But Your Honor, as long as protests are being made...
I'd like to make a protest myself.
I'm perfectly willing to take on these two legal giants anytime, anyplace...
but in all fairness it ought to be one at a time.
I don't want these two fellas pitching knuckleballs at me at the same time.
It seems to me you're batting close to a thousand...
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? Isn't he here?
No, he's not here, not in his rooming house and hasn't been there all night.
You were the last to see him. Where is he?
- I promised not to tell, so don't ask. - He hasn't fallen off the wagon?
- No, he was sober. - Has he gone somewhere?
He did borrow my car for something or other.
Your car? That was smart. He hasn't driven a car in 20 years.
He'll kill himself. Now where's he gone?
My word is my bond.
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. You may proceed.
Your Honor...
the defense notices a third person at the prosecution's table.
We're wondering if the court shares our curiosity as to just who he is?
I was about to introduce him.
Your Honor, this gentlemen is Dr. W. Gregory Harcourt.
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 going to have him observe...
the constellation ofTaurus or the life and times of a bumblebee?
To observe the defendant, of course.
That's fine. The defense has no objection.
I just wish to express my relief...
that the new recruit is not additional legal reinforcements from Lansing.
Call Alphonse Paquette.
Raise your right hand.
Do you solemnly swear the testimony you give in this case...
shall be the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
- I do. - Take a seat, please.
- Will you state your name? - Alphonse Paquette.
- You work at the Thunder Bay Inn? - I'm bartender there.
Were you working the night that Barney Quill was shot by Frederick Manion?
- I was. - Were you witness to the shooting?
I was.
Will you tell us in your own words what happened?
I was at a table by the door when Lt. Manion came in.
Did you know Lt. Manion by sight and name?
Go ahead.
Well, he came in and walked over to the bar and began to shoot.
He shot Barney when he came up to the bar...
and when Barney fell he kept on shooting at Barney behind the bar.
Then he turned around and walked out.
When Lt. Manion entered the bar, how did he appear to you?
Well, he walked slow, kind of deliberate I 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?
He seemed just like he did when he walked in...
like he was the mailman delivering the mail.
When Lt. Manion walked out of the bar, what did you do?
Well, it happened so fast, I guess I was stunned.
- But then I ran out after him. - Did you find him outside?
- Yes, sir. He was walking away. - Did you speak to him?
Yes, sir. I said, " Lieutenant, you'd better not run away from this."
Did he reply to you?
He said, " Do you want some too, buster?"
Was he pointing the gun at you?
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. He 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, as far as I could tell. - Your witness.
Mr. Paquette, did you see Laura Manion in the bar that night?
There he goes again. This is immaterial and irrelevant.
I don't see why the prosecution's so jumpy. I haven't gone anyplace yet.
Let's see where he's going before we start objecting.
You may proceed.
Did you see Mrs. Manion in the bar that night?
- She was there. - Did Barney Quill leave that night?
- Yes. - Do you remember when he returned?
I think he came back around midnight.
Now from which entrance did he come? Did he come from the lobby entrance...
or come from that outside entrance?
It was from the lobby.
- And how did he appear to you then? - How do you mean?
You understood the prosecution well when he asked you that question...
about Lt. 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, what kind of a question is that?
I withdraw the question, Your Honor.
Had Barney changed his clothes since he left the bar?
I don't remember.
Might his clothing have been different when he returned...
that is, might he have changed his clothes?
I didn't notice.
Was Barney drinking that night?
Well, he always had a few shots while he was talking to the customers.
- He's friendly. - Oh, sure, he was. Good old Barney.
Now how many shots would you say good old Barney usually had?
I don't know.
Wasn't he in fact pretty loaded that night?
Objection. Even if the deceased was dead drunk...
it's no defense to this charge.
Sustained. I suggest you get off this.
What would you call a man with an insatiable penchant for women?
A what?
A penchant, a desire, taste, passion.
Well, a ladies man, I guess.
Or maybe just a damn fool.
Just answer the questions.
The attorneys will provide the wisecracks.
Well, what else would you call a man like that?
- We can't see the drift of this. - You mean you do see.
You may answer.
Can you think of another name?
Woman chaser.
- Try again. - Masher?
Oh, come now.
Mashers went out with whalebone corsets and hairnets.
Did you ever hear the expression "wolf"?
Sure, I heard that. It just slipped my mind.
Well, naturally, it would...
clanking around in there with all those rusty old "mashers."
Have you ever known a man you could call a wolf?
- I'm not sure. - Was Barney Quill a wolf?
- I couldn't say. - Or wouldn't?
- Objection. - Sustained.
The question was answered. He said he couldn't tell you.
Mr. Paquette, when Barney returned from wherever he had gone...
- did he relieve you at the bar? - Yes.
- And what did he say then? - He said, "I'll take over."
When you came out from behind the bar, where did you go?
I went over to the table where the Pedersons were sitting.
Now you testified that you were by the door when Lt. Manion came in.
Is that the reason you were by the door, because the Pedersons' table was there?
Yes.
And how long was it before Lt. Manion came in?
I don't know exactly. Maybe 30 minutes.
And you remained at the Pedersons' table all that time?
- Yes, they're friends of mine. - Is there a window beside that table?
- I think so. - You think so.
How long have you worked at the Thunder Bay Inn?
About six, seven years.
Does this window beside the table...
suddenly vanish and reappear and come and go in a ghostly fashion?
It's there all the time.
While you were talking to your friends there, did you look out of the window?
-I might have. -Were you looking for something special?
No, I wasn't looking for anything.
Didn't Barney Quill tell you to go to that window and look out for Lt. Manion?
Did he tell you to look out for Lt. Manion?
He did not.
Barney was quite a marksmen, wasn't he, with guns?
He won a lot of prizes.
Did he keep any guns behind the bar?
He might have.
Isn't it a fact there are three concealed pistol racks behind the bar?
