where you don't fit. You don't fit in any of the first three.
Why? Why wouldn't l be legally justified in killing the man who raped my wife?
Time element.
lf you'd caught him in the act, the shooting might have been justified...
but you didn't catch him in the act.
You had time to bring in the police, and you didn't do that either.
You're guilty of murder, premeditated and with vengeance.
That's first-degree murder in any court of law.
Are you telling me to plead guilty?
When l advise you to cop out, you'll know.
- "Cop out"? - That's plead guilty and ask for mercy.
Well, if you're not telling me to cop out, what are you telling me to do?
l'm not telling you to do anything.
l just want you to understand the letter of the law.
- Go on. - Go on with what?
Whatever it is you're getting at.
You know, you're very bright, Lieutenant.
Now let's see how really bright you can be.
Well... l'm working at it.
All right. Because your wife was raped...
you'll have a favorable atmosphere in the courtroom.
The sympathy will be with you, if all the facts are true.
What you need is a legal peg so that the jury can hang up their sympathy in your behalf.
- You follow me? - Mm-hmm.
What's your legal excuse, Lieutenant?
What's your legal excuse for killing Barney Quill?
Not justification, huh?
Not justification.
Excuse.
J-Just excuse.
What excuses are there?
How should l know? You're the one that plugged Quill.
- l must've been mad. - How's that?
l said l must've been mad.
No, a bad temper's no excuse.
Well, l mean, uh, l - l must've been crazy.
Am l getting warmer?
- Okay, Sulo. - Paul?
Am l getting warmer?
Well, l'll tell you that after l talk to your wife.
ln the meantime, see if you can remember just how crazy you were.
- [ Typing ] - Mrs. Manion here yet?
- ♪♪ [ Jazz ] - She's been waiting quite a while.
She's been through all your albums from Dixieland to Brubeck.
- What do you think of her? - Soft, easy.
The kind men like to take advantage of - and do.
- Did you get any money? - Huh?
- Money. - Oh. Oh, no.
l haven't decided to take the case yet.
You know, you surprise me sometimes.
Why? l've been around.
Yeah, well -
- ♪♪ [ Loud Dixieland Jazz ] - Hi.
Hi.
- l, uh - - ♪♪ [ Stops ]
l hope you don't mind. l think we'd better talk.
You're a funny kind of a lawyer.
- The music, l mean. - Aren't lawyers supposed to like music?
Well, not that kind of music.
Well, l guess that settles it. l'm a funny kind of lawyer.
Where's your home, Mrs. Manion? Where'd you go to school?
- Where'd you live when you were growing up? - Oh, no place in particular.
We sort of moved around. My father was a boomer - construction boomer.
Building dams, mostly.
You can call me Laura.
- ls your family still alive, Laura? - No.
l don't know. l have some cigarettes around here someplace.
- Do you want a cigarette? - No, l wanted to offer you one.
- You could light it for me. - Oh, yes.
Ηere.
- That's just like your husband's, isn't it? - Mm-hmm.
Ηe gave me this because l liked the one he had.
He's like that. Ηe gives me presents all the time.
Do you have a happy marriage?
Yes.
What went wrong with the first marriage?
Well, what went wrong is when l went for Manny.
Well, that's honest enough.
lt was more than just that. Like l told you, l grew up on the move...
and Jack - that was my first husband -
Jack didn't like to move. He wouldn't even take a transfer when he had the chance.
l was really bored.
Manny likes to go. We're always going, whenever we get the chance.
We've been all over. l'm thirsty.
Water? Or would a beer do?
l think a beer would do fine.
Maida, bring me a bottle of beer, will you?
- Are you married? - No.
That's nice.
What do you do alone in this house if you aren't married?
Well, it's a family home. l'm the last of the family.
- There you are. - Thank you.
- Aren't you having one? - No, not right now. Thanks.
- There you are. - [ Muff Whines ]
Oh, could Muff have a little? ln that ashtray, maybe. He loves beer.
- You want a beer for the dog? - Mm-hmm.
Well, here we are.
[ Laura ] Ηe'll go to sleep now.
- lsn't he cute? - Yeah.
Well, how about it? Are you ready?
l mean, are you ready to tell me the story?
l know what you mean.
Yeah. Well, now, suppose you tell me everything you told the state police...
plus everything you didn't tell the state police.
- Where shall l begin? - What time did you leave for Quill's bar?
Right after dinner. About 8:30, l guess.
Manny was late getting home from the firing range...
so we had dinner and he laid down and went to sleep.
l hadn't been out of the trailer almost all day...
so l took Muff and a flashlight and walked over to the bar.
l bought a drink and played the pinball machine.
Many people in the bar?
Not many. Barney came over and challenged me to a game.
- For drinks, you know. - How well did you know Barney?
Well, he owned this bar where Manny and l went sometimes. That's all.
- Had he ever made a pass at you? - No. Nothing like that at all.
Was he drinking heavily that night?
He didn't seem to be. At least not when we were playing pinball.
Were you with him the whole time you were there?
Oh, no. There were other people playing too.
What time did you leave the bar?
Oh, about 1 1 :00, l guess.
l left by the side door. Muff was carrying the flashlight.
Ηe carries it in his mouth.
Ηe's so cute running along ahead with the light shining.
- Was he sober? - Muff? Of course he was sober.
Oh, you're joking now, aren't you?
Yes, l'm joking. Uh, go on.
Well, Barney came from somewhere. Not the door l left by.
And he said he was going my way and he could drive me home.
Ηe said the bears had been prowling around that night, and l oughtn't to walk home.
The bears come out of the woods at night to scavenge.
Yeah, but they're harmless enough, aren't they?
Yeah. l suppose l wouldn't have been afraid in the daylight...
but, well, the dark isn't the same, you know.
Yes, l know. l know. Now, you got into Barney's car.
l got in and he drove straight to the trailer park.
Ηe made overtures?
No, nothing. When we got to the trailer park...
the auto gate was closed.
Mr. Lemon closes it about 1 1 :00 or a little after.
So l thanked Barney and started to get out of the car...
but he said that there wasn't any need for me to walk...
that he could drive me into the park on another road.
l didn't know there was another road, but he drove on before l could say yes or no.
- Were you alarmed? - No.
l'm not usually afraid of men.
And anyway, he hadn't touched me or even said anything out of the way.
Well, doesn't a woman sort of instinctively know when a fellow's on the make?
Oh, sure. But that's only usual with me.
With men, l mean - almost all men. Ever since l was a kid.
You, for instance. You're interested.
But there isn't any reason to be afraid of you. lt was like that with Barney.
Well, now, Mrs. Manion, believe me, l'm not in the least -
Call me Laura.
Uh, Laura.
l'm only interested in helping your husband. Nothing more.
Oh, l don't mean you'd try anything.
l just mean it's - it's the way you look at me.
Well, it'd be very difficult not to look at you.
Oh, the way l dress, you mean? You don't like it?
Oh, l love it. l just love it.
Now, we-we'd better keep moving along with this thing.
Now, uh, how were you dressed that night?
Oh, in a sweater like this and a skirt.
And the rest. What about that?
Underneath?
l had on a slip and panties and a bra.
- No girdle? - l don't need a girdle.
Do you think l need a girdle?
l don't know.
l don't know. Ηow sh - l -
Look, l'm only concerned with a few facts...
that might be of help to me in the defense of your husband.
- That's all. - Well, l don't wear one.
Okay. No girdle. Okay. All right. Now go on.
Well, he turned off the highway into a lane in the woods...
and he stopped the car and turned off the lights.
And then he grabbed me, and he said...
"l'm gonna rape you," just like that.
- Did he use those words? - Exactly those words.
Muff began to bark, so he threw him out the window.
l could hear little Muffy whining outside the car all through it.
Barney began to try to get at me...
and l fought him off as best l could, but he was terribly strong.
Did you cry out? Did you scream?
lt didn't seem to be much use out there in the woods.
Ηe began to shout names at me like "army slut" and some other names.
And then he drew back and hit me with his fist.
Ηe hit me again, and l didn't fight anymore.
l must've been only half conscious, but l know that he tore my panties off...
and did what he wanted.
Now, the newspapers said that a doctor examined you...
and said that he didn't think you'd been raped.
l don't care what the doctor thought. A woman doesn't mistake these things.
All right. All right. Now go ahead.
Well, l -
l don't know exactly what happened then. l must've fainted.
But the next thing l remember, the car was moving.
Barney was driving very fast, and - and he was breathing hard.
An ugly, gasping sound.
We were on the main road to the trailer park...
and he swung in by the gate and stopped.
l opened the door to get out. Muffy jumped out first, with a lighted flashlight in his mouth.
Well, now, wait a minute. l thought you said...
he'd thrown Muff out of the car back in the woods.
Well, he did, but Muff was in the car when we got back.
Ηe must've let him back in. l don't remember.
All right. All right. Now, you opened the door, and Muff got out first. All right.
Before l could get out, Barney grabbed me...
and said he was gonna tear all my clothes off and attack me again.
l got away and ran. l could see Muff at an opening in the fence.
Ηe was scooting back and forth with the flashlight.
Barney caught me from behind, and l fell to the ground.
Ηe fell on top of me and began to beat me again with his fists.
l thought he was gonna kill me.
l screamed, and somehow or other l got to my feet again and ran.
l went through the opening in the fence and followed Muffy.
Ηe was running along ahead with the flashlight.
And l kept following the light until he led me to our trailer.
And you didn't see Barney again?
Never laid eyes on him again, dead or alive.
Well, l -
l think that's enough for now.
l've got lots of time. All you want.
Where can l reach you?
l'm still in Thunder Bay, but l can drive down again in the morning.
- Was there something else? - No.
Thanks for letting me play the records.
- Oh, you're very welcome. - Thanks a lot. Bye.
- Who's that? - The lady in the case.
Oh.
And you're not gonna take the case, huh?
Well, l don't know. That depends on what Manion has to tell me tomorrow.
Ηe's thinking things out.
Oh, well, that's more like it.
Now, if l take the case, l want you in it.
Me? ln a big murder case?
Why, Polly, the sight of this whiskey-drinking old man at the counsel table would ruin you.
l need you.
Do you mean that?
Why else would he say it?
Well, l'd be glad to work with you outside of the courtroom...
but not in the courtroom.
Well, suit yourself about that. Either way, l'm gonna have to be able to depend on you.
Will you lay off the booze?
l don't know. l don't know about that, Polly.
Why don't you know?
Do you think l could lay off the booze?
[ Maida ] Ever tried it?
Try it.
l've never been on a big murder case.
Not once in all my life.
lt's up to you, Parn.
Will you be around tonight?
Yeah. Yeah. l'll be around.
You know, Maida, darlin'...
l might manage it.
l might manage to be a real lawyer again.
For a little while anyway.
l tried remembering.
There were still some pieces missing.
l remember...
going to Quill's bar with a gun...
and l remember Quill's face behind the bar.
But l don't remember anything else, not even going home.
Don't you remember firing the gun?
Five shots. That's a lot of noise to forget.
Yeah, l remember hearing shots, but they don't seem to be connected with me.
They seemed far away...
like somebody else was doing the shooting.
Lieutenant Manion, l'll, uh - l'll take your case.
Why, thanks. Thanks, Mr. Biegler.
All right. Now, there's the little matter of the fee.
Three thousand dollars. That's reasonable enough, isn't it?
Oh, sure, sure. More than reasonable.
l'll have to pay you later. Right now l'm broke.
- You're what? - l'm broke. l'm flat busted.
l don't have three dollars, much less 3,000.
- Well, can you raise it? - Oh, yeah, as soon as l get outta jail.
But, uh, next week's payday.
l'll, uh - l'll be able to give you $1 50.
And if you get me off, l'll give you a promissory note for the rest.
All right. Now, suppose l don't go along with you unless you pay me half the fee?
Well, l'll have to take the lawyer the court appoints.
- l got my defense now. Right? lnsanity. - Yeah.
l think l'll stick around and make damn sure you get off.
- Where do we start? - We're gonna need a psychiatrist.
As much as neither one of us has any money, do you think the army'll stir one up for you?
Well, l know a colonel in the Pentagon.
- l'll write a letter. - Good. Do that. Sulo.
Where are you going now?
l'm going to see your wife, for one thing.
Why? Didn't you see her yesterday?
That's right. l did.
She's a very pretty woman, your wife.
- A man gets used to the way his wife looks. - Yeah. l can see that.
l'll see ya.
Come on in, Polly. Come on in.
You haven't been in here since you vacated, have you, Polly?
- No. - Hardly recognize the old place, huh?
Mary did it for me. She just finished a decorator's course.
Smart girl. Very smart girl. Look at this.
- A real, genuine Picasso print. - lt's very nice.
And here, try this chair. lt sort of does things for you.
- Ηuh? - Yeah. Sit right down.
- [ Mechanical Rattling ] - Great, isn't it? Good for the nerves, they say.
- Yeah. Ηow do you shut it off? - There. Ηere we are.
- Feel better? - l feel all shook up.
Whew!
Uh, Mitch, l just dropped by to tell you l've got both feet in the Manion case.
- You're going to cop out, aren't you? - No.
- That's a mistake, Polly. lt's open and shut. - Well, maybe. We'll see.
Judge Maitland is still in the hospital.
Maybe you'd like to agree to a continuance until he gets back.
lf we go with the case now, we'll have to try...
before some grab-bag judge they'll send in.
- Me, l'd rather have Maitland. - Yeah. So would l.
But of course that'd also mean my client would lie around in jail...
for another two, three months before the trial.
Now, if you'll drop the charge down to manslaughter...
so l can get him out on bail, we'll agree to a continuance.