The defendant's plea is one of insanity, not self-defense.
I'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?
- I couldn't say. - Isn't it a fact...
that Barney would take the guns out of the racks and twirl them...
to demonstrate his skill to the patrons?
- I don't remember. - Come on.
Try and remember. Did you ever see him do that yourself?
- Once or twice he did. - That's all.
- No further questions. - The witness may step down.
Call George Lemon.
Biegler's going off in all directions.
What's he getting at?
I have a feeling he's afraid of what we'll get at.
Mr. Biegler's putting up a smoke screen for some reason.
- I do. - Take a seat please.
- Will you state your name, please? - George Lemon.
What kind of work do you do?
I'm caretaker of the tourist park in Thunder Bay.
I see the place is clean and orderly.
I check people in and out and lock the gate at night.
And what is your authority for these duties?
I'm paid by Madison Township and I'm also a deputy sheriff.
Just courtesy, sort of.
Did you see Lt. Manion on the night of the 15th?
- The night Barney Quill was killed? - Yes, sir.
Will you tell the court about how and when...
you saw Lt. Manion.
About 1:00 a. m. a knock on my door waked me up.
I went to the door and Lt. Manion was standing there.
He said, "You better take me, Mr. Lemon, because I just shot Barney Quill."
I told him to go back to his trailer and that I would call the state police.
How did Lt. Manion appear to you when he asked you to take him?
He said what he had to say and did what I told him. No fuss.
Did he appear to you to be... as far as you could tell...
in complete possession of his faculties?
As far as I 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.
Objection.
No evidence has been introduced to make Mrs. Manion's appearance relevant.
No evidence has been introduced to make Barney Quill's appearance relevant...
but you didn't object to the question then.
Is that because you know Barney Quill bathed and changed...
after he raped and beat hell out of this poor woman?
Your Honor, everybody in this court is being tried except Mr. Manion.
Now listen, this is a cross-examination murder case, not a high school debate!
What are you 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.
I will not tolerate intemperance of this sort.
If you once again try the patience of this court...
I shall hold you in contempt.
Sorry.
Your Honor...
I 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.
On the night when Lt. 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 10:00.
- There were no women screaming? - Those screams were down by the gate.
Objection!
I see no reason for objecting yet.
Tell us about those screams.
I didn't hear them myself. There were tourists from Ohio in the park...
and they heard them and told me about it the next day.
- Now, Mr. Lodwick. - This testimony is incompetent...
hearsay, irrelevant, immaterial, inconclusive...
Well, that's too much for me. The witness is yours, Mr. Lodwick.
Huh?
No questions.
The witness may step down.
Call your next witness.
Detective SergeantJames Durgo.
- Hi, Paulie. - Hi, 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.
Well, you're fired.
You can't fire me till you pay me.
Detective SergeantJames Durgo of the state police.
Were you called to Thunder Bay by Deputy Sheriff Lemon ofThunder Bay...
on the night Barney Quill was killed?
Yes, sir. My companion officer and I were the first to be called in.
When you arrived at the Manion trailer, who was there?
Lt. Manion and his wife were there.
What did Lt. Manion say to you?
He said that his wife had had some trouble with Barney Quill.
He had gone to the tavern and shot Quill.
He asked us whether Quill was dead or not. We told him he was.
How did Lt. Manion take this information?
He didn't seem surprised.
What did you do then?
I asked for the gun he'd used.
Did you take Lt. Manion to the county jail here in Iron City that same night?
Yes, sir. We drove the Lieutenant down with his wife.
On the drive to Iron City, did Manion talk further about the shooting?
He remarked that if he had the whole thing to do over, he'd still do it.
During all this, at the trailer, the drive to Iron City...
how did Lt. Manion appear to you?
He was very quiet most of the time. Seemed clearheaded.
Would you say he was in complete possession of his faculties?
- Seemed so to me. - Your witness.
Sergeant Durgo, you testified that Lt. Manion told you...
he shot Barney Quill after he learned his wife had some trouble with Quill.
Were these the words Lt. 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.
And was the suggestion to call it "some trouble"...
made by somebody here in the courtroom?
Yes, sir.
Sergeant, would you tell the court what words Lt. Manion actually used...
to describe the trouble his wife had had.
Objection. 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. It's fair game for me to chase it.
This is a sore point, Mr. Biegler, and it's getting sorer.
I'd like to hear from the prosecution.
Burden is on 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.
How can the jury accurately estimate the testimony being given here...
unless they first know the reason behind this whole trial...
why Lt. Manion shot Barney Quill?
The prosecution would like to separate the motive from the act.
That's like trying to take the core from an apple without breaking the skin.
Now the core of our defense is that the defendant's temporary insanity...
was triggered by the so-called trouble with Quill.
And I beg the court...
I... I beg the court to let me cut into the apple.
Our objection still stands, Your Honor.
Objection overruled.
Sergeant Durgo, tell the court...
how Lt. Manion described the trouble his wife had with Quill.
He told us that Quill had raped his wife.
Now, can you recall generally what Lt. Manion told you about this rape?
Yes, sir. He said he'd been asleep right after dinner.
He was waked up by some noise... screams he thought.
He got up, opened the trailer door and went outside.
His wife came running out of the dark and fell into his arms.
As you saw his wife in the trailer, how did she look?
She was a little hysterical. She'd been pretty badly beaten up.
She had big black bruises all over her face and arms.
Did Mrs. Manion tell you about this rape and beating?
- She did. - Did she take you to where it happened?
Yes, the next morning.
Did you find anything there pertaining to the story Mrs. Manion 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?
Mr. Biegler, you've finally got your rape into the case.
I 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 to come up again? - Yes, sir.
There's a certain light connotation attached to the word "panties."
Can we find another name for them?
I never heard my wife call them anything else.
- Mr. Biegler. - I'm a bachelor, Your Honor.
That's a great help. Mr. Dancer?
I was overseas during the war. I learned a French word.