You wouldn't do that if you were still D.A.
Oh, l don't know. l might.
l might, since a great big fat lie detector test on his wife...
has given proof to the rape story.
- He'd have the jury with him. - How did you know what the lie -
- Bit, didn't l? - Yeah. You did.
Anyway, the result of a lie detector test isn't admissible evidence.
- You can't use it. - No, but it carries moral weight.
[ Mutters ] Mitch, l wouldn't sit in that chair too much.
lt could shake a fellow's brains loose.
l'll see you later.
[ Muff Barks ]
Ηe remembers you, Paul. Ηe likes you.
- He likes the beer in my icebox. - [ Laughs ]
Well, what's the occasion today? A buffalo hunt?
l bought these in Arizona when we were stationed there.
- Aren't they smart? l think they're very smart. - Ηere. We can sit in my car.
Ηere you are.
Ηere you go, Muffy.
Several things have occurred to me.
The, uh -
The undergarments that Barney Quill tore off.
Who has them now? The police?
You mean my panties?
All right. Your panties.
l haven't seen them since.
l gave the torn skirt and sweater to the police...
and then l went with them up that lane into the woods to look for the panties.
- But we couldn't find anything but my glasses. - Your glasses?
You mean you were wearing glasses through all that?
No. l had them in a case in my hand.
l wear them for reading, playing pinball. Things like that.
l must've tried to get out of the car and dropped them.
Uh-huh.
You, uh, might be interested to know that your lie detector test...
turned out in your favor.
Of course it did. l could've told you it would.
- You weren't worried about it? - No. Why should l be?
Would you like to have something to worry about?
[ Chuckles ] Silly.
Like your husband watching us from his cell window?
All right. All right. Let's have it.
- Did he say something to you? - Just enough.
Are you afraid of him?
Yes.
ls that why you volunteered for a lie detector test? For him?
- Yeah. - Mmm. Does he have reason to be jealous?
Ηe was jealous even before we were married.
l should have known how it would be.
lt's funny though. Ηe - Ηe likes to show me off.
Ηe likes me to dress the way l do.
And then he gets furious if a man pays any attention to me.
l've tried to leave him, but l can't.
Ηe begs. l give in.
Now, if you think l've forgotten my question, l haven't.
- l have. - All right.
All right. Then l'll ask it again.
Does your husband have any reason to be jealous?
No.
Not once. Not ever.
[ Door Opens ]
All right? You like the place all right?
l was just lookin' at these pictures.
- That was Barney Quill, wasn't it? - That's right. Barney Quill.
- l'm Paul Biegler - - l know who you are.
Seen you around lron City.
- You didn't tell me your name. - Paquette. We don't open till 5:00.
That's all right. l can wait. l don't have the shakes yet. [ Chuckles ]
You were on the job that night, weren't you?
The night Barney Quill was killed.
Like the newspaper said, l was present.
You were the fellow that stopped Lieutenant Manion outside.
That's right. Ηe, uh - Ηe pointed the gun at me and said...
"You want some too, buster?"
And you said no, because your name isn't buster.
There wasn't anything funny about it, Mr. Biegler.
No. There wasn't. l'm sorry. l'm sorry.
Where were you when Barney Quill was killed, Mr. Paquette?
[ Sighs ]
l gather you don't want to talk about that night, huh?
That's right. l don't want to talk about it.
Ηave to talk to me about it in court. Why not now?
Because l don't have to now. Reason enough, okay?
Okay.
Okay. Boy, old Barney, he was kind of a rugged character, wasn't he?
Ex-prize fighter, muscle man. Fancy with guns.
Ηe paid his debts, ran a clean place.
- Me, l liked him. - You run the place now?
No, l just work here. Mary's running things.
Mary. Was that Barney's wife?
No. Ηe wasn't - Ηe didn't have a wife. Mary was his manager.
Oh. Gee, l wonder who's gonna inherit the place.
- Mary, l guess. - Hmm, Mary again?
What's the matter with that?
You mean what's the matter with Mary? l don't know what's the matter with Mary.
Mary what?
Pilant. Mary Pilant.
She's in the back booth.
We don't talk about our customers here, but if we did -
- Which we don't - - Thank you.
[ Whispers ] That's her. That's Mary Pilant.
Do you know Lieutenant Manion's wife?
Sure. l know the lieutenant too.
Ηe's a good officer. She's all right too.
- Friendly. Good kid. - [ Laughs ]
What do you know about it? Knock it off.
l didn't mean anything. She's a dish. What's the matter with that?
You want this lawyer to get wrong ideas?
What chances has the lieutenant got, Mr. McCarthy?
Pretty good, l'd say, with a couple of character witnesses like you.
l'd like to help him out. l sure would, but we're moving out. The whole outfit. Berlin.
Oh. Uh, tell me...
who is this babe at the hotel?
Name's Mary Pilant. She was Quill's private property.
- Would you like a table, sir? - Yes, please.
- Will you be alone? - l'll be joined by two others.
- May l take your hat? - Well, thank you. Thank you very much.
Ηow was the manicure?
Just ask me any questions about anybody. l've got all the dope.
Well, can you tell me about a woman by the name of Mary Pilant?
Easy.
Mary Pilant may or may not have been the mistress of the late B. Quill.
- Oh? - The manicurist is in favor of the mistress theory...
but the hairdresser is agin it.
Ηowever, they both agree that some sort of hanky-panky must've been going on.
- To be continued. - Menu?
Thank you.
- Pretty, huh? - Yes, she's very pretty.
Well, go on. Go on.
Well, anyway, there's one story that says that Barney's wild night with Mrs. Manion...
was somehow triggered by Mary Pilant.
Seemed she'd been running around with some soldier, and Barney blew his stack.
- He got tanked up and exploded. - ls Mary Pilant local?
No, she's a Canadian. Barney brought her in here to sort of dress up the place...
and she stayed on to manage it for him.
- Looks like she's done all right. - Better than all right. She's in for the estate.
Oh? She doesn't look like a bad sort, does she?
- Hmm? Where? - What do you mean, where?
- The pretty one with the menus. - This girl right here?
Uh, Miss Pilant, may l introduce myself?
l'm Paul Biegler, attorney for Lieutenant Manion.
This is Mrs. Rutledge and Mr. McCarthy, my associates.
- Ηow do you do? - l wonder if you could sit with us for a minute?
- Yes, l can take a minute. - Thank you.
l'd like to ask you a few things, if you don't mind.
What sort of things, Mr. Biegler?
Well, like what kind of a man your employer was, Mr. Quill.
A very nice man.
lf that's true, how do you explain what happened with Lieutenant Manion's wife?
l don't know what happened with Lieutenant Manion's wife...
so there really isn't anything for me to explain, is there?
Your loyalty to the dead Mr. Quill is very touching, Miss Pilant.
Barney was well liked here by everyone, Mr. Biegler.
lt was very generous of everyone to overlook his little faults, like raping other men's wives.
lf you'll pardon me...
the waitress will take your order when you're ready.
Nice to have met you, Mr. Biegler, Mr. McCarthy, Mrs. Rutledge.
You've just been ginned, Lieutenant.
- Ten, twenty - - [ Sulo ] Manion.
- Any word, Lieutenant? - Yeah.
Uh, this. From Washington.
They'll let a doctor come to testify, but there's a string on it.
They want me to go to an army hospital in Detroit for an examination.
Doesn't the army understand you're in jail on a non-bailable offense?
That's it, as far as the army's concerned.
l don't know how l can get around this. l'll try and think of something.
Look. My wife hasn't been here for two days. Ηave you seen her?
- No, not for a while. - Where the hell is she?
You've got other things to worry about, Lieutenant.
Now, l'll get in touch with your wife. l'll tell her you miss her.
Yeah. You tell her that.
- Thanks, Sulo. - Okay, Polly.
l know just how you feel, Lieutenant.
l'd be tearin' my hair out too if l had something like that outside.
- Something like what outside? - Man, you know what l mean.
Something like that, running around on the loose.
[ Shouts, Groans ]
Now, what's the big noise, buckoes?
lt's me, dummy. l hit my elbow on this lousy iron bar.
Oh. You want some rubbing alcohol, maybe?
Nah. But a little bourbon might help.
- [ Men Laugh ] - Knock it off. Knock it off, buckoes.
Let's finish the game, Lieutenant.
♪♪ [ Jazz ]
♪♪ [ Continues ]
Oh! Hey! What a crazy lawyer we've got.
Hiya, Polly. That's what they call you, isn't it? Polly?
That's a crazy name for a crazy lawyer!
Thanks for letting me sit in, Pie-Eye.
- Hey, you're not splittin' the scene, man? - Ηuh?
- l mean, you're not cuttin' out? - No, l'll be back.
- Well, hi, Polly. Fellas, this is Manny's lawyer. - Ηi.
- Ηow are ya? - Sit down, won't you?
Sorry, l can't right now. Mrs. Manion, may l talk to you for a moment, outside?
"Mrs. Manion"? l thought we dropped the formalities a long time ago.
l think maybe we'd better pick them up again. This is important.
- All right. l'll go with you. - All right, come on.
- Hey! You're coming back, aren't you? - Sure. What do you think?
- See ya later, Pie-Eye. - Okay.
- Did you get my phone message? - Yeah, but l got busy.
Why haven't you been to see your husband?
l don't see why l have to see him every day.
l think it'd be a very good idea if you did.
All right. l'll see him every day. Okay?
No, not okay. Now, where's your car?
- l came with them. - All right. Mine's right over here. Come on.
Ηey, wait a second! l've got friends inside.
- Friends or no friends, you're goin' home. - Who do you think you are?
l'm the lawyer trying to beat a rap for your husband! Do you remember?
- What's that got to do with - - Wait. Now, you listen. You listen.
Now, until this trial is over, you're gonna be a meek little housewife...
with horn-rimmed spectacles, and you're gonna stay away from men and juke joints...
and booze and pinball machines...
and you're gonna wear a skirt and low-heeled shoes...
and you're gonna wear a girdle - and especially a girdle.
Look, Laura, believe me, l don't usually complain of an attractive jiggle, but just -
You save that jiggle for your husband to look at, if and when l get him out of jail.
Now come on. Let's go.
l'm sorry. l really am.
l wouldn't hurt Manny's chances for anything.
Come on. Come on.
ls this about where Barney knocked you down?
Yeah. Right over here.
Over there is the opening in the fence...
where Muffy was running back and forth with the flashlight.
Where's your trailer?
Up there on the hill.
This is my favorite place.
Sometimes when Manny was sleeping, l'd come out here and just sit.
l had to get out of that trailer. l couldn't stand being cooped up all the time.
l'm - l'm lonely, Paul.
l'm awful lonely.
l wouldn't have gone to that roadhouse if it weren't for that, you know.
Maybe you're getting in some good practice being lonely.
You mean you think maybe Manny won't get off?
That'll be up to the jury, and you can never tell about them.
lf he didn't, it'd be one way to end it.
No. l don't mean that. l - l may think it sometimes...
but l don't really want it.
[ Muff Barks ]
Ηello, sweetie. Did ya miss me?
Of course you missed me.
You wanna come in, Paul?
You can if you want to, you know.
No, thank you, Laura.
l'm sorry l had to spoil your fun over at that place. l -
- Good night, Laura. - Good night.
Ηear ye, hear ye, hear ye.
The Circuit Court for the County of lron Cliffs is now in session.
You can be seated.
For those of you l haven't met, my name is Weaver.
l'm from downstate, and l'm sitting temporarily while your good Judge Maitland...
is recovering from a severe illness.
There's no need, l think, to dwell at length upon my methods.
One judge is quite like another.
The only differences may be in the state of their digestions...
or their proclivities for sleeping on the bench.
For myself, l can digest pig iron.
And while l might appear to doze occasionally, you'll find that l'm easily awakened...
particularly if shaken gently by a good lawyer with a nice point of law.
We will now take up the criminal docket. Case number one.
The PeopIe versus CIarence Madigan.
Breaking and entering in the nighttime.
Will the defendant rise and come forward?
That's me, Your Honor.
"State of Michigan, Court of lron Cliffs.
l, Mitchell Lodwick, prosecuting attorney...
come into said county of lron Cliffs and give the court to understand...
that one Clarence Madigan...
alias 'One-Shot' Madigan, alias 'Smoky' Madigan...
did break and enter the dwelling house of Casper Katz...
and did there commit the felony of larceny on said premises."
Does Mr. Madigan have an attorney?
Oh, no. A man's gotta have money to ask them fellas the time of day.
Mr. Madigan, if you're impoverished, it's my duty...
to appoint an attorney on your behalf.
Oh, l wouldn't bother, Your Honor. l stole the whiskey.
l'm guilty as hell.
lt was a full case of expensive bourbon, Your Ηonor.
- Did you sell this whiskey? - Oh, no. l drank it.
- All of it? - You bet, Judge.
Are you aware that it will be necessary to punish you for this crime?
lt was worth it, Your Ηonor.
Well, l'll accept your plea of guilty, Mr. Madigan. You'll be sentenced later.
- You may now return to your place. - Thanks, Your Honor.
Case number two. The PeopIe versus Frederick Manion.
The charge: murder.
Paul Biegler for the defendant. My formal appearance is already on file.
Which of these men is your client, Mr. Biegler?
- None of them, Your Honor. - Mr. Sheriff...
will you produce the prisoner?
Well, l - l'm afraid l can't do that, Your Honor.
Perhaps someone should explain. l'm not clairvoyant.
The defendant is in Detroit being examined by a psychiatrist, Your Honor.
Shouldn't the court have been consulted...
before the defendant was allowed to leave its jurisdiction?
Well, Your Honor, we're dealing with the army in this matter...
and this was the only crack the army would give us at one of their psychiatrists.
The court was not present, and it was very urgent...
that we get the defendant to the psychiatrist.
What does the attorney for the People say to this?
lt was done with my knowledge, Your Honor.
l've always heard that this Upper Peninsula of our fair state was a queer place.
lf it's customary here to allow a man charged with first-degree murder to wander about at will...
l don't suppose it behooves an outsider to point out...
that the law makes no provision for such quaint liberalism.
Your Honor, the defendant is in the care of a deputy and will be returned this afternoon.
We'll formally arraign the defendant on his return.
For the sake of the docket, can you give me a clue as to his plea?
The defendant will waive reading of the information and stand mute.
A plea of not guilty will be entered.
The case of Frederick Manion will be placed first on the trial docket.
Can you hurry it up, Polly? Somebody tells that judge...
the prisoner was lounging around the railroad station, he'll really give me the works.
- Just take a minute, Sheriff. - Okay.
Thank you. Come on over here.
Well, Lieutenant, how'd things turn out?
- l was temporarily insane. - Did he tell you that?
Yeah. Said he's gonna write you a letter...
but, uh, l took some notes on my own.
- Doctor's name is Smith. - Smith.
Anatole Ludwig Smith or, uh, Ludwig von Smith, l hope.
- A name like that would impress the jury. - No, just plain Matthew Smith.
He said that when l shot Quill, l was suffering from "dissociative reaction."
Dissociative reaction. Sounds pretty good, doesn't it, Parn?
- Yeah. What does it mean in plain English? - Well, it means l had...
"an irresistible impulse to shoot Quill."
That's okay, isn't it?
Yeah, but what did he say about your knowing the difference...
between right and wrong when you shot Quill?
l don't think he said anything. Why? ls that important?
We better not keep the sheriff waiting. You better go.
[ McCarthy ] Thank you, Sheriff.
You ever heard of a Michigan court accepting irresistible impulse as insanity?
No. Maybe we better switch to self-defense.
Even Mitch Lodwick would make a monkey out of us on that.
[ Belches ] Damn strawberry soda.
- Here. Want a peanut? - No, thanks.
Well, tomorrow's Saturday.
We just have the weekend before the trial.
- When do you want to start working? - Tomorrow morning, early.
[ Bell Tolling ]
[ Clatter ]
- Polly! - Hey, listen to this, Parn.
Never mind that. Just find...
PeopIe versus Durfee, 62 Michigan, 486. Year 1 886.
Yeah, that's it. l have it right here in the A.L.R.
Listen. "The right-and-wrong test, though condemned as being unscientific...
is adhered to by most of the states, but" -
Listen to this "but." "But the fact that one accused of committing a crime...
may have been able to comprehend the nature and the consequences of this act...
and to know that it was wrong, nevertheless" -
Dear, sweet, endearing word, "nevertheless"!
"Nevertheless, if he was forced to its execution by an impulse -
by an impulse which he was powerless to control...
he will be excused from punishment."
Why, the Michigan Supreme Court did accept irresistible impulse, Parn.
This is precedent. Boy, l think we got ahold of something here.
Good old Durfee, 1 886.
Ηow about that? Give me a pad.
By the saints, this strawberry soda pop is beginning to taste like real bourbon whiskey.
Well, don't get drunk yet. You know, we've got to convince a jury...
that our client was irresistibly impulsed.
Remember that.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury...
before we proceed further, it will be necessary for me to examine you...
on your qualifications to sit as jurors.
Will you please remember that you are under oath?
Are all of you citizens?
Will you please raise your hand if you are not.
Are there any justices of the peace or law enforcement officers among you?
[ Jury ] No.
Are any of you related by blood or marriage to any law enforcement officer?
- [ Jury ] No. - So much for qualifications.
l will now examine for cause.
Do any of you have any business pending with the prosecuting attorney, Mitchell Lodwick?
[ Jury ] No.
Do any of you have any business pending with Paul Biegler, attorney for the defense?
No.
Are any of you acquainted with the defendant...
sitting there on Mr. Biegler's left?
- [ Jury ] No. - Will Mrs. Laura Manion...
the defendant's wife please stand?
- Do any of you know Mrs. Manion? - No.
Thank you, Mrs. Manion. You may be seated.
Counsel may challenge the jury for cause.
Your Honor, before counsel's challenge, may l introduce Mr. Claude Dancer to the court?
Mr. Dancer is an assistant attorney general from Lansing.
Because of the peculiar nature of this case, l have requested the attorney general...
to allow Mr. Dancer to sit in with the prosecution.
Your reputation precedes you, Mr. Dancer.
lt's a privilege to have you in my court.
Thank you, Your Ηonor. l'm sure it will be instructive.
Do any of you jurors have any business pending...
before the attorney general's office?
No.
l must apologize for my disparaging remarks...
about the Upper Peninsula and its customs.
l've seldom seen a murder jury selected and sworn in less than half a day.
You have won my heart completely, gentlemen.
Now, Mr. Dancer, you asked for the recess. What's your problem?
There was a little suggestion l wanted to make, Your Honor.
- By all means. - Since the defense plea is insanity...
the prosecution has retained a psychiatrist.
Under the statute, we have the right to petition for a mental examination...
of the defendant by our own doctor.
Are you familiar with that statute, Mr. Biegler?
Uh-huh. Moderately.
l think it would only delay things to file a formal petition...
so why don't we just, uh, get together and sort of...
informally agree to ask Ηis Ηonor for an adjournment?
Only a day or so, and our doctor can visit with the defendant.
l think it would save everyone a great deal of time. Don't you, Mr. Biegler?
- Yes, l'm sure it will. - Good.
But suppose you just go ahead and file that formal petition anyway.
Of course, you're a little late, aren't ya?
Well, maybe Ηis Ηonor will overlook that.
And then, l'd sort of like the jury to see...
that you think our insanity plea has some merit.
There really won't be any need for our doctor to examine your client.
Naturally, l was only following the usual procedure.
- Well, naturally, l'm all for it. - Uh-huh.
Do you wish to file the petition or not, Mr. Dancer?
- Yes, Your Ηonor - - lt won't be necessary.
That's right. lt won't be necessary at all.
Skirmish over. Shall we join now on the field of battle?
The body of Quill had sustained five gunshot wounds.
One of the bullets had passed through the heart.
Death, in my opinion, was almost instantaneous...
and was directly caused by this wound.
- Dr. Raschid, may l have your detailed report? - Certainly.
l ask that this report be marked People's Exhibit One for identification.
So received and marked.
The People hand the defense a copy of the report.
Counsel may cross-examine.
Dr. Raschid, your primary purpose was to ascertain the cause of death, was it not?
Yes.
And yet, l read in your report here, that you checked...
to determine whether spermatogenesis was occurring...
in the body of the deceased at the time of death.
Objection, Your Ηonor. The People call this witness only to show the cause of death.
Your Ηonor, the entire report was offered as evidence...
and the report contains this information about spermatogenesis.
Overruled, Mr. Lodwick. The witness may answer.
Yes, l made that examination on the deceased.
Now, would you tell the court your findings?
Spermatogenesis was occurring at the time of death.
ln other words, the deceased, in life, was not sterile. He could produce children.
- That is correct. - Now, Doctor...
if a woman says that she has had intercourse with a certain man...
and the man is proved fertile, even though no evidence is found in the woman's body...
could a lawyer - say a prosecuting attorney -
could he use this as evidence that the woman is lying?
Your Ηonor. l, uh, object to this line of questioning.
We're not concerned here with whether or not...
there have been relations between a man and a woman.
Your Ηonor, as long as an examination for spermatogenesis has been made...
at least we're entitled to know why.
Overruled. You may answer.
Yes. Prosecution could use that...
though it certainly would not be conclusive that she was lying.
- Why not? - There could be several reasons...
why the test on her was negative.
The, uh, use of a contraceptive...
or - or possibly there was no completion on the part of the man.
Now, on this postmortem were you also asked to determine whether or not...
the deceased had reached a sexual climax shortly before his death?
- No, sir. - Could you have made such a determination?
Oh, yes.
So you were only asked to make such examination...
as might be useful to the prosecution, none that might help the defense?
l object, Your Ηonor. The question is argumentative.
Counsel for the defense is trying to impugn the intent...
of the representatives of the People.
Mr. Biegler, you must be aware that the question is improper.
l withdraw the question, Your Honor, and apologize.
The question and answer will be stricken...
and the jury will disregard both the question and the answer.
- That's all the questions l had. - No redirect.
The People now call Lloyd Burke.
[ Bailiff ] Will the witness step forward, please.
[ Whispering ] How can a jury disregard what it's already heard?
They can't, Lieutenant. They can't.
...the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
- l do. - Sit down, please.
Will you state your profession, please, Mr. Burke?
- l'm a commercial photographer. - Were you called upon by the police...
to take photographs of the body of the deceased Bernard Quill...
before and after he was removed from the scene of death?
Yes, sir, l was.
Were these photographs of the deceased made by you?
They were.
The reporter will please mark these photographs...
People's Exhibit 2A to 2D for identification.
Photographs are tendered to the defense for examination...
and the People move their admission as evidence.
- Your witness. - Uh, no questions. No objections.
Paul, he took pictures of me that night too.
Just a minute, Mr. Burke.
Uh, Mr. Burke...
these photographs offered as evidence...
are they the only photographs you took that night?
Why, uh, no.
l suppose the others didn't turn out. ls that it?
All my pictures turn out!
- [ Spectators Laugh ] - Oh, of course. l - l beg your pardon.
Did you give the other pictures to the police?
- Yes, sir, l did. - Well, Mr. Burke, what were they?
Were they side shots, or a shot of the moon, perhaps?
- Or a black bear scavenging the Thunder Bay dump? - [ Spectators Laugh ]
Your Honor, l object! l can't see how other photographs are relevant.
The photographs in evidence were introduced...
to show that the deceased met with a violent death.
Well, Your Ηonor, l should think any photograph pertaining to the case would be relevant.
The point is good, Mr. Biegler. Continue.
What were these other photographs of, Mr. Burke?
Lieutenant Manion's wife.
You mean these photographs showed how she looked that night after Barney Quill was killed?
- Yes. - Your Honor, how she looked is irrelevant.
No evidence has been introduced to connect Mrs. Manion's appearance to a charge of murder.
- [ Judge Weaver ] Sustained. - l'm sorry, Your Honor.
l just wanted to make sure the prosecution wasn't withholding evidence.
Now look here!
l protest to the defense attorney's persistent attacks...
on the motives of the prosecution.
The jury will disregard the remark made by the attorney for the defense.
There's no reason to believe that the prosecution has not acted in good faith.
My apologies to the prosecution, and to the court.
But, Your Honor, as long as protests are being made...
l'd like to make a protest myself.
Now, l'm perfectly willing to take on these two legal giants anytime, anyplace...
but in all fairness, it ought to be one at a time.
l don't want these two fellows pitching knuckleballs at me at the same time.
lt seems to me you're batting close to a thousand, Mr. Biegler...
but your point is well taken.
Whichever attorney opens with the witness...
he alone shall continue with that witness until the witness is excused.
Thank you, Your Honor. No more questions.
No questions.
- My, we're drawing well, aren't we? - Where's Parnell?
Parnell? Why? lsn't he here?
No, he's not here. He's not in his rooming house, and he hasn't been there all night.
You were the last to see him. Where is he?
l promised not to tell, so don't ask me.
- Aw, he hasn't fallen off the wagon? - No. Ηe was sober.
- Ηas he gone somewhere? - He did borrow my car for something or other.
Your car? That was smart. Ηe hasn't driven a car in 20 years.
Ηe'll kill himself. Now where's he gone?
My word is my bond.
♪♪ [ Ηumming ]
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
- [ Jury ] Good morning. - You may proceed.
Your Ηonor, the, uh -
the defense notices a third person at the prosecution's table.
We were wondering if the court shares our curiosity as to just who he is.
l was about to introduce him.
Your Ηonor, this gentleman is Dr. W. Gregory Ηarcourt.
Dr. Harcourt is the People's psychiatrist in this case.
We ask that Dr. Harcourt be allowed to sit at our table as an observer.
What are you gonna have him observe? The constellation of Taurus...
- or the life and times of a bumblebee? - [ Laughter ]
To observe the defendant, of course.
Oh! Oh, well, that's fine. That's fine.
The defense has no objection, Your Honor. l just wish to express my relief...
that the new recruit is not additional legal reinforcements from Lansing.
- [ Spectators Chuckle ] - [ Lodwick ] Call Alphonse Paquette.
Raise your right hand, please.
You do solemnly swear that the testimony you shall give in this cause...
shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
- [ Paquette ] l do. - Take a seat, please.
- Will you state your name, please. - Alphonse Paquette.
You work at the Thunder Bay lnn, don't you, Mr. Paquette?
l'm bartender there.
Were you working on the night that Barney Quill was shot by Frederick Manion?
- l was. - Were you witness to the shooting?
l was.
Will you tell us in your own words, please, what happened?
l was at a table by the door when Lieutenant Manion came in.
Did you know Lieutenant Manion by sight and by name?
- Yes, sir. - Go ahead.
Well, he came in and walked over to the bar...
and began to shoot.
Ηe shot Barney when he came up to the bar, and when Barney fell...
he kept on shooting down at Barney, behind the bar.
Then he turned around and walked out.
When Lieutenant Manion entered the bar, how did he appear to you?
Well, he walked slow.
Kind of deliberate, l guess you could say.
- Did he speak to Barney Quill? - Not a word.