I'm afraid that 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.
I 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.
I only asked if he gave the test. I didn't ask the results.
He may answer that.
I gave her a lie detector test at her request.
Now after all this investigation, did you believe Mrs. Manion?
- I did. - Even after the lie detector test?
That question constitutes flagrant subterfuge on part of the defense.
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.
In any case, you yourself in your own heart and mind...
are quite convinced of Mrs. Manion's honesty?
- Yes, sir. - That's all.
Just a moment.
Did you look for the panties elsewhere other than the lane in the woods?
We looked in Barney Quill's car, his room in the hotel.
We didn't find them.
Do you know why Mrs. Manion requested a lie detector test?
- I know what she said. - What?
She wanted everyone to believe her story because she knew it'd help her husband.
Was that the only reason she gave?
Said she swore to her husband. Said she wanted everyone else to believe it too.
One moment, please.
Ask him in what manner she swore.
Did Mrs. Manion say how she had sworn to her husband?
Yes, sir. She said she had sworn on a rosary.
This lane in the woods, what's it used for, where does it go?
It used to be a logging road. It doesn't go anyplace, just stops.
Who uses it now?
I think it's a road kids drive down to park.
- You mean it's a lovers' lane? - I think so.
- The witness is yours. - No more questions.
- The witness may step down. - In view of evidence concerning rape...
which Your Honor has ruled admissible...
the prosecution asks for a 30-minute recess...
in order to bring in another witness we had not anticipated using?
All right. We'll take a 30-minute recess.
Recess.
Why didn't you tell me about that rosary?
I forgot it.
We didn't forget it. Manny said maybe we shouldn't tell that again.
It might have looked like something else... like I didn't believe her.
- How much more didn't you tell me? - We told you everything else.
Is that right, Laura?
Oh, yes, everything else.
Now get this, both of you.
When you get up on that stand, I want you to tell the truth.
I don't want you to tell anything but the truth.
Don't try and lie or conceal anything or you get skinned alive.
This fellow Dancer's gonna move in.
Dr. Dompierre, did you have occasion to come to the county jail...
on the night of August 15 this year?
- I 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.
- I made the test. - What was your conclusion?
- Negative. There was none. - Your witness.
In making these tests, did you notice any bruises or marks on Mrs. Manion?
I did.
Were you asked to determine the reason for these bruises?
- I was not. - Where did you do the lab work?
St. Margaret's Hospital in the city.
- Who worked up the slides for you? - Technician at the hospital.
Wouldn't it have been better...
to have these slides worked up by a pathologist or expert in this field?
Yes, but the police were in a hurry.
I 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?
- It would have been. - In the newspaper of August 16...
it was stated that you found no evidence of rape, is that true?
It is not true. I 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?
It's impossible to tell if a mature married woman has been raped.
That's all.
Did you have an opinion about whether she had any recent relations with a man?
Well, as far as no sperm was present...
it didn't appear she had a recent relation 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. - The witness may step down.
The people recall Alphonse Paquette to the stand.
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 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 red shoes with high heels.
- Was she wearing hose? - No, she was bare-legged.
- Was she wearing a hat? - No.
What kind of hair does Mrs. Manion have under that hat?
We'd be very happy to show the court Mrs. Manion's hair.
Mrs. Manion, would you take off your hat, please?
Thank you, Mr. Biegler.
Was she wearing glasses that night?
I 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?
Would you say her appearance was deliberately voluptuous and enticing?
You could see everything she had.
The defense will concede that Mrs. Manion when dressed informally...
is an astonishingly beautiful woman and we...
Mrs. Manion, stand up, please, will you?
As a matter of fact... Take your glasses off.
It's pretty easy to understand why her husband became temporarily deranged...
when he saw such beauty bruised and torn by a beast!
Your Honor, I protest.
Mr. Biegler is perhaps the least disciplined...
and the most completely out of order attorney I've ever seen in a courtroom.
The jury will ignore Mr. Biegler's oration.
Was Mrs. Manion drinking heavily that night?
I sold her six drinks myself and Barney came over and got more for her.
- I don't remember how many. - Would you say she was tight?
-She was high, all right. -What did she do to make you think that?
She took off her shoes and went barefooted.
When she played pinball, she'd swish around to give the machine English.
You mean she was flipping her hips around?
- Yeah. - Anything else?
When she made a good score, she jumped up and down and squealed like women do.
She was playing pinball with Barney Quill that night.
- Wasn't she? - Yes.
What was her attitude toward Barney Quill?
- Friendly. - More than friendly, would you say?
- I thought so. - Why did you think so?
She'd kind of lean on him.
A couple of times she bumped him with her hip.
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.
I withdraw the question. Would you say...
Mrs. Manion was free and easy with Barney Quill?
- I would. - Your witness.
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?
- I don't understand. - When we say a person's "tight"...
we usually mean they're a little stupid with the drink, isn't that so?
I guess so.
And if they're "high" they're gay and enjoying themselves.
In other words, Mrs. Manion was happy.
Is there anything wrong with being happy in Thunder Bay Inn?
No.
Thunder Bay itself is a resort, isn't it?
- Swimming, fishing, that sort of thing. - Yes.
Is 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 mean she's being unladylike, does it?
- I guess not. - Yes or no?
No!
Now, you testified that Mrs. Manion was squealing...
and jumping up and down...
and swishing her... I 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?
Were the men at the bar all standing around watching Mrs. Manion?
- No. - But you were very conscious of her.
Conscious enough so that you can tell us all about her actions?
- Yes. - And certainly Barney Quill...
he was conscious of her because he was playing pinball with her, right?
So it seems that only you and Barney Quill were acutely aware...
of Mrs. Manion and her actions and her appearance.
Maybe good old Barney when he came up to get some drinks from you...
maybe he winked and said, "Alphonse, I'm gonna take this babe and rape her."
- No, he didn't. - Maybe you said...
" Do it once for me, boss."