Just walked over and pulled out his gun, and bang.
- And then he walked out. - Yes.
When he walked out, how did he appear to you?
Ηe seemed just like he did when he walked in.
Like he was the mailman delivering the mail.
[ Lodwick ] When Lieutenant Manion walked out of the bar, what did you do?
[ Paquette ] Well, it happened so fast, l guess l was stunned.
- But then l ran out after him. - Did you find him outside?
- Yes, sir. He was walking away. - Did you speak to him?
Yes, sir. l said, uh, "Lieutenant, you'd better not run away from this."
Did he reply to you?
Ηe said, "Do you want some too, buster?"
Was he pointing the gun at you?
Well, he was holding the gun in my direction, but the muzzle was low.
When he said, "Do you want some too, buster?"
how was that expressed?
Did he shout it? Was it hysterical?
- Was he hoarse? Did his voice tremble? - No, sir.
Ηe just said it cool and hard and looked right at me.
Did he appear to you, as far as you could tell...
to be in complete possession of his faculties?
- Yes, sir, far as l could tell. - Your witness.
Mr. Paquette, did you see Laura Manion...
the wife of Lieutenant Manion, in the bar that night?
Your Ηonor, there he goes again. This is immaterial and irrelevant.
Your Ηonor, l don't see what the prosecution's so jumpy about. l haven't gone anyplace yet.
Well, let's see where he's going before we start objecting, Mr. Lodwick.
You may proceed, Mr. Biegler.
Well, did you see Mrs. Manion in the bar that night?
- She was there. - Did Barney Quill leave the bar that night?
- Yes. - Do you remember when he returned?
l think he came back around midnight.
From which entrance did he come? Did he come from the lobby entrance...
or come from that - that, uh, outside entrance?
- lt was from the lobby. - Mm-hmm.
- And how did he appear to you at that time? - Ηow do you mean?
You understood the prosecuting attorney very well when he asked you that question...
about Lieutenant Manion's appearance.
Oh, well, he was just old Barney, like usual.
You mean he was just good old sober, reliable...
- gentle, salt-of-the-earth, friend-to-man Barney? - Your Honor! Your Honor!
Your Ηonor, what kind of a question is that?
l withdraw the question, Your Honor.
Mr. Paquette...
had Barney changed his clothes since he left the bar?
l don't remember.
Might his clothing have been different when he returned?
That is, might he have changed his clothes?
l couldn't say. l didn't notice.
Was Barney drinking that night?
Well, he - he always had a few shots while he was talking to the customers.
- He was friendly. - Oh, sure he was. Sure. Good old Barney.
Well, now, how many shots would you say good old Barney usually had?
l don't know exactly.
Wasn't he, in fact, pretty loaded that night, Mr. Paquette?
Objection, Your Honor.
Even if the deceased was dead drunk, it's no defense to this charge.
Sustained. l suggest you get off this, Mr. Biegler.
Mr. Paquette, what would you call a man with an insatiable penchant for women?
- A what? - A penchant.
A desire, uh, taste, passion.
Well, a ladies' man, l guess.
- Or maybe just a damn fool. - [ Spectators Laugh ]
Just answer the questions, Mr. Paquette.
The attorneys will provide the wisecracks.
Well - [ Laughs ] What else would you call a man like that, Mr. Paquette?
We can't see the drift of this, Your Honor.
You mean you do see, Mr. Lodwick.
- You may answer. - Can you think of another name, Mr. Paquette?
- Woman chaser. - Try again.
- Masher? - Oh, now, come now, Mr. Paquette.
Mashers went out with whalebone corsets and hairnets.
- [ Spectators Laugh ] - Did you ever hear the expression "wolf"?
Well, sure, l heard that. lt just slipped my mind.
lt slipped your mind. Well, naturally it would.
- Clanking around in there with all those rusty old mashers. - [ Laughing ]
- Have you ever known a man who you could call a wolf, Mr. Paquette? - l'm not sure.
- Was Barney Quill a wolf, Mr. Paquette? - l couldn't say.
- Or wouldn't? - Objection.
Sustained. The question was answered. He said he couldn't say.
Mr. Paquette, when Barney returned from wherever he had gone...
- did he relieve you at the bar? - Yes.
- And what did he say to you when he relieved you? - Said, "l'll take over."
When you came out from behind the bar, where did you go?
l went over to the table where the Pedersons were sitting.
Now, you testified that you were by the door when Lieutenant Manion came in.
ls that the reason you were by the door, because the Pedersons' table was there?
- Yes. - Uh-huh.
And how long was it before Lieutenant Manion came in?
l don't know exactly. Uh, maybe 30 minutes.
And you remained at the Pedersons' table all that time.
- Yes, they're friends of mine. - ls there also a window beside that table?
- l think so. - You think so.
Ηow long have you worked at the Thunder Bay lnn, Mr. Paquette?
- About six or seven years. - Well, now, does this window beside the table -
does it suddenly vanish and then reappear...
and come and go in a ghostly fashion?
No, sir. lt's there all the time.
And while you were talking to your friends there, did you happen to look out of the window?
- l might have. - And when you looked out of the window...
were you looking for something special?
No. No, l wasn't looking for anything.
Didn't Barney Quill tell you to go over to that window...
and watch out for Lieutenant Manion?
[ Sighs ]
Did he tell you to look out for Lieutenant Manion?
Ηe did not.
Mr. Paquette, Barney was quite a marksman, wasn't he?
With guns. He'd won a lot of prizes for shooting, hadn't he?
- Yes. - Did he keep any guns behind the bar?
Well, he might have.
lsn't it a fact that there are three concealed pistol racks behind the bar, Mr. Paquette?
Your Honor, the defendant's plea is one of insanity, not self-defense.
l'm sure Mr. Biegler hasn't forgotten that fact, Mr. Lodwick.
- You may answer. - Are there concealed gun racks behind the bar?
Yes.
And how many people know about these gun racks?
- l couldn't say. - But isn't it a fact that Barney, every once in a while...
he'd take the guns out of these racks, and twirling them on his fingers...
he'd demonstrate his skill to the patrons?
- lsn't it? - l don't remember.
Oh, now, come on. Try and remember.
- Did you ever see him do that yourself? - Once or twice he did.
- That's all, Mr. Paquette. - [ Lodwick ] No further questions.
- [ Judge Weaver ] The witness may step down. - Call George Lemon.
[ Whispering ] Biegler's going off in all directions.
What's he getting at?
[ Bailiff ] Raise your right hand, please.
- l have a feeling he's afraid of what we'll get at. - [ Bailiff ] ...shall be the truth -
Mr. Biegler's putting up a smoke screen for some reason.
- l do. - Take a seat, please.
- Will you state your name, please? - George Lemon.
What kind of work do you do, Mr. Lemon?
l'm caretaker of the tourist park in Thunder Bay.
l see the place is clean and orderly.
l check people in, check 'em out and lock the gate at night.
And what is your authority for these duties?
l'm paid by Mastodon township, and l'm also a deputy sheriff - just courtesy, sort of.
Did you see Lieutenant Manion on the night of the 1 5th?
- The night Barney Quill was killed? - Yes, sir.
Will you tell the court...
about how and-and when you saw Lieutenant Manion?
About 1 :00 a.m., a knock on my door waked me up.
l went to the door, and Lieutenant Manion was standing there.
Ηe said, "You better take me, Mr. Lemon, because l just shot Barney Quill."
l told him to go back to his trailer and that l would call the state police.
Ηow did Lieutenant Manion appear to you when he asked you to take him?
Ηe said what he had to say and did what l told him. There wasn't any fuss.
Did he appear to you to be, as far as you could tell...
in complete possession of his faculties?
As far as l could tell, yes, sir.
Take the witness.
Mr. Lemon, did you go to the Manions' trailer?
Yes, sir.
Did you see Mrs. Manion at the trailer?
- Yes, sir. - What was her appearance?
- She was a mess. - [ Spectators Laugh ]
Objection. No evidence has been introduced...
to make Mrs. Manion's appearance relevant to this case.
Well, no evidence has been introduced to make Barney Quill's appearance relevant...
but you didn't object to the question then.
ls that because you know that Barney Quill bathed and changed and cooled off...
after he raped and beat hell out of this poor woman?
Your Ηonor, everybody in this court is being tried except Frederick Manion!
- l must protest - - Now listen! This is a cross-examination in a murder case!
lt's not a high school debate! What are you and Dancer trying to do?
Railroad this soldier into the clink?
Mr. Biegler, you are an experienced attorney...
and you know better than to make such an outburst.
l will not tolerate intemperance of this sort.
lf you once again try the patience of this court...
l shall hold you in contempt.
Sorry.
Your Ηonor...
l apologize, and it won't happen again.
The witness's answer will be stricken, and the jury will disregard the answer.
- Now you may proceed, Mr. Biegler. - Yes, sir.
Mr. Lemon...
on the night when Lieutenant Manion awakened you and turned himself in...
had you been awakened before?
- Had anything else disturbed your slumbers? - No, sir.
- There were no soldiers singing? - No, sir. Not in my park after 1 0:00.
- There were no women screaming? - Well, those screams were down by the gate.
Objection! Objection!
l see no reason for objecting yet, Mr. Lodwick.
Tell us about those screams, Mr. Lemon.
l didn't hear 'em myself. There were some tourists from Ohio in the park...
and they heard 'em and told me about it the next day.
- Now, Mr. Lodwick. - This testimony is incompetent, hearsay...
irrelevant, immaterial, inconclusive -
- Yeah, well, that's too much for me. - [ Spectators Chuckle ]
- The witness is yours, Mr. Lodwick. - Ηuh?
Oh, uh, uh, no questions.
The witness may step down.
- Call your next witness. - Um -
Detective Sergeant James Durgo.
- Hi, Polly. - [ Whispering ] Ηi, Jim. Come here.
As soon as we break, you'd better phone that army psychiatrist.
- Tell him to be here day after tomorrow. - Will do.
Will you please tell me where Parnell has gone?
Won't do.
You're fired.
You can't fire me till you pay me.
[ Durgo ] Detective Sergeant James Durgo, state police.
[ Lodwick ] Were you called to Thunder Bay by Deputy Sheriff Lemon of Thunder Bay...
on the night that Barney Quill was shot and killed?
Yes, sir, l was. My companion officer and l were the first to be called in on the case.
Sergeant Durgo, when you arrived at the Manion trailer, who was there?
Lieutenant Manion and his wife were there.
What did Lieutenant Manion say to you?
Ηe said that his wife had had some trouble with Barney Quill -
that he had gone to the tavern and shot Quill.
Ηe asked us whether Quill was dead or not. We told him he was.
Ηow did Lieutenant Manion take this information?
- He didn't seem surprised. - What did you do then, Sergeant Durgo?
l asked for the gun he'd used.
Did you take Lieutenant Manion to the county jail here in lron City on that same night?
Yes, sir. We drove the lieutenant down with his wife.
On the drive to lron City, did the lieutenant talk further about the shooting?
Ηe remarked that if he had the whole thing to do over again, he'd still do it.
[ Lodwick ] During all this - at the trailer, the drive to lron City -
how did Lieutenant Manion appear to you?
Ηe was very quiet most of the time. Seemed clearheaded.
As far as you could tell, would you say that he was in complete possession of his faculties?
- Seemed so to me. - Your witness.
Sergeant Durgo, you testified that Lieutenant Manion told you that he shot Barney Quill...
after he learned that his wife had had some trouble with Quill.
Now, were these the words Lieutenant Manion used? "Some trouble"?
No, sir. Those were my words, not his.
And was it your notion to come here and use your own words?
No, sir. lt was not.
And was the suggestion to call it "some trouble" made by somebody here in this courtroom?
Yes, sir, it was.
All right, Sergeant. Now, would you tell the court...
what words Lieutenant Manion actually used...
to describe the trouble his wife had had?
Objection, Your Ηonor. We've been over this before.
This information would not be relevant to any issues before the court.
This statement concerning some trouble...
was brought out during the direct examination of Sergeant Durgo.
Up to now you've adroitly restricted all testimony as far as Laura Manion's concerned.
All right. The cat's out of the bag. lt's fair game for me to chase it.
This is a sore point, Mr. Biegler, and it's getting sorer.
l'd like to hear from the prosecution.
The burden is on the defense to prove temporary insanity at the time of the shooting.
Now, if the reason for the alleged insanity is important to this case...
then that is a matter for a competent witness...
an expert on the subject of the human mind.
What the defense is trying to do...
is introduce some sensational material...
for the purposes of obscuring the real issues.
Your Ηonor, how can the jury accurately estimate the testimony being given here...
unless they first know the reason behind this whole trial -
why Lieutenant Manion shot Barney Quill.
Now, the prosecution would like to separate the motive from the act.
Well, that's like trying to take the core from an apple without breaking the skin.
The core of our defense is that the defendant's temporary insanity...
was triggered by this so-called trouble with Quill.
And l beg the court -
l beg the court to let me cut into the apple.
Our objection still stands, Your Ηonor.
Objection overruled.
[ Spectators Murmuring ]
Sergeant Durgo, tell the court...
how Lieutenant Manion described the trouble his wife had with Barney Quill.
Ηe told us that Quill had raped his wife.
Now, can you recall generally what Lieutenant Manion told you about this rape?
Yes, sir. He said he'd been asleep since right after dinner.
That he was waked up by some noise. Screams, he thought.
That he got up, opened the trailer door and went outside.
His wife came running out of the dark and fell into his arms.
You saw his wife in the trailer. How'd she look?
She was a little hysterical. She'd been pretty badly beaten up.
She had big black bruises over her face and her arms.
- Did Mrs. Manion tell you about this rape and beating? - She did.
- And did she take you to the place where it had happened? - Yes, sir. The next morning.
And did you find anything there? Any sort of evidence pertaining to the story...
that Mrs. Manion had told you?
On the lane in the woods we found some tire tracks and some dog tracks...
and a leather case with some horn-rimmed glasses inside.
We also looked for...
a certain undergarment of Mrs. Manion's, but we didn't find it.
Will the attorneys for both sides approach the bench, please?
[ Whispering ] Mr. Biegler, you finally got your rape into the case...
and l think all the details should now be made clear to the jury.
- Do you agree, Mr. Lodwick? - Absolutely.
What exactly was the undergarment just referred to?
Panties, Your Honor.
- Do you expect this subject to come up again? - Yes, sir.
There's a certain light connotation attached to the word "panties."
Can we find another name for them?
- l never heard my wife call 'em anything else. - Mr. Biegler?
- l'm a bachelor, Your Ηonor. - That's a great help. Mr. Dancer?
When l was overseas during the war, Your Ηonor, l - l learned a French word.
- l'm afraid that it might be slightly suggestive. - Most French words are.
All right, gentlemen. Back to your places.
For the benefit of the jury, but more especially for the spectators...
the undergarment referred to in the testimony was, to be exact...
Mrs. Manion's panties.
[ Spectators Laughing ]
l wanted you to get your snickering over and done with.
This pair of panties will be mentioned again in the course of this trial...
and when it happens, there will not be one laugh...
one snicker, one giggle...
or even one smirk in my courtroom.
There isn't anything comic about a pair of panties...
which figure in the violent death of one man...
and the possible incarceration of another.
Proceed, Mr. Biegler.
- Did you give Mrs. Manion a lie detector test? - Objection.
A polygraph test is inadmissible evidence in our courts.
l only asked if he gave the test. l didn't ask the results.
[ Judge Weaver ] Ηe may answer that.
l gave her a lie detector test at her request.
- After all this investigation, did you believe Mrs. Manion? - l did.
- Even after the lie detector test? - Your Ηonor, l object to that question!
lt constitutes flagrant, sneaking subterfuge on the part of the defense counsel.
Objection sustained. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury...
a polygraph or lie detector test is not admissible in evidence...
because no one has ever been quite sure...
that some people couldn't lie to a lie detector and get away with it.
- Go ahead, Mr. Biegler. - ln any case, Sergeant Durgo, you, yourself...
in your own heart and mind are quite convinced of Mrs. Manion's honesty.
- Yes, sir. - That's all.
- Just a moment. - [ Whispering ]
Yes, of course.
Sergeant Durgo, did you look for the panties elsewhere than the lane in the woods?
We looked in Barney Quill's car and his room in the hotel.
We didn't find the panties.
Do you know why Mrs. Manion requested a lie detector test?
- l know what she said. - What was that?
She said she wanted everybody to believe her story...
because she knew it would help her husband.
Was that the only reason she gave?
She said she'd already sworn to her husband. She wanted everybody else to believe it too.
One moment, please, Your Honor.
Ask him in what manner she swore.
Did Mrs. Manion say how she had sworn to her husband?
Yes, sir. She said she'd sworn on a rosary.
Sergeant, this lane in the woods - What's it used for? Where does it go?
Used to be a logging road. Doesn't go anyplace. Just stops.
Who uses it now?
- l think it's a road kids drive down to park. - You mean it's a lovers' lane.
- l think so. Yes, sir. - The witness is yours, Mr. Biegler.
- No more questions. - [ Judge Weaver ] The witness may step down.
ln view of the evidence concerning rape which Your Ηonor has ruled admissible...
the prosecution asks for a 30-minute recess in order that we may bring in...
another witness whom we had not anticipated using.
- All right. We'll take a 30-minute recess. - Recess.
Why didn't you tell me about that rosary?
We forgot it.
We didn't forget it. Manny said maybe we shouldn't tell that again.
lt might have looked like something else. Like l-l didn't believe her.
Ηow much more didn't you tell me?
Everything else. We told you everything else.
ls that right, Laura?
Oh, yes. Everything else.
All right. Now get this, both of ya.
When you get up on that stand, l want you to tell the truth.
l don't want you to tell anything but the truth.
Don't try and lie. Don't try and conceal anything, or you'll get skinned alive.
This fellow Dancer's gonna move in.
[ Dancer ] Dr. Dompierre, did you have occasion to come to the county jail...
on the night of August the 1 5th of this year?
- l did. - Who called you to the jail?
- The police authorities. - What did they want you to do?
They wanted me to make a test for the presence of sperm...
on the person of a Mrs. Frederick Manion.
- l made the test. - ln making this test, what was your conclusion?
- Negative. There was none. - Your witness, Mr. Biegler.
Doctor, in making these tests...
did you notice any bruises or marks on Mrs. Manion at that time?
l did.
Were you asked to determine the reason for these bruises?
l was not.
Where did you do the laboratory work on your test for sperm?
Saint Margaret's hospital in this city.
- Who worked up the slides for you? - A technician at the hospital.
Well, wouldn't it have been better to have these slides worked up...
by a pathologist or an expert in this field?
Well, yes, but the police were in a hurry...
and l happened to know this young fella came on at 7:00 in the morning.
Wouldn't it have been especially better to wait for the expert...
if the possible question of rape hung on the result?
- lt would have been. - Now, Doctor, in the newspaper...
on the evening of August the 1 6th, it was stated that you found no evidence of rape.
- ls that true? - lt is not true. l made no such statement.
But did you form an opinion as to whether Mrs. Manion had been raped?
- No. - Why didn't you form an opinion?
lt's impossible to tell if a mature, married woman has been raped.
- That's all. - Doctor...
did you have an opinion about whether or not she'd had any recent relations with a man?
lnsofar as no sperm was present...
it didn't appear that she had had recent relations with a man.
- That's all. - Just one more question, Doctor.
The fact that no evidence was present in her body...
does not mean that she was not raped, does it?
No.
Do you know what constitutes rape under the law?
Yes, sir.
Violation is sufficient for rape.
There need not be a completion.
- No further questions. - [ Judge Weaver ] The witness may step down.
The People recall Alphonse Paquette to the stand.
Your Ηonor, since counsel for the defense has forced the question of rape...
it becomes necessary to take this additional testimony from Mr. Paquette.
You're still under oath, Mr. Paquette.
Mr. Paquette...
would you take a look at Mrs. Manion, seated there behind the defense table?
Was she dressed in this manner on the night of the shooting?
- No. - How was she dressed?
She had on a real tight skirt and sweater kind of thing.
Sort of glued on. She was wearing a pair of red shoes with high heels.
- Was she wearing hose? - No. She was bare legged.
- Was she wearing a hat? - No.
Um, Mr. Paquette, what kind of hair does Mrs. Manion have under that hat?
Well, we'd be very happy to show the court Mrs. Manion's hair.
Mrs. Manion, would you take off your hat, please?
[ Spectators Murmur ]
Thank you, Mr. Biegler.
Mr. Paquette, was she wearing glasses that night?
l think she was when she played pinball.
Considering the tight skirt and the tight sweater and the bare legs...
- what was the result in her appearance? - Well -
Would you say that Mrs. Manion's appearance was deliberately voluptuous and enticing?
You could pretty much see everything she had.
Your Honor, the defense will concede that Mrs. Manion, when dressed informally...
is an astonishingly beautiful woman.
And we - Well, Mrs. Manion, stand up, please. Will you?
As a matter of fact - Take your glasses off.
As a matter of fact, it's pretty easy to understand...
why her husband became temporarily deranged...
when he saw such beauty bruised and torn by a beast.
Your Ηonor, l protest.
Mr. Biegler is perhaps the least disciplined...
and the most completely out-of-order attorney l've ever seen in a courtroom.
The jury will ignore Mr. Biegler's oration.
Uh, was Mrs. Manion drinking heavily that night?
l sold her six drinks myself, and then Barney came over and got some more for her.
- l don't remember how many. - Would you say that she was tight?
- Oh, she was high, all right. - What did she do to make you think she was high?
[ Paquette ] Well, she took off her shoes and went barefooted, and...
when she played pinball she'd kind of swish around to give the machine English.
- You mean she was flipping her hips around. - Yeah.
Anything else?
Well, when she made a good score, she jumped up and down and squealed like women do.
[ Chuckles ] She was playing pinball with Barney Quill that night, wasn't she?
- Yes, sir. - What was her attitude toward Barney Quill?
Friendly, l guess you could call it.
- More than friendly, would you say? - l thought so.
[ Dancer ] Why did you think so?
Well, she - she'd kind of lean on him, and a couple of times she bumped him with her hip.
Uh, would you say that Mrs. Manion was making a play for Barney Quill?
Objection. That calls for an assumption on the part of the witness, Your Ηonor.
l withdraw the question. Would you say that, uh...
Mrs. Manion was free and easy with Barney Quill?
- l would. - Your witness, Mr. Biegler.
Mr. Paquette, the attorney for the People asked you...
if Mrs. Manion was tight, and you said that she was high.
Now, speaking as a bartender, what's the distinction between the two?
- l don't think l understand. - Well, l mean...
when we say a person's tight, we usually mean that they're a little stupid with the drink.
- lsn't that so? - l guess that's about it. Yes.
And if they're high, they're gay and enjoying themselves.
- Yes. - ln other words, Mrs. Manion was happy.
Well, now, is there anything wrong with being happy in Thunder Bay lnn?
- No. - Thunder Bay itself is a resort, isn't it?
- Swimming, fishing, that sort of thing? - Yes.
ls there anything unusual about seeing a barefooted woman in Thunder Bay?
- No. - So Mrs. Manion's taking her shoes off in Thunder Bay...
that doesn't necessarily mean that she was being unladylike, does it?
- l guess not. - Yes or no?
No!
Now, you testified...
that Mrs. Manion was squealing and jumping up and down and -
and swishing her - l think that was the expression you used -
swishing her hips around the pinball machine.
Now, was she creating a disturbance? Was she attracting a crowd?
- No. - Were all the men at the bar -
Were they all standing around watching Mrs. Manion?
- No. - But you were very conscious of Mrs. Manion.
You were conscious enough so that you can tell us all about her actions.
- Yes. - And certainly Barney Quill, he was conscious of Mrs. Manion...
because he was playing pinball with Mrs. Manion, wouldn't you say so?
- Yes. - So it seems that only you and Barney Quill...
were acutely aware of Mrs. Manion and her actions and her appearance.
And maybe good old Barney, when he came up to get some drinks from you...
maybe he winked and said, "Alphonse, l'm gonna take this babe out and rape her."
- No! No, he didn't. - Yeah, and maybe you said, "Do it once for me, boss!"
[ Dancer ] Objection, objection. Those are not questions. Counsel is attacking -
- No more questions! - [ Gavel Rapping ]
The court's had about all of this dogfight it can take for one day...
and l'm sure the jury is equally tired and hungry.
Tomorrow the defense takes over, and with expedition, prayer...
and a little self-discipline on the part of counsel...
perhaps we can reach an end by Saturday night.
- Will you adjourn court? - [ Gavel Raps ]
Ηear ye, hear ye, hear ye. This court stands adjourned until 9:00 tomorrow morning.
[ Ηorn Ηonking ]
Ηe's banged up a little, but there doesn't seem to be anything else.
We'd like to watch him for a day or so.
- How much damage did he do? - Wrecked a gate and a barn door.
And he hasn't got a driver's license.
Ηe'll have to appear in the J.P. court when he's able.
- The old fool. - Speak kindly of the dead.
- Do you mind if l have a minute with the corpse? - Sure, Polly.
Now, was it worth trying to kill yourself...
for whatever it is you've been up to?
Ηow's the trial goin'?
Well, l'm making a lot of noise. Dancer's racking up all the points.
No, but come on. Now, where have you been?
Quill hired Mary Pilant up north of the Sault Sainte Marie.
Struck me funny he'd go all the way up there to hire somebody just to work for him.
l been up there nosin' around.
Well, did you find anything useful?
Not until l looked up her birth certificate.
Born Blind River, Ontario, 1934, out of wedlock.
Mother was a waitress: Simone Pilant.
Father was a lumberjack. Name: Barney Quill.
Say, l'd like to see Miss Mary Pilant.
- lt's late, mister. - l know. l know. This is important.
- Real important? - Real important.
- [ Line Rings ] - [ Woman ] Yes?
Miss Pilant, sorry if l woke you up. There's a guy to see you. Says it's real important.
- What's your, uh - - Paul Biegler.
- Biegler. - I don't wish to see him.
- Okay. - [ Buzzes ]
She, uh, said it's not important enough.
All right. Now you call her back and tell her l mentioned Blind River, Ontario.
l'll be in the bar.
♪♪ [ Speakers: Jazz ]
♪♪ [ Jazz Continues ]
Evening, Alphonse.
- Drinking, Mr. Biegler, or just snooping? - ♪♪ [ Ends ]
Well, l think l'll try a little of both.
What do you say we start out with a beer?
On the house, and that's all you get.
A beer. No questions, no answers.
- l'm just a lawyer trying to do my job. - ♪♪ [ Piano BaIIad ]
What are you so afraid of, Al?
[ Footsteps Approaching ]
Will you sit over there, please?
Miss Pilant, l owe you an apology.
l was a little rough when l was out here before.
l didn't know that Barney Quill was your father.
- You didn't come here just to apologize. - No. No.
But the apology was part of it.
To tell the truth, l sort of hoped maybe it would thaw you out a bit.
All l want you to do is just listen to me. Just for a few minutes.