Objection.
No more questions!
The court's had about all of this dogfight it can take for one day.
And I'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?
Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye.
This court stands adjourned until 9:00 tomorrow morning.
He'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.
He hasn't got a driver's license.
He'll have to appear in theJ. P. court when he's able...
the old fool.
Speak kindly of the dead.
Mind if I have a minute with the corpse?
Sure.
Now, was it worth trying to kill yourself...
for whatever it is you've been up to?
How is the trial going?
I'm making a lot of noise and Dancer's racking up all the points.
But come on. Where have you been?
Quill hired Mary Pilant up north of Sault St. Marie.
Struck me funny he'd go all the way up there to hire somebody to work for him.
I've been up there nosing around.
Did you find anything useful?
Not until I looked up her birth certificate.
Born Blind River, Ontario, 1934...
out of wedlock.
Mother was a waitress, Simone Pilant.
Father was a lumberjack named Barney Quill.
- I'd like to see Miss Mary Pilant. - It's late, mister.
I know. This is important.
- Real important? - Real important.
- Yes? - Miss Pilant, sorry if I woke you.
There's a guy to see you. Says it's real important.
- What's your... - Paul Biegler.
- I don't wish to see him, - Okay.
She said it's not important enough.
Call her back and tell her I mentioned Blind River, Ontario.
I'll be in the bar.
Good evening, Alphonse.
Drinking or just snooping?
I think I'll try a little of both. What do you say we start with a beer.
On the house. And that's all you get... a beer.
No questions, no answers.
I'm just a lawyer trying to do my job.
What are you so afraid of?
Let's sit over there, please.
Miss Pilant, I owe you an apology. I was rough when I was here before.
I didn't know Barney Quill was your father.
You didn't come here just to apologize.
No, but the apology was part of it.
To tell you the truth, I was hoping it would thaw you out a little bit.
All I want you to do is listen to me, just for a few minutes.
I 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 the jury thinks she's lying...
that could turn the decision against Manion.
Isn't she lying?
Barney didn't do what she said he did. He couldn't have.
- What did you know about your father? - All I needed to know.
He took care of me and my mother for as long as she lived.
He was always there when I needed him.
That's what I know about my father, Mr. Biegler.
Will that back up Laura Manion's story?
I don't want to get at you, hurt you.
I appreciate your affection for your father.
But as a lawyer I've had to learn that people aren't just good or bad...
but people are many things.
And I kind of have a feeling Barney Quill was many things.
- I don't want to hear any more. - No, please. Hear me out.
I 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 I want you to do.
I want you to try to persuade Al to come to the court...
as a defense witness and tell the court what Barney told him that night...
that he raped and assaulted Mrs. Manion.
Al wouldn't conceal a thing like that. Why wouldn't he tell it if it were true?
I don't know. But I know this.
Everybody loves something or someone.
Me, I love fishing and an old guy by the name of Parnell.
Manion loves his freedom. He'd like to have a little more of it.
Barney loved you. Maybe so does Al.
I wouldn't blame him.
But he doesn't want to hurt you or for you to know the truth about Barney...
that he could be dangerous and brutal.
Now, if you just ask Al... if you just ask him right straight out.
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, I told you once and I'll tell you again... No questions, no answers.
Wait.
Did my father rape Mrs. Manion?
Barney wouldn't hurt a woman.
Is there any reason you wouldn't tell me the truth about that?
What reason?
Anything else?
I'm going to leave a pass for you and Al at the trial.
You might like to watch Lt. Manion get convicted.
You going to spread it around about Mary being Barney's kid?
No, I'm not going to spread it around, Al. Thank you for the beer.
Good night, Miss Pilant.
All right. Let's get at this rosary thing.
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.
I thought if I 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. What did you do then, Lieutenant?
Well, I...
I had her lie on the bed, and I got some cold cloths...
for her head.
And, uh... Oh, yes. I gave her a drink of brandy.
After a while, she became calm, seemed to go to sleep.
Then I went to the closet...
I got my gun, and I loaded it.
Was it in your mind to kill Barney Quill?
No.
Then why did you go to the closet and get your gun and load it?
I knew I had to go to Quill's place. I thought I might need it.
Why?
I knew Mr. Quill kept guns behind the bar.
I was afraid he might shoot me.
Might shoot you if you did what?
What were you going to do?
I'm not sure.
I remember having some idea...
of finding him...
and holding him while I call the police.
Well, that Mr. Whatshisname...
Mr. Lemon 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 I wasn't thinking about anything too clearly...
except finding Barney Quill.
Why didn't you go to a phone, call the police before you went to the bar?
I don't know.
I was in sort of a daze.
It was a horrible thing to see what had been done to my wife.
Now, you say you were in sort of a daze.
When you got to the bar, did you see that the bar was crowded?
I didn't see anyone at the bar...
except Barney Quill.
- He was the only person I saw. - What was he doing?
I think he was just standing there behind the bar.
Now, did he make a threatening move to get a gun?
I don't know. May have. I 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?
I 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 you replied...
"You want some too, buster?"
Remember that?
I seem to have a vague recollection of somebody speaking to me...
but I don't remember what I said or what was said to me.
When did you realize that you'd shot Quill?
I was getting a drink of water.
I remember my throat was so dry it hurt.
And when I put the glass down, I saw the gun on the kitchen sink...
beside the tap.
I noticed the gun was empty.
Now, I'd like you to show the court and jury...
just how you knew this gun was empty.
Well, this gadget here...
when it sticks up, you know the last round's been fired.
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.
How many men have you killed?
Now, wait a minute!
Your Honor, a man's war record... in Lt. Manion's case, a great record...
certainly shouldn't be used against him.
I'm as patriotic as the next man...
but the simple truth is, war can condition a man...
to killing other men.
I simply want to determine how conditioned the lieutenant may be...
to the use of firearms on other human beings.
I don't like the question, Mr. Biegler, but I don't see how I can exclude it.