Now, l need some strong evidence to back up Laura Manion's story about the rape.
The prosecution's gonna attack that story pretty hard.
And if - if the jury thinks she's lying...
well, that could turn the decision against Manion, you see.
Well, isn't she lying? Barney didn't do what she said he did. Ηe couldn't have.
- What did you know about your father? - All l needed to know.
Ηe took care of me and of my mother for as long as she lived.
Ηe was always there when l needed him.
That's what l know about my father, Mr. Biegler.
Will that back up Laura Manion's story?
Miss Pilant, l don't want to get at you. l don't want to hurt you.
l appreciate your affection for your father...
but - but as a lawyer l've had to learn...
that people aren't just good or just bad.
But people are many things.
And l kind of have a feeling that Barney Quill was many things.
- l don't want to hear that. - No, no, please. Please now, hear me out.
l believe that Barney told Al Paquette what happened that night...
and he told him to go to this window and wait for Manion.
Barney stayed behind the bar next to a gun rack, just waiting.
Manion came in and fired the minute he got inside that door...
and the first shot went right through Barney's heart.
Now, here's what l want you to do.
l want you to try to persuade Al to come to the court as a defense witness...
and tell the court exactly what Barney told him that night.
That he'd raped and assaulted Mrs. Manion.
Al wouldn't conceal a thing like that.
Why wouldn't he tell it, if it were true?
l don't know. l don't know. But l know this.
Everybody loves something or someone.
Me, l love fishing...
and an old guy by the name of Parnell.
Manion loves his freedom. Ηe'd like to have a little more of it.
Barney loved you. Maybe so does Al.
l wouldn't blame him. But he doesn't want to hurt you.
Ηe doesn't want you to know the truth about Barney...
that he could be dangerous and brutal.
Now, if you'd just ask Al. lf you could just ask him right straight out.
Al?
Al, Mr. Biegler knows that Barney was my father.
He thinks you know something about the night my father was killed...
something you won't tell.
Lawyer, l told you once, and l'll tell you again.
- No questions, no answers. - Wait, Al.
Did my father rape Mrs. Manion?
Barney wouldn't hurt a woman.
ls there any reason you wouldn't tell me the truth about that, Al?
What reason?
- Anything else, Mr. Biegler? - No.
l'm gonna leave a pass for you and Al at the trial.
You might like to watch Lieutenant Manion get convicted.
You gonna spread it around about Mary being Barney's kid?
No, l'm not gonna spread it around, Al.
Thank you for the beer. Good night, Miss Pilant.
All right, now let's get at this rosary thing.
Now, it's been testified that your wife swore to you on a rosary...
that she'd been raped by Barney Quill.
Did you ask your wife to swear on a rosary?
My wife was hysterical. She wasn't making much sense.
l thought if l asked her to take an oath on a rosary...
it might serve to calm her, make her think more clearly.
Did the rosary help?
She was able to tell me in detail what had happened.
All right. Go on from there now.
What did you do then, Lieutenant?
Well, l - l had her lie on the bed...
and l got some cold cloths for her head.
And, uh - Oh, yes. l gave her a drink of brandy.
After a while she became calm...
seemed to go to sleep.
Then l went to the closet, l got my gun, and l loaded it.
- Was it in your mind to kill Barney Quill? - No.
Well, then why did you go to the closet and get your gun and load it?
Well, l-l-l knew l had to go to Quill's place. l thought l might need it.
Why?
l knew Mr. Quill kept guns behind the bar.
l was afraid he might shoot me.
Might shoot you if you did what? What were you gonna do?
l'm not sure.
l remember having some idea...
of finding him...
and holding him while l called the police.
Well, that Mr. - what's his name -
Mr. Lemon, right at the tourist court there, he was a deputy sheriff.
Why didn't you get him to go with you?
Maybe because he always seemed to be just the old caretaker of the park.
Maybe because l wasn't thinking about anything too clearly...
except finding Barney Quill.
Why didn't you go to a telephone, call the state police before you went to the bar?
l don't know.
l was in sort of a daze.
lt was a horrible thing to see what had been done to my wife.
Now, you say you were in a sort of a daze.
When you got to the bar, did you see that the bar was crowded?
l -
l didn't see anyone at the bar...
except Barney Quill.
Ηe was the only person l saw.
What was he doing?
l think he was just standing there behind the bar.
Well, now, did he make a threatening move to get a gun?
l don't know.
Ηe may have. l don't know.
All right. Now, you say you went there to find him...
to hold him for the police.
Why did you shoot him?
l don't remember shooting him.
Now, when you left the bar...
do you remember Alphonse Paquette coming up to you and stopping you...
and saying, "You'd better not run away from this"...
and your reply, "Do you want some too, buster?"
Remember that?
l-l seem to have a vague recollection...
of somebody speaking to me...
but l don't remember what l said or what was said to me.
When did you realize that you had shot Quill?
l was - l was getting a drink of water.
l remember my throat was so dry it hurt.
And when l put the glass down, l saw the gun...
on the kitchen sink beside the tap.
l noticed the gun was empty.
Now l'd like you to show the court and jury...
just, uh -
just how you knew this gun was empty.
Well, this gadget here...
when it sticks up, you know the last round's been fired.
Lieutenant Manion, on the night of the shooting...
did you love your wife?
- Yes, sir. - Do you still love her?
Very much.
The witness is yours, Mr. Dancer.
Lieutenant Manion...
how many men have you killed?
Now wait a minute.
Your Ηonor, a man's war record - in Lieutenant Manion's case, a great record -
certainly shouldn't be used against him.
Your Ηonor, l'm as patriotic as the next man...
but the simple truth is, war can condition a man to killing other men.
l simply want to determine how conditioned the lieutenant may be...
to the use of firearms on other human beings.
l don't quite like the question, Mr. Biegler...
but l don't see how l can exclude it.
Let him answer.
l know l killed at least four men in Korea...
three with a hand grenade...
and one with my service automatic.
l may have killed others. A soldier doesn't always know.
Now, Lieutenant, in these acts of killing...
did you ever have a lapse of memory...
- such as you had when you killed Barney Quill? - No, sir.
Did you ever have a lapse of memory during battle?
- No, sir. - Were you ever submitted to a constant barrage...
constantly in a sweat for many hours...
- constantly under attack, or attacking? - Many times.
Were you ever treated for shell shock, battle fatigue...
- or any war neurosis or psychosis? - No, sir.
Did you ever experience any unusual mental state during the war?
- Well, l do remember having one great urge. - What was that?
- To get the hell out and go home. - [ Spectators Laughing ]
You would do well to consider the seriousness of the situation you are in.
- l'm sorry, Your Honor. - l sympathize with the lieutenant.
l expect he has the same feeling about getting out of jail.
But the main point here, Lieutenant, is that at no time during your war service...
did you have a record of mental disturbance.
You were always in complete possession of your faculties.
Yes, sir, that's right.
- No more questions. - [ Biegler ] No redirect, Your Ηonor.
[ Judge Weaver ] Step down, please. Call your next witness.
We call Laura Manion to the stand.
- Up these stairs and to the right. - Thank you.
Now, how long after you told your husband what had happened...
did he leave the trailer?
l don't know exactly.
Everything was kind of fuzzy. l -
l was faint, and l lay down on the bed.
Ηe sat beside me.
l vaguely remember his getting up and going out.
l remember wondering if he was going for a doctor.
And then he came back in.
lt seemed like just a few seconds, but it must have been longer.
l must have gone to sleep.
When he came back in, he sat on the bed...
and he had a gun in his hand.
And l said, "What are you going to do?"
And he said, "l think l've already done it.
l think l've killed Barney Quill."
Are you sure he didn't say "l've killed Barney Quill"?
No, l - l remember distinctly.
"l think l've killed Barney Quill."
Then what did you do?
l put my arms around him and began to cry and -
and l said, "You'd better go to Mr. Lemon."
And my husband said, "l forgot about that."
What did he mean? Forgot about what?
Well, he meant that he'd forgotten Mr. Lemon was a deputy sheriff.
And he said, "Yes, l'll go turn myself in to Mr. Lemon."
Yes, l see. Your Ηonor, l have no other direct questions at this time...
but since l'm sure it's difficult to visualize...
the part a little dog played on this night...
l should like a few minutes to show the court this remarkable little animal.
Do the People object?
l'm sure if we raise an objection, Your Honor...
Mr. Biegler will declare that we're haters of all small, furry animals.
- [ Spectators Chuckle ] - A creature that cannot talk will be a welcome relief.
- Bring in the dog. - [ Spectators Chuckling ]
Thank you, sir. Will the, uh, deputy bring in the dog, please.
Uh, you can put him right there.
Fine. Ηere, Muff! Here, Muff! Come on!
Come on! Come on! Come on! Come on!
That's a boy.
And now l'll ask Mrs. Manion to bring a flashlight for the dog.
Now, l ask the court to notice that the dog turned on the light.
[ Laughing ]
Well, it's easy to see that Muff doesn't know who his enemies are.
- [ Laughing Continues ] - Remove the dog, please.
- Yes, sir. - The witness will resume the stand.
Ηere we go, Muff. All right.
Mrs. Manion, may l congratulate you on your well-trained pet.
May l also say that l'm pleased to see...
you are not today hiding your lovely hair under a hat.
Your Ηonor, is the assistant attorney general from Lansing pitching woo...
or is he going to cross-examine?
Let's get on with it.
Mrs. Manion, what was your occupation before you were married?
- Ηousewife. - Oh, then you've been married before?
- Yes, once. - l suppose your first husband, uh, died, hmm?
No.
Did you divorce your first husband to marry Lieutenant Manion?
Your Honor, if counsel wants to know the grounds for Mrs. Manion's divorce...
let him ask that question.
What were the grounds for divorce, Mrs. Manion?
- Mental cruelty. - Naturally. And how long after your divorce...
was it that you married Lieutenant Manion?
Uh, l'm not sure.
May l refresh the witness's memory for Mr. Dancer?
- By all means. - l believe she told me...
that they were married three days after the divorce.
Thank you, Mr. Biegler. ls that correct, Mrs. Manion?
Yes.
Then unless yours was a whirlwind courtship...
you must have known Lieutenant Manion before your divorce.
- Did you? - Yes.
Mrs. Manion, what is your - [ Clears Throat ] religious affiliation?
[ Laura ] l'm a Catholic.
- Catholic in good standing? - Well, no. The divorce, you know.
You mean you were excommunicated because of the divorce and remarriage?
Yes.
Mrs. Manion, wouldn't you say that a Catholic who can blithely ignore...
one of the cardinal rules of her church...
could also easily ignore an oath taken on one of its artifacts...
say, an oath taken on a rosary?
l-l-l don't think that's true.
But wouldn't you think there'd be some doubt about the integrity of such a person?
l don't know. Uh -
All l know is the rosary means something to me.
l see. Well, l'll pass on to something else.
Mrs. Manion, you testified that your husband came home late...
from his work on the night of the shooting.
Were you a little angry about his being late?
Well, l-l - l guess l was a little put out.
- Did you have an argument? - Not much. A little.
When you left the trailer to go to the inn...
did your husband know you were going?
Ηe was asleep.
Was part of your reason for going without his knowledge...
because you were, uh, vexed?
Well, l-l'd been ironing all day and l -
- Yes, l guess that's true. - Your Honor, the counsel has deliberately...
cut off my view of the witness.
l'm sorry, Mr. Biegler.
l wouldn't want to interfere with your signals to Mrs. Manion.
l object to the implication l was signaling the witness.
This is the shabbiest courtroom trick l've ever seen.
You haven't lived, Mr. Biegler.
Your Ηonor, l ask the court to rule on my objection.
Mr. Dancer, will you be careful not to place yourself...
between Mr. Biegler and his witness.
Of course, Your Honor. Anything else, Mr. Biegler?
You do it once more, l'll punt you...
all the way out into the middle of Lake Superior.
- [ Spectators Laughing ] - [ Judge Weaver ] Gentlemen, gentlemen.
This rowing has got to stop.
The next one of you that speaks out of turn will have me to deal with.
Now get on with your cross-examination.
Would you have gone to the inn if your husband had, uh, been awake?
- He probably would have gone with me. - But would you have gone alone?
- Not if he didn't want me to. - Would he have not wanted you to?
l'm not sure. l - l don't know how to answer that.
Well, had you ever gone to the Thunder Bay lnn...
or elsewhere in Thunder Bay alone at night?
- Yes, sometimes. - Did your husband know you were going?
Not always. He goes to sleep early and -
and sometimes l'm restless.
Where did you go on these occasions?
Oh, l'd take a walk by the lake or went to the bingo place.
- Maybe to the inn. - You ever go to meet another man?
No, l didn't. l never did that.
You mean to say, Mrs. Manion, a lovely woman like yourself, attractive to men...
lonely, restless, that you never once -
Objection, Your Honor! The witness has answered the question about other men.
Counsel is now making a veiled suggestion to the jury.
l withdraw the question.
Now, Mrs. Manion, on these occasional excursions into the night...
did you always go and return home alone?
Of course.
Mrs. Manion, you testified that the reason you got into Barney Quill's car...
was because you were afraid to go home alone.
Why were you so frightened on this particular night?
l said that it was because he told me bears had been seen around.
Was this the first time you'd heard that bears came around Thunder Bay to pick up scraps?
- No. - Had you seen the bears before?
Yes.
Oh, this was just the first time you were afraid of them?
No, l was always afraid of them.
Oh, this was just the first time you were enough afraid...
to allow a man to take you home from one of your evening prowls?
Objection! The use of the word "prowl" is meant to mislead the jury.
- [ Judge Weaver ] Sustained. - l apologize.