Let him answer.
I know I killed at least four men in Korea...
three with a hand grenade...
and one with my service automatic.
I 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 one 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, neuroses or psychoses?
- No, sir. - Did you ever experience...
any unusual mental state during the war?
Well, I do remember having one great urge.
- What was that? - To get the hell out and go home.
You would do well to consider the seriousness...
of the situation you're in.
- I'm sorry, Your Honor. - I sympathize with the lieutenant.
I expect he has the same feeling about getting out of jail.
But the main point here 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. - No redirect, Your Honor.
Step down, please. Call your next witness.
We call Laura Manion to the stand.
- Up these stairs and to the right. - Thanks.
How long after you told your husband what had happened...
did he leave the trailer?
I don't know exactly.
Everything was kind of fuzzy.
I was faint, and I laid down on the bed.
He sat beside me.
I vaguely remember his getting up and going out.
I remember wondering if he was going for a doctor...
and then he came back in.
It seemed like just a few seconds, but it must have been longer.
I must've gone to sleep.
When he came back in, he sat on the bed...
and he had a gun in his hand.
And I said, "What are you going to do?"
And he said, "I think I've already done it.
I think I've killed Barney Quill."
Are you sure he didn't say, "I've killed Barney Quill"?
No, I remember distinctly.
"I think I've killed Barney Quill."
Then what did you do?
I put my arms around him and began to cry...
and I said, "You'd better go to Mr. Lemon."
And my husband said, "I forgot about that."
What did he mean? Forgot about what?
He meant he'd forgotten Mr. Lemon was a deputy sheriff.
And he said, "Yes, I'll go turn myself in to Mr. Lemon."
Yes, I see.
Your Honor, I have no other direct questions at this time.
But since I'm sure it's difficult to visualize the part...
a little dog played on this night...
I should like a few minutes to show the court this remarkable little animal.
Do the people object?
I'm sure that if we raise an objection, Your Honor...
Mr. Biegler will declare that we are haters of all small, furry animals.
A creature that cannot talk will be a welcome relief.
Bring in the dog.
Thank you, sir. Will the deputy bring in the dog, please?
You can put him right there.
Hey, Muff!. Come on!
That's a boy.
And now I'll ask Mrs. Manion to bring a flashlight for the dog.
I'll ask the court to notice that the dog turned on the light.
It's easy to see that Muff doesn't know who his enemies are.
- Remove the dog, please. - Yes, sir.
- The witness will resume the stand. - There we go, Muff.
May I congratulate you on your well trained pet.
May I also say I'm pleased to see you're not today...
hiding your lovely hair under a hat.
Your Honor, 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?
- Housewife. - Then you've been married before?
- Yes, once. - I suppose your first husband died?
No.
Did you divorce your first husband to marry Lt. 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?
- Mental cruelty. - Naturally. And how long after...
your divorce was it that you married Lt. Manion?
I'm not sure.
May I refresh the witness' memory for Mr. Dancer?
- By all means. - I believe she told me...
that they were married three days after the divorce.
Thank you, Mr. Biegler. Is that correct, Mrs. Manion?
Then unless yours was a whirlwind courtship...
you must have known Lt. Manion before your divorce.
- Did you? - Yes.
Mrs. Manion, what is your...
religious affiliation?
- I'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?
I don't think that's true.
Wouldn't you think there'd be some doubt about the integrity of such a person?
I don't know.
All I know is the rosary means something to me.
I see. Well, I'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?
- I guess I 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? - He was asleep.
Was part of your reason for going without his knowledge...
because you were vexed?
Well, I'd been ironing all day, and I...
- Yes, I guess that's true. - Your Honor, the counsel...
has deliberately cut off my view of the witness.
I'm sorry, Mr. Biegler. I wouldn't want to interfere with your signals to her.
I object to the implication I was signaling the witness.
This is the shabbiest courtroom trick I've ever seen.
- You haven't lived, Mr. Biegler. - I ask for a 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...
I'll punch you all the way out into the middle of Lake Superior.
Gentlemen. Gentlemen.
This rowing has got to stop.
The next one of you that speaks out of turn will have me to deal with.
Get on with your cross-examination.
Would you have gone to the inn if your husband had 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?
I'm not sure. I don't know how to answer that.
Had you ever gone to the Thunder Bay Inn, 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 sometimes I'm restless.
- Where did you go on these occasions? - I'd take a walk by the lake, or...
go into the bingo place, maybe to the inn.
You ever go to meet another man?
No, I didn't. I never did that.
You mean to say, Mrs. Manion, a lovely women like yourself...
attractive to men, lonely, restless, that you never once met...
Objection, Your Honor. The witness has answered the question about other men.
The counsel is now making a veiled suggestion to the jury.
I withdraw the question.
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 night?
I said that it was because he told me bears had been seen around.
Was this the first time you heard that...
bears came around Thunder Bay for scraps?
- No. - Had you seen the bears before?
Yes.
Oh, this was just the first time you were afraid of them.
No, I 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. Use of the word "prowls." Meant to mislead the jury.
- Sustained. - I apologize, Mrs. Manion.
I 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 wasn't just that.
- It was... - Oh, come now, Mrs. Manion.
You should be able to answer that straight off. That's a simple 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.
However, let her complete her answers before you interrupt.
Of course, Your Honor. In any case, Mr. Biegler's objection...
has given Mr. Manion sufficient time to think of an answer to my question.
You've thought of one, haven't you?
What I was going to say was that I didn't want to offend Mr. Quill...
by making him think that I was afraid of him or didn't like him.
He's 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 Honor, please. - The attorney for the people...
will reserve his comments for the arguments.
I 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, I heard.
Yes, it was the first time.
Would you raise your voice a little, Mrs. Manion?
I said it was the first time.
Now, Mrs. Manion...
I'm quite concerned about the lost panties.
Would you describe this article of clothing to the courtroom?
They were nylon, and had lace up the sides.
There was a label in them of the place I got them...
- The Smart Shop in Phoenix, Arizona. - What was the color of the panties?
- I believe, white. - You believe?
I 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 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.
It's been stated here that you were bare legged in the bar. Is that true?
In your anger at your husband and your haste to get out of the trailer...
perhaps you didn't put on any panties either.
Objection. Witness has already testified of what she was wearing.
- Sustained. - Do you always wear panties?
Your Honor, I object to this line of questioning.
It'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.
Mrs. Manion seems a little bit uncertain about the kind of panties she wore.
And since these panties have not been found, I submit that it's possible...
she wasn't wearing any and has forgotten.
- That's all I'm trying to get at. - You may answer, Mrs. Manion.
You always wear panties?
No.
On what occasions don't you wear them? When you go out alone at night?
No, no. Objection. He says he's going after one thing and goes after another.
I'll sustain the objection.
Strike out the last two questions in 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?
- He loves me. - I'm sure, but is he overly jealous?
Your Honor, how can the witness answer that question?
What's the norm of jealousy?
Can you put your question a little differently, Mr. Dancer?
- Has your husband struck you in a rage? - No, Your Honor.
I think Mr. Dancer's fishing now. What's the relevance of this question?
Your Honor, the shoe is squeezing Mr. Biegler's foot.
In his own words, this is not a high school debate.
This is a cross-examination in a murder trial.
Proceed, Mr. Dancer.
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?
Didn't your husband strike a young second lieutenant at this party?
There was a little scuffle. It wasn't much.
- What was it about? - I'm not sure I remember.
- Were you too drunk to remember? - No, I was not.
I think it was because...
the lieutenant was cutting in too much when I was dancing with my husband.
Shortly after on the verandah, didn't your husband slap you hard enough...
so that you fell against the wall?
- He was drinking. - Wasn't this a jealous rage?
- I don't know! - Do you remember why he struck you?
Wasn't he enraged at you because he thought you'd encouraged the young man?
- He might have thought so. - There are witnesses to this affair.
I'll ask you again. Wasn't this a jealous rage?
I guess you could call it that.
Now I'll ask you.
On the night of the shooting...
what did you swear?
What oath did you take on the rosary?
- It was about Barney Quill raping me. - Why did you swear on the rosary...
that he raped you?
For the reason my husband said... because I was hysterical!
That was the reason he gave for asking you to swear. What was it for swearing?
- So he'd believe me. - Why shouldn't he?
Objection! The reason for the use of the rosary has been established.
These questions are immaterial.
No, I think I'll take the answer, Mr. Biegler.
I'll ask you again, Mrs. Manion. Why shouldn't he believe you?
Because I wasn't making much sense!
Did he think you'd lie about a thing like that?
Objection, Your Honor! Lt. Manion had already testified as to what he thought!
-Sustained. -Did your husband strike you that night?
Did he hit you that night?
Well, he...
He may have slapped me because I was hysterical.
Didn't you swear to a lie to keep him from hitting you again?
No, I didn't! I did not!
Hadn't he already beaten you up when he caught you coming home with Quill?
Objection! The witness has already testified she was beaten by Quill!
Quiet. Quiet.
No more questions.
I think the witness has had enough, Your Honor.
The witness may step down. We'll recess for lunch.
Recess until 1:00.
I'm sorry, baby. You were fine.
Dr. Smith.
I've come to meet you. My name is...
- I'm sorry. You've been mistaken. - Maybe I'm the one you're looking for.
Are you Mr. Biegler?
No, I'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.
I didn't expect anybody so young.
I'm 40.
I sort of hoped you'd...
have a beard and wear a monocle.
I see.
Is that better?
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?
- I 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?
He may or may not have been. It doesn't make too much difference.
Now, Doctor, as clearly as you can...
will you explain Frederick Manion's temporary insanity?
It is known as dissociative reaction...
a psychic shock which creates...
an almost overwhelming tension...
which the person in shock must alleviate.
In Lt. 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.
Is there another name for dissociative reaction that we might 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.
That's his conscious mind working, but he'd go even if a gun wasn't available.
How would a man look in the grip of dissociative reaction?
He 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?
- I did not. - Any neuroses?
I found no history of neuroses.
Any history of delusion?
- None. - Loss of memory?
- Not before this instance. - Did you find any history...
- Can you spot Mary Pilant? - She didn't come back after lunch.
I 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 it wouldn't have made a difference.
- Am I right? Is 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?
He might have, yes.
Dr. Smith...
if the defendant could have known what he was doing...
and could have known it was wrong, how can you come here...
and testify that he was legally insane?
I'm not saying he was legally insane.
I'm saying that in his mental condition...
it would not have made any difference whether he knew right from wrong.
He would still have shot Quill.
Are you willing to rest your testimony in this case on this opinion?
Yes, I am.
Your Honor, I'd like to ask for a short recess.
The attorneys for the people would like to meet with Mr. Biegler in chambers.
- Glad to oblige, Your Honor. - Short recess.
The jury will remain.
Someday, I'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 Honor, in view of Dr. Smith's testimony, I thought perhaps...
the defense might like to change their plea.
- Change it to what? - Guilty, of course.
No, we'll still go for broke.
Hell, Paulie, you know a guy's not considered legally nuts...
in Michigan unless he didn't know right from wrong.
- Why don't you get this over with? - Your Honor, will you turn to page 486?
- What's that? - Appears to be a law book, Mr. Lodwick.
Oh, I'm sorry, Your Honor.
I make those things to help me think sometimes.
- For perch? - No, it was for frog.
What case is he citing?
We gig frogs in my part of the country.
It's the same up here. I'm a trout man, myself...
but this is a new wrinkle I'm gonna try.
They do it in the Bayou, down South. The idea, they get a big, long pole...
and about a ten-pound line, just sort of...
drift along a high bank in a boat.