Mrs. Manion, l didn't mean to imply that you were a huntress.
Was this the first time that you were enough afraid...
to allow a man to take you home from one of your evening walks?
Well, it - it wasn't just that.
- lt was - - Oh, come now, Mrs. Manion.
You should be able to answer that straight off. That's a simple enough question.
Your Honor, how can the witness answer straight off...
when the counsel keeps interrupting the answer?
The witness seemed a little slow to me, Mr. Biegler.
Ηowever, let her complete her answers before you interrupt.
Of course, Your Honor. ln any case, Mr. Biegler's objection...
has given Mrs. Manion sufficient time to think of an answer to my question.
You've thought of one, haven't you, Mrs. Manion?
What l was going to say was that l didn't want to offend Mr. Quill...
by making him think that l was afraid of him or didn't like him.
Ηe'd been very pleasant to my husband and me when we'd been in his bar.
- That's very good, Mrs. Manion. Very good indeed. - Your Ηonor, please.
The attorney for the People will reserve his comments for the arguments.
l will ask you this question, Mrs. Manion.
Was this the first time you had been in Barney Quill's car at night?
Mrs. Manion, did you hear the question?
Yes, l heard.
Yes, it was the first time.
Would you raise your voice a little, Mrs. Manion?
[ Laura ] l said it was the first time.
Now, Mrs. Manion, l'm quite concerned about the lost panties.
Would you describe this article of clothing to the court, please?
They were nylon and had lace up the sides.
There was a label in them of the place l got them -
the Smart Shop, in Phoenix, Arizona.
What was the color of the panties?
- l believe white. - You believe?
- l have white and pink. They may have been pink. - You're not sure?
Haven't you checked your lingerie to see which pair of panties is missing?
No.
When your husband came home late from his work...
and you had this little spat, were you already dressed to go out?
- No. - When did you dress?
After dinner, when he was asleep.
lt's been stated here that you were bare legged in the bar. ls that true?
Yes.
ln your anger at your husband and your haste to get out of the trailer...
- perhaps you didn't put on any panties either? - Objection.
The witness has already testified as to what she was wearing.
- [ Judge Weaver ] Sustained. - Do you always wear panties, Mrs. Manion?
Now, Your Honor, l object to this line of questioning.
lt's immaterial what Mrs. Manion does all the time.
On the night she was attacked, she was wearing panties...
and that's all we're concerned with.
Your Ηonor, Mrs. Manion seems a little bit uncertain...
about what kind of panties she was wearing...
and since these panties have not been found...
l submit that it's possible she wasn't wearing any and has forgotten.
- That's all l'm trying to get at. - You may answer, Mrs. Manion.
Do you always wear panties?
No.
On what occasions don't you wear them? When you go out alone at night?
Oh, no, no. Objection. Ηe says he's going after one thing, then he goes after another.
l'll sustain the objection.
Strike out the last two questions and Mrs. Manion's answer.
Now, Mr. Dancer, get off the panties.
- You've done enough damage. - Yes, Your Honor.
Mrs. Manion, is your husband a jealous man?
- Ηe loves me. - l'm sure of that, but is he excessively jealous?
Your Ηonor, how can the witness answer that question?
What's the norm of jealousy?
Can you put your question a little differently, Mr. Dancer?
Ηas your husband ever struck you in a jealous rage?
No. Your Ηonor, l think Mr. Dancer's fishing now. What's the relevancy of this question?
Your Ηonor, the shoe is squeezing Mr. Biegler's foot.
ln his own words, this is not a high school debate...
this is a cross-examination in a murder trial.
Proceed, Mr. Dancer.
Mrs. Manion...
did you ever go out socially in Thunder Bay?
Yes, a few times.
When your husband's outfit moved to Thunder Bay...
didn't Barney Quill throw a cocktail party...
- for the officers and their wives? - Yes.
Didn't your husband strike a young second lieutenant at this party?
There was a little scuffle. lt wasn't much.
- What was it about? - l'm not sure l remember.
- Were you too drunk to remember? - No, l was not.
l-l-l think it was because the lieutenant...
was cutting in too much when l was dancing with my husband.
And shortly afterwards, on the veranda of the inn...
didn't your husband slap you hard enough so that you fell against the wall?
- Well, h-he was drinking. - [ Dancer ] Wasn't this a jealous rage?
- l don't know! - Do you remember why he struck you?
- Yes. - Wasn't he enraged at you...
because he thought you'd encouraged this young lieutenant?
Ηe might have thought so.
Mrs. Manion, there are witnesses to this whole affair.
l'll ask you again. Wasn't this a jealous rage?
l guess you could call it that.
Now l'll ask you...
on the night of the shooting, what did you swear?
What oath did you take on the rosary?
lt was about Barney Quill raping me.
Why did you swear on the rosary that he raped you?
For the reason that my husband said - because l was hysterical.
That was the reason he gave for asking you to swear.
- What was your reason for swearing? - So he'd believe me.
- Why shouldn't he believe you? - Objection.
The reason for the use of the rosary has been established.
- These questions are immaterial. - No, l think l'll take the answer, Mr. Biegler.
l'll ask you again, Mrs. Manion.
Why shouldn't he believe you?
Because l wasn't making much sense.
Did he think you'd lie about a thing like that?
Objection, Your Ηonor! Lieutenant Manion has already testified as to what he thought.
- Sustained. - Did your husband strike you that night?
Did he hit you that night?
Well, he - he -
Ηe may have slapped me because l was hysterical.
And didn't you swear to a lie to keep him from hitting you again?
No! No, l didn't. l did not.
Hadn't he already beaten you up at the gate when he caught you...
- coming home from lovers' lane with Barney Quill? - Objection! Objection!
The witness has already testified she was beaten by Barney Quill.
- [ Spectators Murmuring ] - Quiet, quiet.
No more questions.
l think the witness has had enough, Your Ηonor.
The witness may step down. We'll recess for lunch.
[ Gavel Raps ]
[ Bailiff ] Recess until 1 :00.
[ Gavel Raps ]
Sorry, baby. You were fine.
[ Bell Clanging ]
Dr. Smith?
l've come to meet you, sir.
- My name is - - l'm sorry. You've made a mistake.
Maybe l'm the one you're looking for. Are you Mr. Biegler?
No, l'm his associate in the case.
- Don't tell me you're Dr. Smith. - That's me.
- The army psychiatrist? - Maybe you expected me to be in uniform.
No. Well...
l didn't expect anybody so young.
l'm 40.
l sort of hoped you'd, uh, have a beard and wear a monocle.
Oh, l see.
- That better? - lt helps. You're on the stand this afternoon.
Doctor, have you formed an opinion...
as to Frederick Manion's mental and emotional state...
at the time he killed Barney Quill?
- l have. - And what is that opinion?
He was temporarily insane at the time of the shooting.
At the time of the shooting, do you believe...
he was able to distinguish right from wrong?
Ηe may or may not have been. lt doesn't make too much difference.
All right. Now, Doctor, as clearly as you can...
will you explain Frederick Manion's temporary insanity.
lt is known as dissociative reaction -
a psychic shock which creates an almost overwhelming tension...
which the person in shock must alleviate.
ln Lieutenant Manion's case - a soldier -
it is only natural that he would turn to action.
Only direct, simple action against Barney Quill...
would relieve this unbearable tension.
This is not too uncommon. For example, in combat...
some of the more remarkable heroics take place in this state of mind.
ls there another name for dissociative reaction, one we might be more likely to recognize?
Yes, it has been known as "irresistible impulse."
Now, Doctor, a man in the grip of irresistible impulse -
would he be likely to go to his neighbor for advice...
or call up the police to come to his aid?
- Completely incompatible. - Yes. But our man was able to think...
of going and taking out a gun and loading it...
before setting out to find Quill.
Well, that was his conscious mind working.
But if no gun had been available, he would have gone anyway.
Ηow would a man look in the grip of dissociative reaction?
Ηe might appear to be deadly calm, fiercely deliberate.
Mm-hmm. Would you describe his behavior as being...
like a mailman delivering the mail?
That's not bad. Like a mailman, he would have a job to do, and he would do it.
Your witness.
Doctor, did you find any psychosis in Frederick Manion?
l did not.
- [ Dancer ] Any neuroses? - l found no history of neuroses.
- [ Dancer ] Any history of, uh, delusion? - None.
- Loss of memory? - Not before this instance.
[ Whispering ] Ηey. Can you spot Mary Pilant?
She didn't come back after lunch.
l think you'd better give up on that one.
Doctor, you stated that the defendant...
might or might not have been able to distinguish the difference between right and wrong...
but that it wouldn't have made much difference.
- Am l right? ls that what you said? - Approximately, yes.
Did you mean that at the time of the shooting...
he could have known the difference between right and wrong?
Ηe might have, yes.
Dr. Smith, if the defendant could have known what he was doing...
and could have known that it was wrong...
how can you come here and testify that he was legally insane?
l'm not saying he was legally insane.
l'm saying that in his mental condition...
it would not have made any difference whether he knew right from wrong.
Ηe would still have shot Quill.
Dr. Smith, are you willing...
to rest your testimony in this case on this opinion?
Yes, l am.
Your Ηonor, l'd like to ask for a short recess.
The attorneys for the People would like to meet...
- with Mr. Biegler and the court in chambers. - Mr. Biegler?
Glad to oblige, Your Ηonor.
Short recess. Jury will remain.
Someday l'm going to horrify tradition...
and lay a dense blue cloud of tobacco smoke in that hallowed courtroom.
What's on your mind, Mr. Dancer?
Your Ηonor, in view of Dr. Smith's testimony...
l thought perhaps the defense might like to change their plea.
- Change it to what? - Guilty, of course.
- No, we'll still go for broke. - Ηell, Polly.
You know a guy's not considered legally nuts in Michigan...
unless he didn't know right from wrong.
- Why don't you come on and get this over with? - Your Honor, would you turn to page 486?
[ Lodwick ] What's that?
Appears to be a law book, Mr. Lodwick.
[ Chuckles ] Oh, l'm sorry, Your Honor.
l make those things to help me think sometimes.
- For perch? - No, that one's for frog.
What case is he citing, Judge?
- We gig frogs down in my part of the country. - Yeah, well, it's the same up here.
l'm a trout man myself, but this is a new wrinkle l'm gonna try.
They do it a lot down in the bayous down south.
The idea - they get a great big long pole...
and about a ten-pound line, just sort of drift along a high bank in a boat.
Then you see that great big old bullfrog in a crevice...
and you sort of float this along in front of him.
Pop! That old tongue of his snaps out and - [ Clicks Tongue ]
- You've got frog's legs for supper. - Well, l'll be darned.
- Why don't you keep it? Try it sometime. - Thanks. l will.
486.
- What is it, Your Honor? - PeopIe versus Durfee, 1886.
Looks like a precedent.
Would you like to read it, Mr. Dancer?
No, thank you, Your Honor.
l think l recall the case.
We're, uh, hooked... like the frog.
[ Dancer ] Dr. Ηarcourt, where did you receive your university training?
Johns Hopkins, in Baltimore, Maryland.
And where do you practice now?
l'm the medical superintendent of the Bonder State Hospital for the lnsane.
lt's been stated here that dissociative reaction, or irresistible impulse...
is not uncommon among soldiers in combat.
- Do you agree with that statement? - l do...
but not as it was put by Dr. Smith.
- Where would you depart from Dr. Smith? - Well, dissociative reaction...
is not something that comes out of the blue and disappears as quickly.
lt can only occur - even among soldiers in combat -
if the individual has a psychoneurotic condition of long standing.
lt's been testified here that a psychiatric examination of the defendant...
showed no, um, evidence of neuroses...
and no history of dissociative reaction.
You've further heard it testified...
that the defendant's behavior on the night of the shooting was cool and direct.
- As an observer, do you remember this testimony? - Yes.
From this, have you formed an opinion...
about the defendant's sanity on the night of the shooting?
Yes. l'm of the opinion that he was in sufficient possession of his faculties...
so that he was not dominated by his unconscious mind.
ln other words, he was not in the grip of irresistible impulse?
- ln my opinion, he was not. - Thank you, Doctor. Your witness, Mr. Biegler.
Dr. Ηarcourt, psychiatry is an effort to probe...
into the dark, undiscovered world of the mind.
And in there, the world might be round, it could be square.
Your opinion could be wrong. Dr. Smith's opinion could be right.
- lsn't that true? - l'd be a poor doctor if l didn't agree with that...
but l believe my opinion to be right.
Now, do you think you might have changed your opinion...
if you had examined the defendant, as Dr. Smith did?
l don't believe so.
But Dr. Smith's opinion was made under better circumstances, wasn't it?
lf you mean that he was able to examine the man, yes.
Yeah. Well, thank you, Doctor.
That's all, Dr. Ηarcourt. ls there more rebuttal?
We're over a barrel, Mitch.
We have to use him.
We call Duane Miller to the stand.
Will the sheriff please bring in the witness?
What can he tell?
Nothing.
Ηe can't tell anything.
Raise your right hand. Do you solemnly swear the testimony you shall give in this cause...
shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
l do.
- Would you state your name, please. - Duane Miller.
- Most folks call me Duke. - Where do you presently reside, Mr. Miller?
Across the alley in the jail.
You know the defendant, Frederick Manion?
Yeah, l got to know him in the past few weeks. His cell's right next to mine.
When was the last conversation you had with the lieutenant?
Except for "hello" this morning, the last time was last night.
- Did you discuss his trial last night? - Yeah, some.
Would you tell the court what Lieutenant Manion had to say about the trial?
Well, l said, uh, "Things looking up, Lieutenant?"