Then you see that big, old bullfrog in the crevice...
and sort of float this along in front of him.
Pop! That old tongue of his snaps out, and...
You've got frog legs for supper.
- I'll be darned. - Why don't you keep it?
- Try it sometime. - Thanks. I will.
Four eighty-six.
- What is it, Your Honor? - People v, Durfee, 1886.
Looks like a precedent.
Would you like to read it?
No, thank you, Your Honor. I think I recall the case.
We're hooked...
like the frog.
Dr. Harcourt, where did you receive your university training?
Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland.
And where do you practice now?
I'm the medical superintendent of the Bonder State Hospital for the Insane.
It's been stated here that...
dissociative reaction, or irresistible impulse...
is not uncommon among soldiers in combat.
- Do you agree with that statement? - I do...
but not as it was put by Dr. Smith.
- Where would you depart from Dr. Smith? - Dissociative reaction...
is not something that comes out of the blue and disappears as quickly.
It can only occur, even among soldiers in combat...
if the individual has a psychoneurotic condition of long standing.
It's been testified here that a psychiatric exam of the defendant...
showed no 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?
From this, have you formed an opinion about the defendant's sanity...
on the night of the shooting?
I'm of the opinion that he was in possession of his faculties...
so that he was not dominated by his unconscious mind.
In other words, he was not in the grip of irresistible impulse.
- In my opinion, he was not. - Thank you. Your witness.
Dr. Harcourt, 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 could be right. Is that true?
I'd be a poor doctor if I didn't agree with that.
But I believe my opinion to be right.
Do you think you might've changed your opinion...
if you'd examined the defendant as Dr. Smith did?
- I don't believe so. - But Dr. Smith's opinion...
was made under better circumstances, wasn't it?
If you mean that he was able to examine the man, yes.
- Yeah. Thank you, Doctor. - That's all, Dr. Harcourt.
- Is 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.
He can't tell anything.
Raise your right hand. Do you swear the testimony you give in this cause...
shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
I do.
- State your name, please. - Duane Miller. Most folks call me Duke.
Where do you presently reside?
Across the alley in the jail.
You know the defendant, Frederick Manion?
Yeah, I got to know him in the past few weeks. His cell's next to mine.
What 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 Lt. Manion had to say about the trial?
Well, I said, "Are things looking up, Lieutenant?"
And he said, "I got it made, buster."
He said, "I fooled my lawyer...
I fooled that head-shrinker...
and I'm gonna fool that bunch of corn cobs on the jury."
Liar! You're a lousy, stinkin' liar!
Take it easy, now.
I 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 U. S. Army.
Your Honor, I don't know who's the worse offender, Manion or his lawyer.
We're close to the end.
In 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 Lt. Manion said...
"I've got it made, buster"?
- That's what he said. - Did Lt. Manion say anything else?
Yes, sir. He said when he got out...
the first thing he was gonna do was kick that bitch...
from here to kingdom come.
- To whom was he referring? - To his wife.
Your witness.
- What are you in jail for, Mr. Miller? - Arson.
I copped out, and I'm waiting for a sentence.
How many other offenses have you committed?
I was in reform school as a kid, but that's all.
Your Honor, I'd like to see this man's criminal record.
Do you have his record, Mr. Lodwick?
Yes, sir.
Here it is.
Your record shows you've been in prison six times...
in three different states...
three times for arson, twice for assault with a deadly weapon...
once for larceny.
Also shows you've done short stretches in four city jails...
on charges of indecent exposure...
window-peeping, perjury...
and disorderly conduct.
Is this your true record?
Them things are never right.
How did you get the ear of the prosecution...
in order to tell them about the conversation you had with Lt. Manion?
-The D. A. was taking us into his office. -Taking who into his office?
- Us prisoners in the jail. - All at once, or one at a time?
One at a time. Him and that other lawyer...
took us to his office and asked us questions about Lt. Manion.
Were you promised a lighter sentence if you went on the witness stand?
- Your Honor, the people object to... - Overruled. Answer the question.
- I wasn't promised anything. - You thought it'd help your troubles...
if you dreamed up this story to please the D. A.
- I didn't dream up nothin'. - You're sure that's what Manion said?
- Yeah, I'm sure. - As sure as you were about your record?
Well, I guess I kind of goofed on that one.
Your Honor, I don't feel I can dignify...
this creature with any more questions.
Take the witness away.
Would you like a conference with your client?
I can see how the last witness was quite a surprise.
No, Your Honor. We don't need a conference.
I'll recall Lt. Manion to the stand right now.
Now, you've heard the testimony of this Miller.
- Is any part of it true? - None.
Lieutenant, do you have any idea why he might come here with a tale like that?
No, sir.
Have you ever talked with this man?
What did you talk about?
Nothing important.
Certainly, nothing about my personal life or my feelings.
That's all I wanted to know.
Lt. Manion...
have you ever had any sort of...
trouble with Miller?
I don't know. What do you mean? An argument? Something like that?
Did you ever attack... physically attack him?
Your lawyer can't answer the question for you, Lieutenant.
- Did you ever physically attack Miller? - I wouldn't call it an attack, exactly.
I pushed his head against the bars one day.
- Why? - He said something ugly about my wife.
Do you remember pushing or bumping his head against the bars?
Sure. I just told you.
Then this was not dissociative reaction.
The defendant isn't qualified to answer that.
Lt. 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?
I don't remember my action against Quill.
How long had you known that your wife was running around with Barney Quill?
I never knew anything like that.
I trust my wife.
I suppose you just beat her up occasionally for the fun of it.
Nothing has been established to permit a question like that.
He keeps implying things without getting to the point.
Let him ask the lieutenant, did he ever beat his wife?
I'll sustain the objection.
Would you like to rephrase your question, Mr. Dancer?
No thank you, Your Honor.
I've finished.
Then I'll ask him. Did you, Lt. Manion...
ever beat your wife on the night of the shooting or any other time?
- No, sir. - Is there any doubt in your mind...
that Barney Quill raped Mrs. Manion?
- No, sir. - That's all.
Step down, Lieutenant.
- We hurt? - We're hurt bad.
Your Honor, I know time is pressing. I don't want to ask for a recess.
I would like to leave the courtroom for a moment.
If it's important, we can be at ease for a minute.
Thank you, sir.
This is highly irregular, Your Honor.
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.
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.
It's another cornball trick.
Your Honor, I don't blame Mr. Dancer for feeling put-upon.
I'm just a humble country lawyer trying to do the best I can...
against this brilliant prosecutor from the big city of Lansing.
Swear the witness.
Raise your right hand. Do you swear the testimony you shall give...
shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
- I do. - Sit down, please.
- Where do you live, Miss Pilant? - At Thunder Bay Inn in Thunder Bay.
- And how long have you lived there? - For two years.
- And what's your profession? - I manage the inn.
Now, Miss Pilant, how is the laundry handled at Thunder Bay Inn?
It'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?
I live in 42. Mr. Quill lived in 43.
Would Mr. Quill, coming up from the lobby...
have to pass by the mouth of that chute on the way to his room?
Would it be very easy for him to drop something into that chute as he passed?
Have 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...
the day after Mr. Quill was killed?
I found a pair of women's panties.
- And what did you do with them? - I threw them in the rag bin.
When did you learn the significance of those panties?
Here. This morning, in the courtroom.
And then you went home and got them out of the rag bin?
Did you bring them with you?
I 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've been ripped apart by powerful hands.
The label reads...
"Smart Shop, Phoenix, Arizona."
If there is no objection, the exhibit will be received in evidence.
- That's all, Miss Pilant. - Do you ever talk to Mr. Lodwick...
about the death of Barney Quill?
He came to the hotel several times after Mr. Quill was killed.
Did you tell Mr. Lodwick that you didn't believe Barney Quill raped Mrs. Manion?
- Yes, I told him that. - Did you ever talk to Mr. Biegler?
Was this also in connection with the shooting of Quill?
Did you tell him you didn't believe Barney Quill had raped Mrs. Manion?
- How many times did you talk to him? - Twice.
- When was the last time? - Last night.
And have you now changed your mind? Do you now believe...
Barney Quill raped Mrs. Manion?
I don't know now. I think he might have.
When did you change your mind? Last night?
- No, it was here, this morning. - When were you given the panties?
- Was that last night? -Just wait a minute!
Use the proper form of objection, Mr. Biegler.
On second thought, I don't object. I'd like the jury to hear her answer.
- The witness may answer. - No.
I was not given the panties last night or at any other time.
- I found them exactly as I said. - Do you know for a fact...
that Barney Quill dropped the panties down the chute, or did you assume it?
- I assumed it. - Had you thought maybe someone else...
might have put the panties there who wanted them found in the laundry?
I hadn't thought of that.
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 dead Barney Quill, isn't that true?
- No, I thought it was my duty... - Your pride was hurt, wasn't it?
- I don't know what you mean. - He's trying to confuse the witness.
Let him ask her a question she can understand.
Yes, Mr. Dancer. I 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?
I don't know what he means.
Mr. Dancer, once again I must ask you to put straight questions to the witness.
Here is a straight question, Your Honor.
Miss Pilant, are you Barney Quill's mistress?
No. No, I was not!
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 my father.
No more questions.
That's all for me.
The witness may step down.
We will recess for 15 minutes, after which...
we will hear the closing arguments.
If possible, I would like to charge the jury before nightfall.
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.
I'm counting on getting that promissory note from the lieutenant.
I hope I can borrow some money on it. I need a new typewriter.
Half 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. It's embarrassing.
"Arty of the irst art"?
I kind of like that.
Has a ring to it.
Twelve people go off into a room.
Twelve different minds, twelve different hearts...
and twelve different walks of life.
Twelve sets of eyes, ears, shapes and sizes.
And these twelve 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.
That's one of the miracles of man's disorganized soul that they can do it.
And most instances, do it right well.
God bless juries.
I don't know what I'd do if I were on that jury.
I really don't know.
Do you?
I loved that, Paulie.
I loved that "humble country lawyer" bit.
You had Mr. Dancer dancing.
I'm afraid he got in the last dance.
That's the best summary I've ever heard in a courtroom.
I liked yours much better, Paulie.
Do you have to play that stuff? Can't you play " Danny Boy"...
or "Sweet Isle of Innisfree"?
Paul Biegler's office. Yes, sir. Right away.
They're ready.
Hey, sweetie.
Go on.
- The jury's coming in. - Yeah, I heard.
You can tell my loving husband I'll be waiting in the car.
- You're sure he's gonna come out? - Oh, sure!
He's lucky. Some people have all the luck.
You can tell him I'm waiting to get kicked to kingdom come.
Oh! Hey, sweetie...
I have a souvenir for you.
You'd better keep that thing.
You might need it again sometime. You never know.
No, you don't, do you?
Oh, I like you, Paulie.
I warn all those present not to interrupt the taking of the verdict.
I 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. I'm the foreman.
The defendant will rise.
- What is your verdict? - We find the defendant...
not guilty by reason of insanity.
Maida gave you that promissory note, didn't she?
Right here, ready to be signed by our happy client.
You know, I used to think the world looked better through a glass of whisky.
It doesn't.
I think I'll keep it this way. Looks nice.
Well, I got one good thing out of this case...
a new law partner, if it's all right with him.
He'd be mighty proud to have his name on a shingle with yours.
I guess you're looking for Lt. Manion, aren't you, Mr. Biegler?
He gave me this note for you.
I 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 that I had to leave suddenly.
I was seized by an irresistible impulse.
Frederick Manion."
How in the world are we gonna face Maida?
Gin. I knew there was something wrong with that guy.
Never saw a gin drinker yet you could trust.
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 I call poetic justice for everybody.