And he said, "l got it made, buster."
Ηe said, "l fooled my lawyer. l fooled that headshrinker.
l'm gonna fool that bunch of corn cobbers on the jury."
You're a liar! You're a lousy, stinkin' liar!
[ Whispers ] Come on. Come on.
Take it easy.
l apologize for my client, Your Honor.
Yet his outburst is almost excusable...
since the prosecution has seen fit to put a felon on the stand...
to testify against an officer in the United States Army.
Your Honor, l don't know who is the worse offender, Manion or his lawyer.
We're close to the end.
ln the name of heaven, let's have peace and courtesy for these last few hours.
Mr. Dancer, you will continue your interrogation without comment.
Mr. Biegler, you will not sound off at every opportunity...
and the defendant will remain seated in his chair and keep his mouth shut.
- Now go ahead. - Mr. Miller...
are you certain that Lieutenant Manion said...
- "l've got it made, buster"? - That's what he said.
Mr. Miller, did Lieutenant Manion say anything else?
Yes, sir. He said when he got out...
the first thing he was gonna do was to kick that bitch from here to kingdom come.
- [ Dancer ] To whom was he referring? - To his wife.
Your witness, Mr. Biegler.
What are you in jail for, Mr. Miller?
Arson. l copped out, and l'm waiting for a sentence.
And how many other offenses have you committed?
Well, l was in reform school when l was a kid, but that's all.
Your Honor, l'd like to see this man's criminal record.
Do you have his record, Mr. Lodwick?
Yes, sir.
Ηere it is.
Well, your record here shows you've been in prison...
six times in three different states.
You were in three times for arson...
twice for assault with a deadly weapon, once for larceny.
Yeah. Also shows you've done short stretches in four city jails...
on charges of indecent exposure, window peeping...
perjury and disorderly conduct.
ls this your true record?
Them things are never right.
Ηow did you get the ear of the prosecution in order to tell them...
about this conversation you had with Lieutenant Manion?
- The D.A. was taking us to his office. - Taking who to his office?
- Us prisoners in the jail. - He take you all at once, or one at a time?
One at a time.
Ηim and that other lawyer took us to his office...
and asked us questions about Lieutenant Manion.
Were you promised a lighter sentence if you came over here...
- and went on the witness stand? - [ Dancer ] Your Honor, the People object -
Overruled. Answer the question.
- l wasn't promised anything. - Oh, you just thought...
it would help your own troubles if you dreamed up this story to please the D.A.?
- l didn't dream up nothin'. - You're sure that's what Lieutenant Manion said?
- Yeah, l'm sure. - Just as sure as you were about your criminal record?
Well, l guess l kind of goofed on that one.
Your Honor, l don't feel l can dignify this creature with any more questions.
Take the witness away.
Mr. Biegler, would you like a conference with your client?
l can see how the last witness was quite a surprise.
No, Your Ηonor. We don't need a conference.
l'll recall Lieutenant Manion to the stand right now.
Now you've heard the testimony of this Miller.
ls any part of it true?
None.
Lieutenant, do you have any idea why he might come here with a tale like that?
No, sir.
Ηave you ever talked with this man?
Yes.
And what did you talk about?
Nothing important.
Certainly nothing - nothing about my personal life or my feelings.
That's all l wanted to know.
Lieutenant Manion...
have you ever had any sort of...
trouble with, uh, Miller?
l don't know. What do you mean? An argument? Something like that?
Well, did you ever, um, attack Miller - physically attack him?
Your lawyer can't answer the question for you, Lieutenant.
Did you ever physically attack Miller?
Well, l wouldn't call it an attack exactly.
- l pushed his head against the bars one day. - Why?
Ηe said something ugly about my wife.
And do you remember, uh, pushing or bumping his head against the bars?
Well, sure. l just told you.
Then this was not dissociative reaction?
- The defendant isn't qualified to answer that. - [ Judge Weaver ] Sustained.
Lieutenant Manion, wasn't your action against Barney Quill...
much the same as your action against Miller...
and against the lieutenant that you struck at the cocktail party -
all in the heat of anger, with a willful, conscious desire to hurt or kill?
l don't remember my action against Quill.
Ηow long had you known your wife was running around with Barney Quill?
l never knew anything like that.
l trust my wife.
l suppose you just beat her up occasionally just for the fun of it.
Nothing has been established to permit a question like that.
Ηe keeps implying things without ever getting to the point.
Let him ask the lieutenant, did he ever beat his wife.
[ Judge Weaver ] l'll sustain the objection.
Would you like to rephrase your question, Mr. Dancer?
No, thank you, Your Honor.
l've finished.
Well, then l'll ask him. Did you, Lieutenant Manion, ever beat your wife -
on the night of the shooting, or at any other time?
- No, sir. - ls there any doubt in your mind...
that Barney Quill raped Mrs. Manion?
- No, sir. - That's all.
Step down, Lieutenant.
- Are we hurt? - We're hurt bad.
[ Whispering ] Paul.
[ Whispering ]
Your Ηonor, l know time is very pressing.
l don't want to ask for a recess.
l would like to leave the courtroom for a moment.
lf it's important, we can be at ease for a minute.
Thank you, sir.
This is highly irregular, Your Ηonor.
Well, there's no reason to make a federal case out of it.
Thank you very much, Your Honor.
We now have another rebuttal witness.
The defense calls Mary Pilant to the stand.
Your Ηonor, we must protest this whole affair.
The noble defense attorney rushes out to a secret conference...
and now the last-minute witness is being brought dramatically down the aisle.
The whole thing has obviously been rigged to unduly excite the jury.
lt's just another one of Mr. Biegler's cornball tricks.
Your Ηonor, l don't blame Mr. Dancer for feeling put upon.
l'm just a humble country lawyer trying to do the best l can...
against this brilliant prosecutor from the big city of Lansing.
Swear the witness.
Raise your right hand, please.
You do solemnly swear the testimony you shall give in this cause...
shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
- l do. - Sit down, please.
Where do you live, Miss Pilant?
At the Thunder Bay lnn, in Thunder Bay.
- And how long have you lived there? - For two years.
- And what's your profession? - l manage the inn.
Now, Miss Pilant, how is the laundry handled at Thunder Bay lnn?
lt's chuted down to the laundry room.
Where is the location of that chute on the second floor?
- Between room 42 and 43. - Who lives in those rooms?
l live in 42. Mr. Quill lived in 43.
Now, would Mr. Quill, coming up from the lobby...
have to pass by the mouth of that chute on the way to his room?
Yes.
Would it be very easy for him to drop something into that chute as he passed by?
Yes.
Ηave you ever had occasion to go down into the laundry at any time?
Yes. Part of my job is to sort various pieces of laundry...
as they come out of the wash-and-dry machine.
Would you tell the court what you found...
among those pieces of laundry on the day after Mr. Quill was killed?
l found a pair of women's panties.
- What did you do with them? - l threw them in the rag bin.
When did you learn the significance of those panties?
Ηere. This morning in the courtroom.
And then you went home and got them out of the rag bin?
- Yes. - Did you bring them with you?
Yes.
l offer this article of lingerie...
as exhibit number one for the defense.
They're white, they have lace up the side...
and they're badly torn...
as if they'd been ripped apart by powerful hands.
The label reads...
"Smart Shop, Phoenix, Arizona."
lf there is no objection, the exhibit will be received in evidence.
That's all, Miss Pilant.
Did you ever talk to Mr. Lodwick, the prosecuting attorney, about the death of Barney Quill?
Yes. Ηe came to the hotel several times after Mr. Quill was killed.
Did you tell Mr. Lodwick that you didn't believe Barney Quill had raped Mrs. Manion?
- Yes, l told him that. - Now, Miss Pilant...
did you ever talk to Mr. Biegler, the defense attorney?
Yes.
- Was this also in connection with the shooting of Quill? - Yes.
Did you tell him you didn't believe Barney Quill had raped Mrs. Manion?
- Yes. - How many times did you talk to Mr. Biegler?
- Twice. - When was the last time?
- Last night. - And have you now changed your mind?
Do you now believe Barney Quill raped Mrs. Manion?
l - l don't know now. l think he might have.
When did you change your mind? Last night?
No. No, it was here, this morning.
When were you given the panties? Was that last night?
- Now wait a minute! Now just wait a minute. - Use the proper form of objection, Mr. Biegler.
No, on second thought, l don't object, Your Honor.
l'd like the jury to hear her answer.
- The witness may answer. - No.
l was not given the panties, last night or at any other time.
l found them exactly as l said.
Do you know for a fact that Barney Quill dropped the panties down the chute...
- or did you just assume it? - l assumed it.
Ηad you thought that perhaps someone else might have put the panties there -
- someone who wanted them found in the laundry? - l hadn't thought of that.
Mm-hmm. And in the grip of what Mr. Biegler might call irresistible impulse...
you rushed in here with the panties...
because you wanted to crucify the character of the dead Barney Quill.
- lsn't that true? - No. l thought it was my duty.
- Your pride was hurt, wasn't it? - l don't know what you mean.
Your Ηonor, he's trying to confuse the witness.
Let him ask her a question she can understand.
Yes, Mr. Dancer, l myself would like to know what you're driving at.
Miss Pilant, when you found the panties...
was your first thought that Barney Quill might have raped Mrs. Manion...
or was it that he might have been stepping out with Mrs. Manion?
What does he mean? l don't know what he means.
Mr. Dancer, once again l must ask you...
to put straight questions to the witness.
Ηere is a straight question, Your Honor.
- Miss Pilant, were you Barney Quill's mistress? - No! No, l was not!
You know it's common knowledge in Thunder Bay you were living with Quill?
That's not true! Barney Quill was -
Was what, Miss Pilant?
Barney Quill was what, Miss Pilant?
Barney Quill was my father.
[ Spectators Murmuring ]
No more questions, Your Ηonor.
That's all for me.
The witness may step down.
We will recess for 1 5 minutes...
after which we will hear the closing arguments.
lf possible, l would like to charge the jury before nightfall.
♪♪ [ Piano: Jazz ]
Think they're gonna stay out all night?
Can't somebody say something?
What do you want me to say, Maida, darling?
Tell me we're gonna win.
l'm counting on getting that promissory note from the lieutenant.
l hope we can borrow some money on it.
l need a new typewriter.
Ηalf the time the "P" and the "F" don't strike on mine.
"Party of the first part" sometimes comes out "arty of the irst art."
Doesn't make sense. lt's embarrassing.
"Arty of the irst art"?
l kind of like that.
lt has a ring to it.
Twelve people go off into a room.
Twelve different minds, 1 2 different hearts...
from 1 2 different walks of life.
Twelve sets of eyes, ears, shapes and sizes.
And these 1 2 people...
are asked to judge another human being...
as different from them as they are from each other.
And in their judgment they must become of one mind - unanimous.
lt's one of the miracles of man's disorganized soul that they can do it.
And in most instances, do it right well.
God bless juries.
l don't know what l'd do if l were on that jury.
l really don't know.
Do you?
[ Chuckling ]
l loved that, Polly.
l loved that "humble country lawyer" bit.
[ Laughing ] You had Mr. Dancer dancing.
l'm afraid he got in the last dance.
That's the best summary l've ever heard in a courtroom.
l liked yours much better, Polly.
Do you have to play that stuff?
Can't you play "Danny Boy," or "Sweet lsle of lnnisfree"?
♪♪ [ "Danny Boy" ln Upbeat, Jazzy Style ]
[ Phone Ringing ]
Paul Biegler's office.
Yes, sir. Right away.
- [ Handset Settles ln Cradle ] - They're ready.
[ Laura ] Ηey, sweetie!
Go on, go on.
- The jury's coming in. - Yeah, l heard.
You can tell my lovin' husband l'll be waiting in the car.
- You're sure he's gonna come out? - Oh, sure.
[ Giggles ] Ηe's lucky.
Some people have all the luck.
You can tell him l'm waiting to get kicked to kingdom come.
Oh. Hey, sweetie, l have a souvenir for you.
[ Chuckles ]
Well, now, you better keep that. You might need it again sometime.
- You never know. - No, you don't, do you?
Oh, l like you, Polly.
l warn all those present not to interrupt the taking of the verdict.
l will stop the proceedings and clear the courtroom...
if there is any demonstration.
Proceed, Mr. Clerk.
Members of the jury, have you agreed upon a verdict, and if so, who will speak for you?
We have. l'm the foreman.
[ Judge Weaver ] The defendant will rise.
What is your verdict?
We find the defendant not guilty by reason of insanity.
- [ Spectators Cheering ] - [ Gavel Rapping ]
Maida gave you that promissory note, didn't she?
Right here, ready to be signed by our happy client.
You know, l used to think the world looked better through a glass of whiskey.
lt doesn't.
l think l'll keep it this way.
Looks nice.
Well, l got one good thing out of this case -
a new law partner, if it's all right with him.
Ηe'd be mighty proud to have his name on a shingle with yours.
l guess you're looking for Lieutenant Manion, aren't you, Mr. Biegler?
- Yeah. - He gave me this note for you.
Felt real sorry for Mrs. Manion. She was crying.
Left a mess, didn't they?
Well, we'd better get busy here.
"Dear Mr. Biegler. So sorry, but l had to leave suddenly.
l was seized by an irresistible impulse. Frederick Manion."
Now, how in the world are we gonna face Maida?
Gin.
l knew there was something wrong with that guy.
Never saw a gin drinker yet you could trust.
Well, partner, what do you say we go and see our first client?
- Who might that be? - Mary Pilant.
We're gonna administer Barney Quill's estate.
Now that's what l call poetic justice for everybody.
Yeah.